Instagram Eliminates Apple Watch App

[DeepIn2U]

A photo sharing app for a watch wasn’t a very good idea to boot.

Exactly a useless app that perpetuates the notion of there is no benefit to a smart watch.

It provides what’s needed and that’s for notifications when you have more alerts.

Just because something can be done doesn’t mean it should be done. Getting motivations of new stories, likes, posts from everyone on a posting you’re following or participated in. You must’ve not had a Facebook friend post every ridiculous web article on a topic every 15min in a day fed to you. Uggh. Now have that on your watch, battery would be dead in 5hrs. No thAnks.

 

[RedKite]

Right when I was thinking of buying one, a lot of companies are ditching it. Either people are not holding onto their Apple watches or they just really are not using the apps built for them. What gives?

They seem to be ditching it for sure..... and when I bought both of my Apple watches at different times in my life I went on app buying sprees. Years later all I really ever use is the built in apps. Even Apple are still coming to terms with what the Watch should do. Personally I believe full apps aren't necessary.... that they should bring back the glances function.

If you dont know what that is it was a way of apps displaying cool info (weather ones especially good for this) and you just swiped through them. Quick and easy. I used to have a meal reminder/inspire app.... find friends..... music remote, messages, Dark Sky weather, local news ticker.

Wonderful devices. What's great about them is how much changes between firmwares.... it's because they don't know what they're doing and that's positively exciting for me!

 

[garoto]

How about they focus on making an iPad app. It's 2018 . . . almost exactly 8 years after the iPad launched. I can't fathom a legitimate reason why one of the world's top-10 most valuable companies (Facebook) hasn't made an iPad app for, arguably, the most loved Social Media platform.

Loved?

 

[iMacDragon]

Podcast app would be nice, Apple.

This. Single biggest annoyance, I know I could switch to third party, but.

 

[DVD Plaza]

Thought I would quickly agree most Apple Watch apps are pure garbage.

BUT Crypto Pro is FANTASTIC. On my Nike watch fad I have the complication showing the current value of my current crypto, I tap that and instantly see a short list of my main cryptos, and tapping one of those gives me further info and historical graph. It's FAST as you would expect an Apple Watch app should be, and provides me just the right basic amount of info to make it incredibly useful yet not pushing the limits of what one would expect from a tiny device.

To be honest I use it more than the full app, or my local market's website, as it's so quick and easy.

Exactly what Apple Watch apps should be, but fail miserably at.

Not associated with this app at all, just pointing out the one app that works perfectly and proved the apple watches value. Enpass comes second but is quite painful on the small screen. Autosleep is good but the iPhone app does the actual work.

Otherwise I mostly use Apple's own home (HomeKit) app, messages, and (very cut down) notifications.

 

[Piggie]

Cameras on wearables is a horrible idea. If people are taking photos, I want to know they’re taking a photo. That would open up a new can of successful voyeurism, i.e. locker rooms.

Interesting point of view.
Are you looking around you every moment you are out walking down the road, in stores, at events, or anything you do in your public/social day to day life?
As chances are, there is a camera filming you at any given moment.

 

[Shanesan]

Right when I was thinking of buying one, a lot of companies are ditching it. Either people are not holding onto their Apple watches or they just really are not using the apps built for them. What gives?

Unsurprisingly a watch isn't a place for most products and it takes a lot of deep thought to utilize such a small space which a lot of Silicon Valley startups don't have the time to do that "deep thought" that's required.

At the same time, Apple has stunted the device with limited SiriKit functionality which is the chief way to communicate with your watch.

The apps I use primarily are Music, the watch face itself, Authy, Duo Mobile, Cardiogram, Heart Rate, Home, Intervals, Storm and Workout. These are all quick-glance apps except for Cardiogram. If your app requires more than 15 seconds of interaction, it's not going to make it on Watch.

 

[Brien]

Apps not centered around fitness/health, notifications, communications and day-to-day data glimpses need not a apply.

I remember one app, think it was Target... the Watch app literally consisted of a single screen that promoted you to open the app on your phone. Super useful there guys.

 

[Stella]

Companies are realizing that you can't shoe horn a website, or mobile app on to a smartwatch. Small screen, lack of UI controls. Workout apps, strava, work well, they give you overview of your current session.

The app space is still immature. Give things more time, apps for smartwatches will find their place.

 

[mimeArtist]

It never worked anyway, or at least 19 times out of twenty in didn't. Always said something about connection lost.

Wish they'd make a decent iPad version... especially when you're connected to a keyboard and everything is sideways (either that or apple should allow rotation for iphone apps?!)

 

[panangi]

Right when I was thinking of buying one, a lot of companies are ditching it. Either people are not holding onto their Apple watches or they just really are not using the apps built for them. What gives?

I wouldn't think that's the case. As someone who has had an AW since 2015, I'd rather say that it could be the case that the initial frenzy is out and that the apps that do make sense to have on the AW platforms are growing now with the rest of the unnecessary ones leaving the space.

Also, I've had Instagram on AW for a couple of years now and I would second the fact that it was terrible to begin with. There wasn't any clear use case it was catering to other than the notifications (which was pretty random and incoherent as well).

 

[kildraik]

Interesting point of view.
Are you looking around you every moment you are out walking down the road, in stores, at events, or anything you do in your public/social day to day life?
As chances are, there is a camera filming you at any given moment.

I’m more concerned about moments of vulnerability where it’s absolutely inappropriate to have a camera. I’ve had plenty of situations, especially in gyms, where I’ve had members banned from trolling locker rooms and waiting for those opportunistic moments when somebody they’re creeping on drops their drawers. Otherwise, cameras don’t bother me.

I think cameras in wearables haven’t taken off because companies like Apple acknowledges that on the whole, humans have poor self control, and where some may use the technology honourably, there are always two sides to a coin.

 

[dwhittington]

Oh wow. They had a watch app? LOL

 

[machumors90]

Cameras on wearables is a horrible idea. If people are taking photos, I want to know they’re taking a photo. That would open up a new can of successful voyeurism, i.e. locker rooms.

Sir... you are late to the party, as Samsung Gear and other wearables have had cameras on them for years and you had no idea.
I went to an Amy Schumer standup comedy show 3 years ago and the guy sitting next to me was taking photos with his watch the entire time. All that to say: It's obvious when someone is taking a photo with their watch.

 

[kildraik]

Sir... you are late to the party, as Samsung Gear and other wearables have had cameras on them for years and you had no idea.
I went to an Amy Schumer standup comedy show 3 years ago and the guy sitting next to me was taking photo with his watch the entire time. All that to say: It's obvious when someone is taking a photo with their watch.

I knew the original Gear watch had a robust 1.9MP camera, but Samsung quickly did away with those. I’ve honestly never seen one in the wild, and there are definitely crap watches that still have them, but the major manufactures seem to agree on not including them.

Jealous about Schumer. I still haven’t seen her live. That would have been annoying to witness, though!

 

[chasonstone]

My issue with the Instagram AW app was that it never seemed to do the one thing you'd want it to do. When you got a notification, rarely did tapping on this notification link you to the picture the notification was about. Most of the time it just took you into the app itself, and browsing a picture based social network on a screen that small wasn't exactly a great experience.

I think they could have done more to fit the AW. Better linking from notifications would have been enough for me. But they could have added maybe a complication that displayed how many likes your most current picture has, or something. Not saying I'd use that, but it would have at least been something that made sense for the AW.

 

[kgarr]

Do rich notification from the Instagram app work for anyone, on the watch and iPhone?

Mine have the like, reply and view options, but are missing the media. I checked with a few people I know and they have the same problem.