Apple is nowadays busy inviting developers to submit their Apple Watch applications to the app store. The app store gates are now open for any third party developers who wants to deploy their Apple Watch application to the store, they can now easily submit their app for an approval and prepare them for launch of device next month.
The Apple Watch will be available to customers by 24th of April, developers can prepare and submit their WatchKit App with the necessary app store things like app icon and description for the review process. A developer is also required to mention Apple Watch support in the update note.
A watch app comes bundled within the normal iOS App, this means the user can update the app in the iPhone device and can access that application into the Apple Watch.
Make your WatchKit App
Apple WatchKit is a combination of two parts: one is a WatchKit extension that will be running on an iPhone device and second will the user interface that will be installed on the Apple Watch. When the app will be launched on the Apple Watch, the extension of WatchKit will run in background of iPhone device to update the user interface.
1. WatchKit Apps
An Application created for Apple Watch will contain full user interface, the functionality will remain almost same as an application of iPhone device. Users will be able to interact and control the application like accessing it from iPhone device.
2. Glances
Users will be provided of a light weight information offering a quick view of your application. The information will be read only describing the application to the user.
3. Actionable Notifications
These are the notifications built in with the WatchKit, letting users to take particular actions right from their Apple Watch.
We can say that a smart watch will work like an extension of an iPhone app, with the feature of wearable device running applications on it.
Designing and Development of App
The Apple Watch integration process consists of rich notifications, WatchKit apps offering a wide range of functionality and glances. If user wants to run an application, then its must to pair your iPhone device with the watch.
1. App designing templates
Get a global set of design resources to create a WatchKit app, glance and notifications. This package contains various template of interfaces, icons, notifications and glances. It will provide contain a detailed description of layout and size of controls, different icon sizes and description information about text size and style.
2. iOS SDK
The SDK includes a WatchKit for building applications, glances and notifications for the development of Apple Watch application.
App Store Meta Data
1. App icon
The WatchKit app icon should be visually similar to the iPhone application icon to let your users know that both the applications are same and connected with each others. After uploading your app icon the system will re-size it for the app store and will apply a circular mark. The iPhone app developer is not supposed to upload that circular image, the design of logo should be simple and clearly visible. Also they should avoid using black as a background of logo, as black is the color of apple home screen.
2. Screen shots
While submitting an application, a developer need to submit five screen shots of his application. The screen shots for WatchKit app should be 312 x 390. Developer should utilize the space allocated to them for screen shots and also avoid placing them within iPhone app screen shots places.
3. App name and description
The description of your iPhone app and WatchKit app will remain same. If your iPhone application contains Apple Watch application then do mention this at the early description, so that user will come to know about an availability of application for Apple Watch.
4. Keywords
The keywords are having a limitation of 100 character and will be shared between an iPhone and WatchKit app. Developer should maximize the number of words so that it can be fit within the character limit by avoiding some general terms like watch and app.
It should always be kept in mind to specify Apple Watch in English even if it appears within text of another language. Also both the words should be appeared as two different words with the capitalization of initials.
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