Earlier this week, Apple seeded iOS 8.2 to developers. Contained within were hints of the Apple Watch companion application, though the beta version of the iOS 8.2 update didn’t give much else away.
Today brings yet more news of the Apple Watch companion app, this time with a bit more detail about what users will be able to do with the app itself (and therefore the watch). 9to5Mac has obtained screenshots and information that reveal the level of functionality and control users will have from their phone.
Like Android Wear, it seems a lot of the setup and data feedback for Apple Watch will come via the phone’s companion app. Everything from alarms, to UI customizations, notification settings, clock settings, fitness progress and data, and home screen layout will be accessible from your watch.
We also now know that the Apple Watch will allow you to opt for a small red dot to appear on the face of the clock when you have a notification. This goes someway towards solving a problem Android users will often encounter when they have a lot of notifications and just want to swipe them all away so they can check the time.
For message alerts, there’s the very convenient option to mirror your phone’s settings or not (Android Wear users will know that if you switch your watch to priority mode, it will be mirrored on your phone and vice versa). There’s also toggles for read receipts, repeat alerts and no alerts at all.
Apple Watch users will also have the ability to set a passcode for their watch for privacy as well as Apple Pay. You’ll only be able to make payments if you’ve entered the passcode after you put on the watch. What’s more, the watch can wipe your data if the passcode is entered wrong ten times. The phone is capable of unlocking the watch but only if it’s on your body.
Messaging and security aside, the watch can also be configured to show certain system information, like the number of stored songs or photos, as well as storage capacity, and active WIFi and Bluetooth connections.
Apple is expected to reveal more about the Apple Watch in the next few weeks in preparation for the devices launch in February or March.
[source]9to5Mac[/source]
