The Apple Watch is getting an impressive boost with watchOS 6, which Apple recently announced at this year’s WWDC keynote. That goes beyond new watch faces, though. Apple is also introducing one of the most oft-requested features for its smartwatch: the App Store.
When watchOS 6 launches later this fall to the public, it will bring with it a dedicated App Store to make finding apps for your Apple Watch even easier. Apple kept the whole process simple enough, even as it includes several ways to actually discover apps you might like to use. So, let’s go ahead and dig into our overview:
Location, Location, Location
Finding an app for the Apple Watch has never really been all that difficult, mostly because of the App Store itself, but also because selection is pretty extensive. But having to use an iPhone to find an Apple Watch app always left plenty of room for improvement. And now Apple has finally made location matter, as it brings the App Store to the wrist-worn smart device.
Apple touts location as a primary selling point, basically saying you can shop “tens of thousands of apps” right on your wrist. And download them directly from the digital storefront there, too. No requirement to switch over to the iPhone to finalize the download, which streamlines the process a bit.
Apple also notes that you can expect to find a wide variety of apps, from fitness to finance, or find a new map app, or a new app to listen to music. It’s all about the location to find your next favorite app.
Discoverability
Just having access to apps is one thing, but actually being able to find new ones you want to use is just as important. Apple didn’t forget this part of the equation. The company confirmed that there will be curated collections for Apple Watch apps, all of which will be discoverable right in the App Store in watchOS 6. That includes streaming music apps like Pandora and other options, as pictured at the top of this article.
Users will be able to search for an app they want to download on their smartwatch as well. Apple made it possible to use Scribble to search, or users can use Dictation to find the app they want accessible right on their wrist. If the user prefers Siri, that’s an option to find an app as well.
What happens when you find the app? You’ll see a landing page for the app, which allows the user to browse through screenshots, read details provided by the developer, and even read reviews.
Worth The Wait
Despite the fact that some big apps have abandoned the Apple Watch over the years, there are still a variety of options to choose from. That’s just one of the reasons why an App Store on the Apple Watch makes so much sense. Plus, it just makes sense if Apple wants to continue to push the importance of smartwatch apps, making it easier to find them on the device you’ll actually be using them on.
The good news here, other than the App Store in watchOS 6 as a whole, is the fact that Apple didn’t shave back the features people would expect. That starts at different ways to search and discover apps, but also being able to see full landing pages for the apps to see reviews, details, and even screenshots.
Are you excited about the App Store in watchOS 6?