Daily Stories. From exclusive world premieres to behind‑the‑scenes interviews, original. Apr 22, 2020. Apple Watch Series 5. The most advanced Apple Watch yet, featuring the Always-On Retina display, the ECG app, International Emergency Calling, Fall Detection and a built‑in compass. Oct 29, 2019. Jul 06, 2020.
It’s time to have a peek at exactly how many apps are being released to the Apple Watch at “launch” this week with the new App Store for Apple Watch. What is an “App Store for Apple Watch”, you might ask? It’s basically a category within the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. You can also access this category for the Apple Watch specifically through iTunes on your desktop computer. This “Apps for Apple Watch” section has not yet been released in its entirety to the full Apple software system.
While you’re going to need to head to iTunes on your desktop computer or to the app store on your iPhone or iPad to see all the details in every app, here we’ve got some lovely shots of about 500 of the 3,000+ apps you’ll find in the set.
This is just the beginning. Imagine how awesome it’s going to be when these developers decide to bring their apps to Android Wear a few weeks down the line.
Again, this is NOT the entire collection, it’s just a choice collection – about 500 of the full 3,000 apps on the market thus far. You can see an additional sampling by searching for “Apple Watch” in the App Store, then clicking “Apps for Apple Watch” therein.
For those of you wondering whether or not these apps should influence your decision to purchase an Apple Watch, have a peek at two columns if you please. The first is by Don Reisinger, and it’s called Why I’m Breaking Down and Buying an Apple Watch.
The second of two “buy or no buy” columns is by yours truly, Chris Burns, and goes by the name Why I Do Not Plan on Buying An Apple Watch. See what you feel.
Story Timeline
The App Store on Apple Watch lets users around the world discover, browse, search, and install apps directly on their wrist. Brand new APIs and tools — such as multiple complications APIs, SwiftUI Complications, and Xcode Previews — make it simple to create unique complications, so users can enjoy your app right on their watch face with watchOS 7.
/article-new/2019/06/watchos6appstore.jpg?lossy "Apple Watch App Store")
Build with Xcode 12.
Build your apps using Xcode 12, which includes SDKs for iOS 14,iPadOS 14,watchOS 7,tvOS 14, and macOS Catalina. Starting April 2021, all watchOS apps submitted to the App Store must be built with Xcode 12 and the watchOS 7 SDK.
Optimize your app
Take advantage of brand new APIs and tools, such as multiple complications APIs, SwiftUI Complications, and Xcode Previews on watchOS 7.
Creating an independent watchOS app
watchOS 6 and later let you leverage the power of iOS frameworks and technologies to create a fully independent app experience on Apple Watch. You can even build an app just for Apple Watch, without a companion app on iOS.
Get your product page ready.
App name and description
Your iPhone app and your watchOS app share one name and one description. The phrase “Apple Watch” cannot be included in your app name, but can be included in the description.
Apple Watch should always be written in English, even when it appears within text of another language. Always write Apple Watch as two words with an uppercase “A” and an uppercase “W.” For more information, see the Marketing Resources and Identity Guidelines.
Keywords
Keywords are limited to 100 characters, and are shared between your iPhone app and watchOS app. Maximize the number of words that fit in this character limit by avoiding terms such as watch and app. Do not use the phrase Apple Watch. For more information on writing effective keywords, read the App Store Product page.
App icon
Your watchOS app icon should be visually similar to your iOS app icon to show users that they are connected. The file you upload will be a square version of your icon at 1024 x 1024 pixels. While this image is large for scaling purposes, your icon is usually seen at small sizes. Make sure that this image gracefully scales down to smaller sizes.
The system will resize your icon for the App Store and apply a circular mask. Do not upload a circular icon. Keep the design simple and note that elements on the outer edges will be obscured by the circular mask. Avoid using black in the background of your icon to keep it from blending in to the black Apple Watch home screen.
Before uploading your icon in App Store Connect, get more details on designing icons for Apple Watch from the Human Interface Guidelines.
Screenshots
You can upload up to 10 screenshots of your watchOS app in addition to 10 iPhone app screenshots. watchOS app screenshots used on the App Store are 368 x 448 pixels (44 mm) or 312 x 390 pixels (42 mm). Use the full space for the screenshot — do not frame the screenshot in an Apple Watch. Also avoid placing your watchOS app within your iPhone app screenshots.
Two screenshots are initially visible in the screenshot carousel. We recommend using these to focus on the most important features of your app. You can also order your watchOS app screenshots to demonstrate a sequence of interaction.
App previews
Your app preview may only use footage of your iPhone app, and footage must stay within the app. Do not change your preview to show your watchOS app.
Test and submit.
Apple Watch App Store Not Signed In
Before submitting your app for review in App Store Connect, make sure that it follows the review guidelines, functions properly, and is ready to be publicly released.
Guidelines
All apps submitted to the App Store are reviewed based on a set of technical, content, and design criteria. Make sure to review the guidelines before submitting your app for review in App Store Connect.
Beta testing with TestFlight
Apple Watch App Store Icon
Get valuable feedback with beta testing to make sure your app is ready for release. Upload your apps to App Store Connect and use TestFlight to test them on Apple Watch. You can even invite external testers.
Apple Watch Download App
Version and build numbers
Make sure the version and build numbers for your iPhone app and watchOS app are the same in the binary you upload.