The messaging app WhatsApp has also stated that it will be introducing another specific application to the Apple Watch that will enable users to get a more immersive, more standalone chatting experience right on their wrists.
In the past, this type of rollout was restricted to simple notification mirroring, but the new edition will make smartwatch users have more functionality.
What New Features and Requirements You Need to Know
The Apple Watch app is a solution to many of the limitations that restricted the usage of smartwatches with WhatsApp in the past in regard to what could be done. Users will now be able to:
- See the preview of full length messages and swipe through the chats on the watch.
- Use voice recognition to respond to messages, emojis, or quick replies they do not have to touch their iPhone.
- Voice messages can be recorded and sent directly off the wrist.
- Get complete notification of all calls (and others answer or reject calls).
- Message reactions are available to respond to a message using an emoji, which you can react to even without typing.
- The watch was more conveniently displayed with conversations and recent dialogues pinned to the interface.
On the hardware side, the app will need a suitable model of the Apple Watch with the most recent watchOS version, where the iPhone collaboration will be required, and it must be present in the same room and not connected.
The watch app is autonomous in many aspects, but at the same time, it has to be connected to the iPhone to be linked and synchronized completely in its accounts.
It is being rolled out, and it may initially be made available in specific regions or in beta channels and then broadly.This release is an important milestone of WhatsApp on wearables.
Up to this point, Apple Watch users were usually limited to getting notifications and following precooked replies actions with a significantly narrower range of tasks compared to the ones used on Android smartwatches or desktops.
The new application reduces that difference significantly
To individuals who usually wear their Apple Watch during their workout, commute, or while doing numerous tasks at once, the feature of managing chats and voice feedback and maintaining contact without having to draw out a phone will be particularly handy.
It also makes it convenient in situations where using a phone is not the best choice to make, as in the case of a workout or when rushing to the store.
In a bigger picture, this action supports the concept of messaging applications no longer being phone centric and being platform agnostic.
As smartwatches keep becoming more functional, the next step in the chat service is to offer the full experience on the gadgets.
It also puts WhatsApp at a better angle in comparison with messaging applications that have been progressing to tablets, watches, and desktops.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
- In as much as most of the essential features are supported at this point, this watch application is not entirely autonomous yet at present, some of its functions need participation of the paired phone, iPhone.
- Based on the regional availability and the compatibility with the devices, the app will not appear on your Apple Watch right away. Make sure to update your iOS and watchOS, and in the App Store, update your WhatsApp to the latest version.
- Since such a watch only has limited screen space, you might still want to open your iPhone to have longer conversations, send media-filled messages, or do typing-intensive tasks.
- Although the new app is an improvement in terms of functionality, it is optional. In case you want to keep it simple, you can use only basic watch notifications with the iPhone.
Essentially, the new WhatsApp application, which is dedicated to the Apple Watch, is a welcome addition to the platform, as it will provide the smartwatch owners with much closer control over their conversations, voice records, messages, and notifications right on their wrists.
Assuming that you have an Apple Watch and use WhatsApp on a regular basis, then staying connected has never been easier or more flexible due to this update.
