Skip to main content
Tech Radar Tech Radar TechRadar The source for Tech Buying Advice
Subscribe
RSS
Asia
flag of Singapore
Singapore
Europe
flag of Danmark
Danmark
flag of Suomi
Suomi
flag of Norge
Norge
flag of Sverige
Sverige
flag of UK
UK
flag of Italia
Italia
flag of Nederland
Nederland
flag of België (Nederlands)
België (Nederlands)
flag of France
France
flag of Deutschland
Deutschland
flag of España
España
North America
flag of US (English)
US (English)
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of México
México
Australasia
flag of Australia
Australia
flag of New Zealand
New Zealand
Technology Magazines
Technology Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12.99
View
  • News
  • Best
  • Reviews
  • Opinion
  • How To
  • Deals
  • More
    • Versus
    • Appliances
    • Audiovisual
    • Cameras
    • Car Tech
    • Computing
    • Coupons
    • Downloads
    • Entertainment
    • Fitness
    • Laptops
    • Phones
    • Smart Home
    • Tablets
    • TVs
    • Wearables
    • About Us
Tech Radar Pro
Tech Radar Gaming
Trending
  • WWDC 2023
  • Computex 2023
  • iPhone 15
  • ChatGPT
  • Wordle hints
  • Best VPN

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  1. Home
  2. News
  3. Wearables

Are these the apps that will make Apple Watch a hit?

By Rory Buckeridge
published 9 March 2015

Can Apple's walled garden bear fruit once again?

Intro

Intro

Apple's app store has just opened a whole, new Apple Watch area as part of an iOS 8.2 update and the Cupertino chaps have just talked us through what you'll be downloading first. By and large it's the usual suspects, given an Apple UI twist.

Apps helped make the iPhone and iPad incredibly successful. Can these repeat the same trick for the less obviously useful Watch range? Erm… We'll get back to you on that one in six months.

Page 1 of 12
Page 1 of 12
Workout and Activity

Workout and Activity

Fitness app makers have been doing simultaneous facepalms this evening as Apple announced its Activity and Workout apps, potentially making some of them redundant. A fairly vanilla and proprietary fitness app, Activity lets you know how your stepping's looking, and advises you to do more of it. Workout tracks metrics including distance, time, calories burned, and even gives pace advice for your longer runs. The app will also be able to pull workout data from compatible gym machines.

Page 2 of 12
Page 2 of 12
Pay

Pay

Still TBC in the UK and Europe, Apple announced that 700,000 US outlets now take Apple Pay through iPhones and, shortly, Apple Watches. Interestingly, as Apple told us about a pretty incredible tie-up with medical researchers, they also announced that Coca-Cola's vending machines will work with Apple pay. So the Watch will cause your obesity, then help address it! Meanwhile, you can save individual credit cards to the Pay app and choose which one to charge. A haptic buzz tells you it's been accepted.

Page 3 of 12
Page 3 of 12
Siri

Siri

Not an app as such, but Apple's personal assistant is on the timepiece, and you can either prod the crown or just holler "Hey Siri" to make it listen to you. At the event, Siri was used to tell the weather and issue haptic reminders to take an umbrella, if the weather reports looked unfavourable. Time will tell if Siri works any better on a watch than it does on a phone or tablet…

Page 4 of 12
Page 4 of 12
Instagram

Instagram

A no brainer, this. The world's biggest photo sharing site sends a selection of tiny thumbnails to your timepiece. You scroll up and down with a push of your thumb, then zoom in (a bit) with a prod. Another prod allows you to favourite your friend's expertly filtered Chinese meal by touching a heart icon.

Page 5 of 12
Page 5 of 12
Uber

Uber

The cab giants link with your phone, telling you how near your driver is, allowing a request, then hollering back your cab's number plate and tiny picture of your driver's face and car, so you can find them with less difficulty. This looked pretty slick, although we'd need to order a LOT of taxis before we'd currently start wishing we didn't need to fish out our phone to do so.

Page 6 of 12
Page 6 of 12
WeChat

WeChat

For those unfamiliar with this Chinese app, it's essentially much like WhatsApp and the rest of the message services out there. One notable quirk is that when you get a message you can send a text back, or choose an emoji to tell your life partner that you "funny kissing face" them. WeChat was arguably further away from the standard Apple aesthetic than any app ever demoed at one of its events. Possibly that tells you something about how keen Apple is to crack the Chinese market…

Page 7 of 12
Page 7 of 12
W Hotels

W Hotels

This is slick. The W Hotels app gives you your check in details, including room number, then allows you to go straight to your room without the usual loitering around for 10 minutes waiting for the check in desk attendant to stop ignoring you. The Watch takes the place of the traditional hotel key once you're checked in.

Page 8 of 12
Page 8 of 12
Alarm.com

Alarm.com

A home automation app, this links with your abode's heating, lighting, aircon and even compatible door locks. Our Apple employee showed how he can not only open his garage door to allow his forgetful daughter in – over wi-fi – but can also watch her safely enter via a camera stream on the watch face. Hopefully he didn't then see a third party creep quietly in, like the start of Taken. The demo also showed off Watch's communication skills, with the option to send a voice memo trilled into its mic as text or audio.

Page 9 of 12
Page 9 of 12
Shazam

Shazam

You know the drill: hear a song. Ask Shazam. Be schooled in what you're listening to then, we expect Apple would suggest, buy it on iTunes. You also get to see lyrics scroll by in time with what's playing, so you can sing along, or just work out what Dave Grohl is on about.

Page 10 of 12
Page 10 of 12
American Airlines

American Airlines

Doubtless all the airlines will have Watch apps, because they're potentially even handier than on Passbook on your phone. No matter how stressed you get at airports, you can always remember where your watch is, whereas searching for your phone or - heaven forbid - a paper ticket can cause momentary panic that the Health app would probably tell you is bad for your heart. As with its iPhone big brother, this gives you up-to-date information on your flight, whether it's on time, boarding or given up, and a bar code takes the place of your boarding pass, so you need not fumble in your travel bag's infinite number of cavernous pockets every time someone asks to see your papers. All that's needed now is a passport-and-visa app…

Page 11 of 12
Page 11 of 12
Twitter

Twitter

And then there's Twitter. Well of course there is. Microblogging comes to your wrist with a scrollable, ever updating list of shovelwear and angry exchanges about celebrities. A side swipe gives trending topics, although replying wasn't shown, so you may have to get your phone out to do that, but hopefully you'll be able to dictate replies along the lines of "LOL WTF is that dress ROFL" via Watch's voice recognition.

Page 12 of 12
Page 12 of 12
Rory Buckeridge
Social Links Navigation
See more Wearables news
More about wearables
A render of the rumored Apple Reality Pro headset on a grey background

Latest Apple VR headset leak gives us clues about how it might get used

Oppo Watch 2 models with different colored bands

Wear OS may finally have its own Apple Watch-beater, thanks to Oppo

Latest
Black and white street photo using the Fujifilm X-S20 Acros Film Simulation

The Fujifilm X-S20 makes B&W street photography super fun

See more latest ►
Most Popular
Quordle today - hints and answers for Saturday, June 3 (game #495)

By Marc McLarenJune 03, 2023

Google Assistant ends Notes support for third parties, paving the way for other AIs

By Cesar CadenasJune 02, 2023

There's a new Gmail verification scam; here's how to avoid getting caught up in it

By Cesar CadenasJune 02, 2023

Amazon may give Prime customers a cheaper monthly cellular plan

By Philip BerneJune 02, 2023

Google Wallet's latest update lets you save more than just your money

By Cesar CadenasJune 02, 2023

Apple iTunes has a serious security flaw you really should know about

By Sead FadilpašićJune 02, 2023

Samsung promises a fix for blurry photos from Galaxy S23 and S23 Plus cameras

By Michael AllisonJune 02, 2023

Another new Sonic Lego set features the iconic Death Egg robot

By Rhys WoodJune 02, 2023

MOVEit Transfer has a major security issue - here's what you need to know

By Sead FadilpašićJune 02, 2023

US government legal firm Casepoint investigating data breach

By Sead FadilpašićJune 02, 2023

Nvidia's latest AI model could revolutionize games development

By Steve ClarkJune 02, 2023

  1. Some of the best PC cases at Computex 2023
    1
    The wildest PC builds I've seen at Computex 2023 — and one of the loveliest
  2. 2
    Microsoft may have given us a reason to switch to Edge with this new feature
  3. 3
    The Motorola Razr fully embraces the joy of missing out and I'm here for it
  4. 4
    Finished Ted Lasso? Here are 6 fun shows to watch next, on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more
  5. 5
    7 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Max, Prime Video and more this weekend (June 2)
  1. Lee Pace's Brother Day points his finger at Jared Harris' Hari Seldon's AI construct in Foundation season 2
    1
    5 upcoming TV shows that mean Apple TV Plus could replace your Netflix subscription
  2. 2
    Faster SSDs are finally coming, but your motherboard might not be ready
  3. 3
    Drummer is “more vulnerable, more open” in The Expanse: A Telltale Series
  4. 4
    Microsoft may have given us a reason to switch to Edge with this new feature
  5. 5
    Finished Ted Lasso? Here are 6 fun shows to watch next, on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and more
Technology Magazines
  • ●
Technology Magazines
  • The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviews
From$12.99
View

TechRadar is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Web notifications
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.