Take a peek inside Apple Watch’s companion iOS app

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Photo: Cult of Mac
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple placed another app that can’t be deleted on everyone’s iPhones with the release of iOS 8.2. For now, the Apple Watch companion app is just a useless tease if you don’t have an Apple Watch yet, but iOS developer Hamza Sood has cracked it open and given us a preview of what the app will look like once you get your watch.

Sood tweeted some interesting tidbits about the app, revealing its beautiful dark theme along with details about the settings, how to add friends, mute notifications, and other interesting features.

Take a peek inside the app below:

Main Screen

apple-watch-main-screen
Apple Watch companion app. Photo: Hamza Sood/Twitter

 

Like the main screen in the settings app for iPhone, this is the place you’ll come to make all your tweaks to the Apple Watch. From managing the app layout, switching on airplane mode, and adjust haptics and brightness. The dark theme is a nice change after the iOS 7 whiteout. Hopefully we’ll see more apps like this at WWDC.

 

Music

apple-watch-app

The Apple Watch comes with 2GB of available space for music. Not enough to store your entire U2 collection on your wrist, but more than enough to serve up some tasty jams while you’re on a run. You can create a special Apple Watch playlist on iTunes and it’ll sync whenever you place it on its charger.

Clock

apple-watch-companion-app

You can customize a lot of options on the Apple Watch clock, beside transforming it into a talking mouse. A monogram of up to four letters can be added to the clockface, and there’s also an option to change city abbreviations to anything you want.

Friends

apple-watch-friends

The friends circle on your Apple Watch is like the favorite list from iPhone. Up to 12 contacts can be added to your Friends screen that is accessible by pressing the side button on Apple Watch. .I’m still wondering though how you’re going to actually know which of your friends have an Apple Watch to send drawings and 3D emoji to.

Settings >> General

my-watch-settings

Apple Watch features a Handoff mode that lets you seamlessly switch between tasks on your Apple Watch and iPhone. Developers add support so that when you’re ready to switch to your iPhone a little app icon appears in the lower right corner of your device.

To keep your Apple Watch locked down when you’re not wearing it, the Apple Watch companion app comes with a ‘Wrist Detection Mode.’ This will automatically show you the time when you raise your wrist, and lock it when you take it off, as long as you setup a pin.

Sounds and Haptics

Photo: Hamza Sood/Twitter
Photo: Hamza Sood/Twitter

Cover to Mute might be one of the most brilliant setting Apple Watch comes with. Instead of fumbling for a mute switch you can just place your palm over the display for three seconds. You can also adjust the feedback strength of your haptic engine from this screen, adjust volume, or turn on ‘Prominent Haptic’ which will give your wrist an extra buzz before an alert comes in.

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