Can I create a standalone Apple Watch app?

Question

WWDC 2015 mentions that the watch supports native applications, but I don’t see the possibility in the new Xcode 7 to simply create an application for viewing Apple without a companion application. Please let me know how to do this, if it exists.

Answer 1

In fact, watchOS apps are associated with an iOS app.

In both versions, each watchOS application has two goals: WatchKit App - contains a storyboard, icons, etc. and a WatchKit extension containing code.

In watchOS 1 (old WatchKit) + iOS 8, the WatchKit application is installed on the Apple Watch, and both the WatchKit Extension and iOS applications are installed on the user's iPhone.

In another way, in the watchOS 2 + iOS 9 combination, both the WatchKit App and WatchKit Extension are installed on the Apple Watch user, and the iOS application is the only code and view installed on the iPhone.

Launching an iOS application requires only one goal, so it can work without an Apple Watch (starting with the first iPhone OS).

But to run watchOS applications, the WatchKit and WatchKit Extension applications are required. In watchOS 1 (old WatchKit), because one is on the iPhone and the other is on the Apple Watch, so applications need a connection between them with Bluetooth, so you need to carry your iPhone nearby. In watchOS 2, both are on the Apple Watch, so you do not need to connect to the iPhone and have an iPhone nearby to run applications. You can associate them with the WatchConnectivity framework included in the watchOS 2 SDK (in Xcode 7).

So in watchOS 2 applications can work autonomously, but they are not autonomous at all. They are installed on the Apple Watch when installed on the iPhone, and they can connect to each other. When you create a new watchOS application, you must include it in the iPhone application when sending it to iTunes Connect.

NOTE. This makes watchOS applications faster and more reliable.

Answer 2

You cannot create your own applications for viewing yet. Perhaps in a later version of Xcode 7, but so far all Apple has announced that "at some point in the near future you will be able to create your own Watch application."

Answer 3

In watchOS 2, watch applications are "native" in the sense that the WatchKit extension now works on the Apple Watch, and not on the user's iPhone. This means that it can no longer exchange data with the iPhone application using common application groups, but instead must use the new Watch Connectivity structure to transfer data back and forth. It also means that browsing apps can be much faster and much more capable without the presence of a phone.

However, the watch app should be bundled with the companion iOS app at least this year.

Answer 4

In iOS 13, you can create an independent watchOS application. More information can be found here . You must download Xcode 11 to be able to create an independent watchOS application.

To create it, just go to File → New → Project and select watchOS → App, as shown in the screenshot: