Google Maps, Amazon, and eBay Drop Apple Watch Support [Updated x3]

[PinkyMacGodess]

This will be trumpeted as something drastic, but it's just people realizing that the Apple Watch, and other devices I'm sure, aren't appropriate for 'all' apps.

Google Maps is rather a shock, considering that Apple Maps uses the Apple Watch for turn by turn directions, although it's rather obnoxious, having both the watch and the iPhone beeping and telling you where to go.

 

[PaulRustad007]

Smart watches are and only have been useful for receiving notifications. As someone who wears an Apple Watch every day, I've only ever used it to peak at notifications and occasionally Apple Pay.

Developers are realizing it's not worth the time to update their apps for the functionality if no one uses it.

I use mine for apple pay 3-4 times a day. And I love the message app...just ask siri to send a text is great. And I use the fitness tracking...that is about it.

 

[Marconelly]

They were all really bad, and should have never existed in their form in the first place. It's true, Google Maps app wasn't as bad as the others, but it was still far worse than Apple's own Maps app on the Watch, so no real purpose to it either.

It's too bad however that they didn't even bother rethinking some use cases, and instead just removed them. Amazon watch app could have offered the Amazon Dash button as a functionality instead. That alone would be better than than what they had, and easy enough to make. Apps can be made that work well on the watch - I use a few myself every day - but not everything can be shoehorned into it.

 

[saintstryfe]

The only real loss there was Google Maps, and I can dig why - they sell their own watches that are Apple-compatable.

 

[Swift]

Well, most of them have no function on a watch. Yes, there's Google Maps gone, but Apple's own Maps is better on the watch. (I know! Heresy!)

 

[OneMike]

Everyone's mileage will vary. I've owned an Apple watch since a couple months after launch.

The only apps I regularly use are the built in one's. Just not enough functionality to make it useful to me.

 

[nfl46]

Lol. It's funny reading the first few comments then watching the article get updated.

 

[satchmo]

Ok, but the implementation was there and was useful (Google Maps) so its weird they removed it.

I wonder if it has anything to do with monetization.

Kind of difficult to have ads on a small screen.
Although I suppose POI's on a map could still be sold.

 

[69Mustang]

I like how this post triggered you. Are you suggesting then that there are ZERO trolls in this forum?

Since that isn't true, and they do exist, my post was referring to them - not to genuine AW owners who express negative feedback, including myself. I'll tell you all the things wrong with my AW, but i still stand behind it despite its flaws.

Forgive me for addressing the one-liner "this product is a fail/dud" posters.

Not sure why you choose to get personal. I'd appreciate you refraining from doing it. No one's triggered. Just pointing out that you're calling people trolls with no provocation at all. We are 6 pages in and as far as I can see the thread is full of AW owners giving their opinion about the AW and the AW app ecosystem. No one is throwing shade. 'Cept you.

There are no "fail/dud" posters to address here. Kinda looks like you're intentionally trying to stir the pot.

 

[iGeek2014]

In a way I'm glad eBay have dropped support for Apple Watch.

Despite several updates it would be very slow to load on my Series 0 and Series 2.

Quite a few times it wouldn't load at all.

Mind there are other big name apps equally guilty of being useless on AW *cough* Starbucks *cough*.

 

[Johnny907]

I'm a happy Series 0 and now Series 1 owner, and I never use 3rd party apps on my AW. Activity tracking, notifications, music control, ApplePay and iMessage replies are the only things I ever do with mine. I've tried others, like the Drone mobile app because the thought of starting my truck with my watch is cool, but overwhelmingly the experience has been negative due to a buggy interface or severe lag between watch and phone, even on apps that claim to be "native." Maybe they'll get things sorted out with Series 3 and WatchOS 4.

 

[Mrjoedot]

Not all apps are needed on the watch anyway. It's waste of resources ... & users' battery

 

[A MacBook lover]

Not sure why you choose to get personal. I'd appreciate you refraining from doing it. No one's triggered. Just pointing out that you're calling people trolls with no provocation at all. We are 6 pages in and as far as I can see the thread is full of AW owners giving their opinion about the AW and the AW app ecosystem. No one is throwing shade. 'Cept you.

There are no "fail/dud" posters to address here. Kinda looks like you're intentionally trying to stir the pot.

There are clearly people throwing one liners calling the Apple Watch a fail. At least five in this thread by my count. Not to mention one directly below my previous post in this thread.

Not worth the investment (not on any fashion magazine as an accessory either) The watch is a fail.

It doesn't take much to discern from an owner to a troll. This is the front page, troll central. The Apple Watch forum however, is where actual critical discussion happens. Notice the different settings.

Apologies for the opening.

 

[cdmoore74]

I really don't see the point of a redundant watch app for something like Amazon.

The only watch app I want is the chamberlain garage door opener app but it sucks right. They added the functionality but it's unreliable. I would love to talk into the watch and say "Hey Siri, open garage door!"

 

[BobVB]

I use my AW daily. My primary uses involve various Siri voice inputs that works in very noisy environments that the iPhone won't. Adding a quick timer for parking time alert, adding reminders; a todo to my GTD app or something to my shopping list, receive and reply to iMessages, create a reminder that activates when I arrive at home, all are accomplished with a simple whisper to my wrist even in bars playing loud music where I wouldn't even be able to hear my phone.

A number of apps I use frequently; track their ETA using the 'Find My Friends', Seattle also has their parking via an app and the countdown timer with notice on parking time is great, update my GTD app, Fantastical, the Transit app, music control, start a workout.

And being able to 'ping' where I laid my phone is a plus.

I can understand not needing eBay or Amazon and Google Maps was just redundant and 'lesser' than Apple Maps but there are apps and functions that make the Apple Watch worth it for myself. And this is all with a series 1 model.

 

[xpxp2002]

Not sure if this was already mentioned somewhere in the mix, but Target pulled their watch app a few months ago as well.

I was quite disappointed to find out about a week after they pulled it that I really could've used it during a shopping trip to look up in which aisles products were stocked. Hopefully this trend doesn't continue.

 

[rlhamil]

The eBay app, if capable of being used for a quick response before bidding closes, might have been useful. I don't see much point to Amazon on a watch.

 

[albebaubles]

Apple Pay, Apple remote, notifications. Good stuff.

 

[3568378]

Does this mean we can finally let this gimmicky overpriced stocking stuffer go away and stop taking up Apple resources and keynote time in favor of improvement of the Mac and Pro Apps (Final Cut, Motion etc.)? Everybody carries a phone these days--before the Apple Watch hardly anybody even wore watches anymore and now fanboys and girls have desperately tried (and failed) to prove Apple right in a new genre. It won't replace your phone...ever, and your iPad won't replace your computer...ever. Cut ties, go minimalist and save your $$ for something useful...like paying down your credit card debt. (Mic drop).

 

[Solomani]

The fact is that the watch is a lousy interface for online shopping. It has nothing to do with watchOS. Apple could improve the watchOS to 50x Perfection, and guess what? A wristwatch will still be a lousy device for online shopping (Amazon, eBay, etc).

The mapping apps, on the other hand… those make sense for a wristwatch. But I think that the implementations (both Google and Apple Maps) could evolve some more. Fortunately, Google plans to resume GMaps support for AppleWatch in the near future.

 

[douglasf13]

I do find it funny how many people complain about the Apple Watch in general. "All" it does is send notifications, Apple Pay, Siri, etc, etc. Yet before smart watches all watches did was just tell time. Anything extra is a bonus for me. I guess it comes down to the same people being of the glass half empty variety.

Exactly. The Watch was never meant to be a necessary device. I don't understand how people still look at this thing as anything other than a watch with some convenient notification and fitness functions. I bought it with that in mind, and I've been happy with it. I'd be embarrassed to admit how much I've spent on Swiss watches that simply tell the time.

As someone with a home office, one of my favorite things about it is that I can leave my phone docked all day and not carry it around.

 

[CarlJ]

Does this mean we can finally let this gimmicky overpriced stocking stuffer go away and stop taking up Apple resources and keynote time in favor of improvement of the Mac and Pro Apps (Final Cut, Motion etc.)? Everybody carries a phone these days--before the Apple Watch hardly anybody even wore watches anymore and now fanboys and girls have desperately tried (and failed) to prove Apple right in a new genre. It won't replace your phone...ever, and your iPad won't replace your computer...ever. Cut ties, go minimalist and save your $$ for something useful...like paying down your credit card debt. (Mic drop).

You know, there are a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market today that are just as tasty as the real thing. So you believe the watch is a useless stocking stuffer, but you seem to accept the smart phone's value as a given. That's your view. Society got along just fine before cellphones, too. But we found cellphones, and then smart phones, helpful, and useful. I find my Apple Watch helpful, and useful. I don't harbor any expectation it'll replace my phone any time soon. And plenty of people - including me - wore watches before the Apple Watch debuted. Extrapolating from yourself to everyone almost never works. I'm not trying (desperately or otherwise) to prove anything to anybody by wearing my Apple Watch, I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks of my watch (Apple or otherwise), or any other device I carry. The only people who seem to take notice of my watch are my nieces (who love to make Mickey & Minnie talk), and I'm fine with that.

 

[dan110]

And now the truth comes out. The Apple Watch is more gimmick than anything else.

 

[Pentium]

Of course they do, most of these Apps where completely useless with the hardware limitation on the watch, I had the watch since day 1 it's good for some fitness apps, a quick message, read notification....but finishing an auction on ebay? u will miss the item while ur watch says "Loading"

and of course Series 2 didn't provide anything new...so...

 

[citi]

Does this mean we can finally let this gimmicky overpriced stocking stuffer go away and stop taking up Apple resources and keynote time in favor of improvement of the Mac and Pro Apps (Final Cut, Motion etc.)? Everybody carries a phone these days--before the Apple Watch hardly anybody even wore watches anymore and now fanboys and girls have desperately tried (and failed) to prove Apple right in a new genre. It won't replace your phone...ever, and your iPad won't replace your computer...ever. Cut ties, go minimalist and save your $$ for something useful...like paying down your credit card debt. (Mic drop).

Speak for yourself friend. I love my Apple watch, my wife loves her apple watch and I know at least 20 people in my circles that have apple watches and love them. However, I'm not trying to convince you to purchase one because that would be silly...Almost like a person trying to convince me and others they are not worth buying....