The First Six Apps You’ll Install On Apple Watch
The apps maketh the Watch, but which six will set you on the road to wrist-worn bliss?
We have a date – on the 24th April we’ll all be able to start living our Dick Tracy, James Bond and Michael Knight fantasies the Apple Watch way.
You’ll rip off its wrapper, yank it from its immaculate little box, strap it to your wrist, turn it on… and then? And then you’re going to want apps. But where to start?
We’d suggest you start by downloading the Domino’s app and ordering a pizza from your wrist, and then you can download the five other apps we’d recommend for the perfect Apple Watch starter kit.
DOMINO’S
Because the Moto 360 shouldn’t be the only watch that lets you order a pizza
Domino’s could be called the Apple of the takeaway world. Its apps – for ordering and tracking your cheese discs – are a huge success. Hey, maybe Domino’s will release a wearable that lets you order apples! Or maybe not.
That little screen isn’t going to do much for your DSLR pics…
But as anyone with more than three Insta-followers will know, it’s not about what you snap but to whom you show it. By putting Instagram on your wrist, you’ll be able to tag, comment and like (and, more importantly, be liked) at a moment’s notice.
STARWOOD SPG
Swiping you in to your super-swanky W Hotel
SPG is already available for your phone, but it was one of the apps Apple showed off at the Watch unveiling: it’s for checking in, checking out and… “Can you really open the suite door with just your watch?” “Finish your cocktail and I’ll show you.”
APPLE HEALTH
Okay, so this’ll probably be installed already…
…and according to some (see below), it’s the most important Watch app of all. It’ll collect data from fitness apps like Strava and Nike+, but it’ll also use a stylish activity monitor to nudge you when you get to your third hour of PS4-and-Wotsits
BMW/TESLA
An app for starting, stopping and even summoning your electric supercar
From what we saw at CES in January, no self-respecting future-mobile will be without a companion smartwatch app, and Apple is already making noises about apps that will work with a BMW i3 or Tesla Model S.
APPLE PAY
Buy anything with your iPhone, your Apple Watch… but not your iPad
Insert digital versions of your debit cards into your virtual wallet and you’ll be able to tap-to-pay (like with a contactless card) with your watch at many big chains. Your local ironmonger, on the other hand, will find your watch-waving confusing.
AN APPLE WATCH A DAY…
The Apple Watch has the potential to transform healthcare. Already the NHS medical director, Professor Bruce Keogh, has predicted that wearables could enable doctors to detect if you are about to have a heart attack. But of course, this also raises issues of privacy: you’re strapping a potential spy to your wrist. Top mobile app developer Mubaloo, however, points out that HealthKit – Apple’s repository for health data – demands that users grant permission before giving away personal information.
Olly Berry, Mubaloo’s head of iOS, says: “HealthKit lets users see their activity, and part of this comes from Apple allowing third-party apps to put their data in there and merge it, with the user’s permission. “This could be a huge opportunity for third-party services and accessory manufacturers, along with healthcare as a whole. “While the likes of the Moto 360 periodically check your heart rate, the Apple Watch recognises when you exercise to start monitoring your heart rate, and reminds you to stand up every hour if you’ve been sitting for too long.”
Mark Payton
