Uber's Apple Watch App No Longer Works

[MacRumors]

Uber appears to have silently ended support for its Apple Watch app last month, and multiple Uber users have noticed that they are no longer able to hail a ride from their wrists.

Curiously, Uber has not removed the Uber Apple Watch app from the App Store. The app is still able to be downloaded and installed on an Apple Watch, but opening it up reveals a poorly-worded message about dropped support, ending with a sad face emoji.

Uber has not updated its support site to reflect the change either, even though the app has been unavailable since around December 8. As with the App Store entry, the support site continues to suggest that the Uber app can be used to summon an Uber ride.

The Uber Apple Watch app has been available since the Apple Watch app launched in 2015, but it always had more limited functionality than the iPhone app. It did not support uberPOOL, fare splitting, ETA sharing, or contacting an Uber driver, which could be why it's now been discontinued.

Uber is now suggesting that Apple Watch users swap over to the iPhone app to request an Uber ride, but it is not clear when the Uber Apple Watch app will be removed. It makes little sense to keep it around, and the messaging is confusing.

Uber competitor Lyft pulled its Apple Watch from the App Store back in 2018, and has not offered Apple Watch integration beyond notifications since then.

Article Link: Uber's Apple Watch App No Longer Works

 

[McKodiak]

The Apple Watch can have cell service. Users who manage to live with their watch not tethered to their phone will be walking I guess.

 

[Danfango]

Well walking is more reliable than Uber at least in the UK

 

[bviktor]

"has not offered Apple Watch integration beyond notifications since then"

Well that's not even "offered" by Lyft, but by iOS + watchOS, to be precise.

 

[HeavenDynamic]

Aaaaaand that's why nothing will ever replace the iPhone.

 

[edrozenberg]

This is for the best because their watch app was always terrible and unreliable. The one time I needed to use it and had no phone on me, it wouldn't work because it needed me to log into the app on the phone first, which I had already done multiple times previously. Good riddens to a dumb useless watch app they never developed properly. Better not to depend on a bad app and have it fail when you need it to work.

 

[apparatchik]

I noticed this since last month, it was very convenient to keep track of your ride's location while you were walking to the pickup point, say with some luggage or bags in hand. For actually setting up the ride, less so.

I was wishing for an equivalent über eats app so I could track the name of the person, etc. while going outside to pick up the food.

Small conveniences.

I wonder what these discontinuations mean for the Apple Watch app ecosystem in general. Hope there are more and not less app's for everyday tasks. Im also missing a gmail watch app ATM.

 

[Matthew Yohe]

Has anyone been able to successfully use this in the past year or two? It's been a dead app for as long as I can remember. This messaging at least now confirms that fact.

 

[bsbeamer]

Not enough apps made for Apple Watch. It's a decent enough device for health and fitness tracking, but they need 3rd party apps that "just work" on Apple Watch without layers of restrictions or limitations if the device is expected to thrive.

 

[Macintosh TV]

No reason for them to bother with it as it gains them nothing and costs them resources to support.

 

[MysticCow]

No reason for them to bother with it as it gains them nothing and costs them resources to support.

THIS

I also believe we're only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to "no longer supporting the iWatch."

 

[lazyrighteye]

Allowing users to download and install a Watch app that upon launch asks them to, instead, use the iPhone version of the app is a real thing??? Wow.

 

[FightTheFuture]

Not enough apps made for Apple Watch. It's a decent enough device for health and fitness tracking, but they need 3rd party apps that "just work" on Apple Watch without layers of restrictions or limitations if the device is expected to thrive.

It’s already thriving. As others have mentioned, it won’t replace an iPhone, in the same way an iPad won’t replace an iPhone. Or how the iPhone won’t replace a laptop.

 

[mcfrazieriv]

"We no longer supporting good grammar"

 

[dvanwinkle]

“We are no longer supporting…”

Hmm, they obviously don’t have anyone to even help check over grammar and punctuation… It makes sense that they can’t afford to keep the watch app if they can’t afford decent testing.

 

[SigurTom]

Didn't work anyway, so nothing is lost.

 

[CalMin]

Yeah. I love my Apple Watch for the things that it does well (health tracking, notifications, phone calls etc.) but when developers try to squeeze an iPhone app on to the thing it rarely works out.

The Uber app is a great example of just because it's possible doesn't mean it's going to be good.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Well walking is more reliable than Uber at least in the UK

I think that’s the case everywhere now. Drivers aren’t wanting to drive for Uber much at all anymore.

 

[ScottishDuck]

Never used third party apps on Apple Watch. I see little or no reason to try and do things on the watch that I could just do on my phone.

 

[Macintosh TV]

THIS

I also believe we're only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to "no longer supporting the iWatch."

Apps you pay for will likely continue, if they want to see people continue to do so. But with someone like Uber, it's not as if people aren't gonna take an Uber just because they don't offer Apple Watch integration, so there's little to no risk for them to not bother investing the money in such.

 

[FreakyT]

Honestly it barely worked even when it functioned. It was completely inflexible and mostly useless.

Granted, I do place some of the blame on Apple here for severely limiting the Apple Watch APIs. Fun fact: the APIs are so limited, that it would be impossible to build any of the Apple Watch built-in apps using the APIs as they are offered today.

 

[staveb]

Take a look...the grammar isn't correct in the notice. Perhaps this is a hack?

 

[_Spinn_]

The Apple Watch is great for fitness tracking and notifications but there aren’t many good third party apps for it.

 

[thedocbwarren]

The Apple Watch is great for fitness tracking and notifications but there aren’t many good third party apps for it.

Haven't found anything useful outside those to be honest. However, for me, I bought the Apple Watch for the fitness tracking and a nice watch overall.

 

[rpmurray]

I misread the last line of the message. I thought it said "Sorry for the incontinence".