However, one thing that several Apple Watch users were anticipating was support for third-party watch faces. Sadly, the feature didn’t arrive and might never arrive.
No plans for third-party Apple Watch Face store
In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Apple VPs Kevin Lynch and Deidre Caldbeck said that Apple already allows customization of the highest order so that users do not need third-party watch faces on Apple Watches. Users can always use complications from third-party apps to refine their overall experience of using an Apple-made watch face, says VPs. Also, a watch face is the main screen of an Apple Watch and the company does not want anything to not work as it intends to by bringing third-party watch faces, as per Kevin Lynch and Deidre Caldbeck. Introducing third-party watch faces would also mean that Apple will have to put in extra effort to make sure watch faces are working consistently even after a major watchOS update. Speaking about the same, the VPs said, “Don’t have to worry about the watch face still working when there’s a major watchOS update. We’ll take care of that”. In addition to third-party watch faces, the VPs also talked about the new swipe-up gesture in watchOS 10 that brings widgets. They say it was a very bold move to change something that is very integral to the experience of Apple Watch users. The new widget system would make it easier or users to get the information they would want with a simple swipe-up gesture as compared to the Glances system, which Apple previously used. Tages-Anzeiger writes the following about the interview on a paywalled webpage: “In conversations, I am always amazed at how often Lynch and Caldbeck return to user feedback. Be it from e-mails or via forms from beta tests. “In particular, the repurposing of the button with watchOS 10 is based on a lot of this feedback,” explains Caldbeck. But the new mini widgets at the bottom of each watch face are also due to this. People wanted more information easily and quickly. This is exactly what this innovation offers. “We already had Glances and other variants that do something similar. But now it’s really, really easy and intuitive. We’re extremely optimistic about that.”
