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Apps -- is there really any point?
- Thread starter profmjh
- Start date
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For stock apps, the ones I use regularly are:
1. Timekeeping (obviously), including timers.
2. Calendar
3. Email
4. iMessage
5. Weather
6. Siri (not an app per se, but an integral feature)
7. Apple Pay and Wallet
For Third Party apps, I'm regularly using
1. StoCard (for loyalty cards)
2. Reminders (mirrors the Reminders App on the iPhone)
3. Drafts (capture bits of text into a note)
4. Just Press Record (captures audio notes)
5. Various airline apps (Jet Blue, American, United, etc.)
Agree with other posters, most of the non-native third party apps are slow.
1. Timekeeping (obviously), including timers.
2. Calendar
3. Email
4. iMessage
5. Weather
6. Siri (not an app per se, but an integral feature)
7. Apple Pay and Wallet
For Third Party apps, I'm regularly using
1. StoCard (for loyalty cards)
2. Reminders (mirrors the Reminders App on the iPhone)
3. Drafts (capture bits of text into a note)
4. Just Press Record (captures audio notes)
5. Various airline apps (Jet Blue, American, United, etc.)
Agree with other posters, most of the non-native third party apps are slow.
Thanks for the thread!
Before reading it, I'd not really noticed that I don't use any apps anymore. This morning was a case in point - I wanted to know the weather so I opened DarkSky, which didn't load, kept my arm raised for long enough to feel a bit stupid, dropped my arm, and then over the course of the next 5 mins, I tapped to wake it up repeatedly (all the while it saying loading) and then gave up, and reached for my phone!
Disappointing really - though I love the watch and find Apple Pay, the messages (email and text) and phone calls, timer really useful ... the apps leave me cold. Shame
Before reading it, I'd not really noticed that I don't use any apps anymore. This morning was a case in point - I wanted to know the weather so I opened DarkSky, which didn't load, kept my arm raised for long enough to feel a bit stupid, dropped my arm, and then over the course of the next 5 mins, I tapped to wake it up repeatedly (all the while it saying loading) and then gave up, and reached for my phone!
Disappointing really - though I love the watch and find Apple Pay, the messages (email and text) and phone calls, timer really useful ... the apps leave me cold. Shame
Dark Sky has gone downhill recently - "Getting Your Forecast" never seems to load. Carrot Weather is a better alternative.
Give it a try and let us know how you get on.
Ongoing thread here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/carrot-weathers-customizable-complications.1933213/
Ongoing thread here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/carrot-weathers-customizable-complications.1933213/
Last edited:
I've had my Apple Watch almost since launch and am happy with it, too. However, I agree with OP that apps...espically third party ones...have a long, long way to go. The core apps which I use regularly are Workouts, Mail, Calendar and Alarm and they all seem to open quickly and work as expected. Notifications work well for me, and I think that alone is worth having it.
Other Apple apps, such as Weather, are hit or miss in my expirence. For example, sometimes the weather app will open right up and other times it will take what seems like forever to load. I don't understand why the prefomrance on these native apps is so spotty.
I have yet to find a 'must have' third party app or frankly any third party app that loads consistently well.
At the end of the day, although I am happy with the Apple Watch for what I use it for and have no regerts about buying it, but the loading speed of apps needs to be drastially improved.
Other Apple apps, such as Weather, are hit or miss in my expirence. For example, sometimes the weather app will open right up and other times it will take what seems like forever to load. I don't understand why the prefomrance on these native apps is so spotty.
I have yet to find a 'must have' third party app or frankly any third party app that loads consistently well.
At the end of the day, although I am happy with the Apple Watch for what I use it for and have no regerts about buying it, but the loading speed of apps needs to be drastially improved.
Time, notifications, calendar and weather. My phone has some issues so its nice not to pull out my phone all time as I try to prolong its life. But i think I could skip watch 2 if it doesn't work independently of the phone.
I only use mine for health, fitness, quick check of incoming calls instead digging through handbag or back pocket, messaging and music when I'm working out. Don't care for all of the other apps. The screen is very small to do anything with imo.
I had the same problem with Dark Sky, so I switched to Carrot weather some time ago and it has been fast and reliable. I open the Dark Sky app on my iPhone regularly, but I I prefer Carrot for the watch. I like that you can customize the complications, but mostly I like that it just works.
Sean
i only use mine to check the time or notifications. its just to inconvenient to use any of those apps cuz they r slower than a iPhone 3G and annoying to use while walking. i just take out my iPhone if i want to interact. i even find those glances cumbersome to use, too much swiping and going back.
case in point: checking train schedule. by the time the app finally decides to open u may have already missed your train lol
case in point: checking train schedule. by the time the app finally decides to open u may have already missed your train lol
I think it's a case of the app developer deciding whether or not to make the watch app a priority. It seems like many third party apps suffer from slow or unreliable updates... especially those that have not yet released a native app. There are many good apps out there (Fantastical, Carrot Weather, Bring, etc.) that prove it is possible to deliver a third party watch up that reliably refreshes as quickly as the iPhone app. It's much faster for me to tap a weather or calendar complication on my watch and see the information than it is to get my iPhone out.
Sean
I love my watch and can't leave home without it....that said...
I use the built in apps the most....fitness rings, notifications, messaging, time, temperature, glances, timers. It keeps my phone in my pocket a lot more. I do use the american airlines app for gate notices.
I use the built in apps the most....fitness rings, notifications, messaging, time, temperature, glances, timers. It keeps my phone in my pocket a lot more. I do use the american airlines app for gate notices.
I mainly use mine for telling time and receiving and/or replying notifications. However during the past month I've been depending a lot on the "Things" app by Cultured Code. The addition of complications makes the app really useful to get things done. I really enjoy having an incomplete circle on my watch face with my remaining tasks, and it really digs into my OCD nature to complete the ring and be more productive. Other than that I also use the music glance, shazam, Timer (for brewing tea) and the weather app.
I feel like the watch has integrated really well into my life, and that coming from a bonafide WIS (Watch Idiot Savant). My issue with it is wanting to wear my mechanical watches, but every time I do I really miss its usefulness.
I feel like the watch has integrated really well into my life, and that coming from a bonafide WIS (Watch Idiot Savant). My issue with it is wanting to wear my mechanical watches, but every time I do I really miss its usefulness.
Time
Messages
Scores via ESPN app
Yardage from the GolfShot app (this is fantastic)
Weather...more importantly the temperature on my home screen
Activity tracker
Using the Pay feature at Starbucks....I LOVE this.
I like my watch.
Messages
Scores via ESPN app
Yardage from the GolfShot app (this is fantastic)
Weather...more importantly the temperature on my home screen
Activity tracker
Using the Pay feature at Starbucks....I LOVE this.
I like my watch.
Things has always been a nice iphone app... I just wish they would make a Web-based interface so I can access it from my Windows computers. Lately I have been using Swipes, which is great on the Web, iPad and iPhone. Unfortunately the Swipes watch app does not have a complication at this time. There is something to be said for the ring-style complication for a task list. Like the activity rings on the watch, it is a little thing that can have a big impact.
Sean
Great question. For the most part, I think the app ecosystem was way too early. It would have been better if Apple had used the engineering resources on making the fitness apps 1000 times better. I don't use any third party apps except fitness app which off features Apple should have included in the first place.
Simple, it is not as useful for people use their iPhone as "wearable", always in their hand with eye/ear on it, but for people like me like to leave their iPhone on the table within bluetooth/wifi distance at work and home, only carry it when leaving house/work, 3rd party app on AW is necessity for AW to be declared as wearable companion of iPhone.
Depend on which "wearable" you preferred, iPhone or AW.
Depend on which "wearable" you preferred, iPhone or AW.
Still use mine daily - like others I can't leave the house without it.
Most useful
1. Time piece (reason I bought it)
2. Exercise rings
3. Notifications
4. Weather Underground complication
5. Transit app for bus commutes
6. Zone Play for Sonos. This app works very well and is a perfect example for a reason to have watch apps
7. Apple pay
Most useful
1. Time piece (reason I bought it)
2. Exercise rings
3. Notifications
4. Weather Underground complication
5. Transit app for bus commutes
6. Zone Play for Sonos. This app works very well and is a perfect example for a reason to have watch apps
7. Apple pay
I agree; you have to really sift through the apps to find good ones.
Omnifocus, since WOS2.0 has been consistently lightning fast and useful. Smart scorer is nice and simple for keeping score at my son's football. Bring! Is also OK for all my shopping, and drafts has also been kept simple.
Omnifocus, since WOS2.0 has been consistently lightning fast and useful. Smart scorer is nice and simple for keeping score at my son's football. Bring! Is also OK for all my shopping, and drafts has also been kept simple.
Apps are the reason I love the Apple Watch. I wouldn't get it just for a watch as I have plenty of those. The workout and sleep tracking and silent alarm replaced the other bands I have tried. So that may have been enough, but I love heaving the weather on my watch face and calendar with fantastical and drafts and things. Love it. They load very fast and lol good.