Roger Fingas
Apple made a small but important update to the official App Store Review Guidelines on Tuesday, banning developers from creating Apple Watch apps meant mostly to tell the time.
The new rule, under the "User interface" section, states that "Watch Apps whose primary function is telling time will be rejected." Apple has actually been rejecting Watch apps under those terms for some time, but until today hadn't codified the policy.
The Apple Watch includes nine different faces by default — each of which can be customized with different colors and/or complications — but does not support third-party ones. Building them in app form might have been a potential workaround, although native faces enjoy more interface conveniences.
More faces could be a possibility when Apple releases a Watch SDK with native app support later this year. Apple has not announced any plans for third-party faces, however.
In the meantime the company could release more faces of its own via software updates. Two faces shown last September, Timelapse and Photo, are absent from the shipping version of Watch OS, but could be restored later or even joined by additional options.
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26 Comments
So... no decorative watch faces unless combined with some other function? I'd just like to have a nice selection of watches that don't look like standard issue faces.
A watch is a very personal item -- moreso than a smartphone. After all, I choose to wear a smartwatch; I don't need one. So not allowing us to install our own watch faces (and only giving us the option to customize the Complications and colors on the existing watch faces) is rather short sighted IMHO.
I understand the reasoning somewhat -- Apple doesn't want "ugly" to destroy the look of the Apple Watch. But I say, you have your say over physical design of the watch. Let me have a say as to how "I" want the watch face to look. Just as I can change the way that my smartphone's background/home screen looks.
I understand the reasoning somewhat -- Apple doesn't want "ugly" to destroy the look of the Apple Watch. But I say, you have your say over physical design of the watch. Let me have a say as to how "I" want the watch face to look. Just as I can change the way that my smartphone's background/home screen looks.
It's not a "I want control" thing, it's a "There are standards and practices" thing.
If apps that start showing watch faces begin appearing in the store, people will be upset at the limited functionality, the inconsistency with how watch faces should work, and the general wonkiness of trying to make something like that work outside of the paradigm created (the Watch App is the center to ? Watch's universe, rather than the home screen on iOS).
It also makes it harder to launch your own method to distribute watch faces; Apple could control delivery (via Store but separate from apps) to APIs available and integration into the standards that exist by distributing them outside of the App world.
I'm sure it's the same reason Apple doesn't allow third-party Phone apps on the iPhone. I'm sure none of them would Hindenburg your phone.
I understand the reasoning somewhat -- Apple doesn't want "ugly" to destroy the look of the Apple Watch. But I say, you have your say over physical design of the watch. Let me have a say as to how "I" want the watch face to look. Just as I can change the way that my smartphone's background/home screen looks.
Apple will include the ability to change watch faces.
But 2 years down the line. Once the Apple Watch is established as a legitimate device.
Apple is a master of creating new product categories, and they realize in the initial critical phase, allowing people to completely destroy the look of their watches, and therefore the initial customer impression (Can you imagine how many Fandroids will buy Apple watches just to post pictures on Reddit of their Watch Faces showing an Android robot pissing on an Apple?) is dangerous.