Apple Watch App: An unused customer channel
Apple Watch is currently on top of the watch sector in its price segment. But the Apple Watch is more than just a fashion accessory or a sports watch – it opens up a new market sector in app development. This leads companies that already offer or want to own an iPhone app to develop an extension for the Apple Watch. An app that works on the iPhone doesn’t automatically work on the Apple Watch because it runs on a different operating system (WatchOS). One of the advantages of the Apple Watch is that you can read a notification immediately on the watch, but to see it on your cell you have to take it out of your pocket. In this blog post, I would like to explain to you which other functions an Apple Watch offers and for whom it offers added value.
Push Notification
Push notifications make the Apple Watch interesting. Whether for magazines that want to inform their readers about breaking news or the washing machine that has just finished and informs its owner. The screen lights up and the watch vibrates. In the best case, the person clicks on it and gets to the app. This leads to more customer loyalty. An RSS feed can also be integrated this way. The user is provided with information quickly and easily.
Smart home with the Apple Watch
Smart home components are increasingly finding their way into households. The Apple Watch can also be used to control smart devices. On the way home, you can turn on the heating, turn on the washing machine or make sure that the light has been turned off by looking at your wrist. The watch offers smart home manufacturers many new opportunities to get closer to their customers. And in this area push messages are very interesting as well. It‘s possible, for example, that the user receives a message if someone rings his doorbell.
Getting and staying fit with support
Since its first generation, the Apple Watch has been a fitness gadget. With the Series 4, the Apple Watch has further manifested its position in the fitness sector. Better sensors and an improved processor performance allow app developers to add more features and make the app more user-friendly. The improved gyro sensor also enables automatic fall detection. If you fall down and can’t get up, the Apple Watch will make an emergency call, which also contains the user’s location, to a self-chosen number. This makes the Apple Watch interesting for companies that concentrate on athletes. However, this is not the only target group for the fall detection function: this function can also be used by older people or people with limited mobility. Having your own app that sends a notification for medication reminders or recognizes a pulse that is too low can offer a company great added value.
Inspiration for your app idea
Whether making a new app or making the existing one compatible with the Apple Watch: there is often a lack of inspiration. That’s why I’d like to introduce two apps that I think have done a good job of transitioning to the wrist.
With Shazam you can record a song that is playing on the radio, for example. The app looks for the title and shows it on the watch. Now you can listen to parts of the song or add it to your Spotify playlist. But also newspapers or online magazines can profit from the faster Apple Watch and offer a feed like the App Onefootball does. In this app you can get results of recent and notifications about upcoming football matches directly on your wrist.
Apple Watch is the market leader in the Smartwatch sector. But what Apple still has to work on is the compatibility with other smartphones, which is not possible yet. However, there are enough alternative smart watches that work with Apple and Android devices and offer similar functions.
Whether you choose a smart watch app or an Apple Watch app, our developers can do both. We will be happy to tell you what other options you have in Apple Watch App development in a personal meeting: