AppleWatch is selling like crazy and anyone want his favorite apps on the wrist of his users. How can you build a counterpart app for Apple Watch? Apple has already released watchOS 2 with big news for developer and the third version of watchOS is arriving with a new Apple Watch! How can you take advantages of this new things? This talk will explain how an iOS developer can migrate his app to Apple Watch.

1. BLINKAR
TITLE
WHO COMPANY
FRANCESCO NOVELLI
BUILD APPS FOR APPLE WATCH

2. Who I am?
iOS Developer since 2009
Web Developer (LAMP)
Development Book Author
Freelance and Consultant
Apple Lovers

3. Thanks to BLINKAR
www.blinkar.com

4. Agenda
What is it an Apple Watch?
SDK history
App
Notifications
Complications
Final thoughts

5. WHAT IS IT AN APPLE WATCH

6. “It's the most personal product we've ever made”
–Tim Cook

7. What is it an Apple Watch
Watch!
iPhone external device
Notification reader
Sport&Life tracker

8. FAST DEVICE
When user raise the wrist is import to show what
REALLY matter
Users DO NOT want loading on wrist
Users DO NOT want tap more than 2 times to get
what they want

9. SMALL DEVICE
Screen is tiny
Tapping is NOT the only solution
Input device are various
Microphone IS a solution for SOME problem, not
every problem

10. APPLE SDK: WATCHKIT

12. watchOS 1
iOS-based OS
Native Apps with watchOS 2.0
iPhone connectivity framework
Need an iPhone companion app

13. watchOS 2
Complications
iPhone connectivity framework
Time Travel
Watch execute its own apps & Apps works also
without an iPhone
Apps can interact with “all” sensor of Watch
Simple animation allowed
NEW
NEW

14. watchOS 3
Performance Performance Performance!
Dock Interface
NEW API
Background app refresh
Simplifying navigation
New Notification
NEW

15. Performance
Fullscreen app MAYBE NOT the best way to use
your app
Preload data
Simplifying UI
Use ALL CPU you need
Simulate async things (if you are confident with the
task)

16. Dock
User can dock your application
Easiest way to interact with your
app
Show only important information
Simplifying the interaction

17. NEW API &
FRAMEWORKS
SpriteKit
SceneKit
Inline Video
GameKit
CloudKit
Apple Pay
Digital Crown API
NEW Workout API
Speaker API

18. Background App Refresh
Use it for update snapshot of Docked App
Complications have 50 slot in a day
Normal apps has 24 updates in a day. (at least)
Choose the best time for the user
We can schedule or start refresh from push or
iPhone

19. APPLE WATCH APPS

20. APPS
YOUR APP!

21. Apps: 2 components
The Watch app contains the storyboards and
resource files associated with all of your app’s user
interfaces.
The WatchKit extension contains the code for
managing those interfaces and for responding to
user interactions
Different between watchOS 1 and 2:
WatchKit extension on watchOS 1 was
on IPhone

22. Apps: 2 components
Code Files
StoryBoard,
Images, Plists

23. Apps: User Interface
Based on Storyboard
Different From iOS: it’s NOT a white board
Xcode arranges items for you, stacking them
vertically on different lines.
You can customize scenes for different Apple
Watch sizes, and you can configure different
aspects of your interface.

24. Apps: User Interface

25. Apps: User Interface

26. Apps: Navigation
Page-Based: storyboard
Hierarchical Interface: pushControllerWithName:
Modally: presentControllerWithName:

27. Apps: Context Menu
?Optional
Force Touch to activate context menu
MUST follow Apple Watch HIG
Configurable with storyboard or Code
(addMenuItemWithImage:title:action:)
Easy way to avoid too much modal
interface

28. Apps: Settings
Only on iPhone (Apple Watch App)
with Settings Bundle
UserDefaults can be shared with iOS
Companion app
Settings in iOS App
NSUserDefaults *defaults =
[[NSUserDefaults alloc] initWithSuiteName:@"group.com.example.watchApp"];
BOOL enabled = [defaults boolForKey:@"enabled_preference"];

29. Apps:
WatchConnectivity.framework
two-way communications between an iOS app and
a Watch App
pass files and data back and forth
works in background also with inactive apps
Live communication if both apps are active

30. Simplifying Navigation
In watchOS 3 Apple has simplified their apps. It’s
our turn
Digital Crown for simple interface
WKTable has new option
For 8 minutes last app used will be shown when
user raise the wrist

31. Apps: Recap
Native apps that works on the Apple Watch
(watchOS 2.0)
Keep interface simple and follow Apple HIG
Do not use only modal
Interact with iPhone App

32. NOTIFICATIONS

33. Notification
The most important part of Apple Watch
Everyone will see notification on Apple Watch

34. Notification
Every apps works by default
iPhone will decide where show the notification
Developers can personalize notification
Users can interact with notification
Users must allow apps to send notification on their
iPhones

35. Notification: Looks
Short-Look Interface (last only 2 seconds)
Long-Look Inteface (last until users dismiss the
notification)

36. Notification: Short-Look
Can NOT be personalized
Show only when the user
raise its wrist
Automatically show the
Long-Look if the users
keep watching the Apple
Watch

37. Notification: Long-Look
Developer can design its own
notification
It’s scrollable
Show notification content and actions
Actions are the same of the iPhone
Notification
Actions can support text reply

38. Notification: Actions
Must be set on the iPhone app
Setting activation mode background will execute
code on iPhone
Foreground activation will open Watch app

39. Notification: Customize
Long Notification
Must exist a static version of notification
Developers can create a dynamic version of
notification with custom design
watchOS will try to show the dynamic version, but
if it’s too slow will show the static version

40. Notification: Static
Can be personalized only the top band color and
text formatting
watchOS will set only the label
notificationAlertLabel with message of notification
Must be created using a storyboard

41. Notification: Dynamic
All interface can be personalized
A subclass of WKUserNotificationInterfaceController
configures the interface
Can include images and other UI controls
Use maps and table less possible
Do not include buttons, switches, or other interactive
controls.

42. Notification: Dynamic
HOW TO
- (void)didReceiveRemoteNotification:(NSDictionary *)remoteNotification
withCompletion:(void(^)(WKUserNotificationInterfaceType interface)) completionHandler {
// Get the aps dictionary from the payload.
NSDictionary* apsDict = [remoteNotification objectForKey:apsKeyString];
// Set text of labels...
NSString* titleString = [apsDict objectForKey:titleKeyString];
[self.titleLabel setText:titleString];
// Tell WatchKit to display the custom interface.
completionHandler(WKUserNotificationInterfaceTypeCustom);
}

43. Notification FROM the
watch
NEW on watchOS 3
We can schedule right on the watch
Works also without an iPhone
App can decide in which device show the notification
App can demand decision to the OS

44. Notification: Recap
Notification are the most important things on Apple
Watch
Can be personalized if exist an Apple Watch app
Provide a better experience with custom interface
Dynamic Interface must be fast to show or users
won’t see your amazing interface

45. COMPLICATIONS

46. Complications
NEW in watchOS 2.0
It’s not an Apple name; exist
from years in watch industries
Can be integrated in every apps
Various style based on clock
interface
Uses ClockKit.framework

47. Apple Default
Complications

48. Complications: Types

49. Complications: HOW TO
Works like a timeline
You need to preload information
Users can “time travel” with digital crown

50. Complications: Summary
Cannot load data when users raise its wrist or
when start time traveling; must be preloaded
Preload cannot work for every complications
Refresh when whenever the app works
Keep data updates and show only useful things

51. Complications: More…
WWDC ’15 Session 209 Creating complications
with ClockKit
ClockKit Framework Reference
(developer.apple.com)

52. FINAL THOUGHT

53. Build Apple Watch Apps
Apple Watch is big opportunity for developers
Apple Watch users love to have their apps on the
wrist
Different types of “apps”: choose the best one
Apple Watch is: small&fast device. Keep it in mind
during UX Design

54. Thanks!
Q&A Time
Francesco Novelli
francesco.nove@gmail.com
@if9
http://www.9lli.it/francesco
www.blinkar.com