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Apple now inviting all third-party developers to submit Watch apps to the App Store

Screen Shot 2015-03-31 at 1.28.58 PM

Apple has now opened the floodgates and is letting all developers submit Watch apps to the App Store. This means any of the 1.2 million apps can now submit updates including Watch apps (using the WatchKit framework), beyond the select partners Apple rolled out last week.

As a reminder, Watch apps come bundled as extensions inside normal iOS apps. This means customers can update the apps in the iPhone ready for the Watch’s release on the 24th. Apple is pointing developers to the submission reference guidelines for more information on this process.

Apple Watch integration can consist of rich notifications, glances (analogous to Today view widgets on the iPhone) and WatchKit apps, which can offer a wide range functionality. However, the iPhone must be paired to the Watch for these third-party apps to run. A native SDK, which does not have this limitation, is expected later in the year.

Just this morning, we saw Apple Watch updates rolling out from companies like the New York Times, Uber and Flipboard. Expect many more of these updates to begin rolling out soon, once Apple approvals them, now that anyone is allowed to submit Watch extensions.

Apple Watch developers

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Comments

  1. Steven Moser - 9 years ago

    Will the Apple Watch survive all that floodgate water?

  2. Anyone know if developers can design watch faces or will we be purely at the mercy of Apple for those?

    • Soluble Apps - 9 years ago

      At the moment developers can’t create watch faces.

      At present Watch apps run on your iPhone and beam an image to the watch’s screen, which wouldn’t work well for sweep hands on a watch face. There is still plenty we can do, though.

      • Tony L (@tonyl) - 9 years ago

        That can’t be true. Otherwise you’d never be able to use the watch without the phone.

      • Soluble Apps - 9 years ago

        It is true for all third party apps.

        Although Apple have produced various apps that run directly on the phone. The watch will play music directly from its memory if you are out running without your ‘phone, and show some pictures.

  3. zBrain (@joeregular) - 9 years ago

    sounds good and all, but… all those beautiful, useful apps won’t do any good, if i have to recharge my watch after 2 hours.

    so still waiting and hoping somebody would stress test the battery and tell us how long they would really run (without having to recharge).

  4. That means Apple Watgch App Store will open soon. This would be more beneficial for iOS developers.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.