Evidence found in watchOS 4.3.1 points at new feature

Apr 15, 2018 06:42 GMT  ·  By
Future version of watchOS could get support for third-party features
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   Future version of watchOS could get support for third-party features

Apple could enable third-party faces for the Apple Watch at some point in the future, according to findings in the code of watchOS 4.3.1.

One of the most requested features for the Apple Watch and coming from developers and users alike is support for third-party watch faces that would enable everyone to add their own personal touch to the way the device looks like.

At this point, only Apple itself can create new Apple Watch faces, and users can build their own using a predefined template that comes down to setting their custom photo as background. On the other hand, no additional customization is allowed, which makes options in terms of watch faces rather limited.

Android Wear, more recently renamed to Wear OS, already supports third-party watch faces and just this feature alone has created an entire industry around Google’s wearable platform. Not only that the number of watch faces and hence the personalization options have increased substantially, but developers have one extra way to capitalize on their work by selling premium faces in the Store.

Only available for latest Apple Watch models?

It’s not yet clear if Apple plans to follow the same direction, but a new report indicates that third-party watch faces are currently on the table for the Apple Watch, as Cupertino appears to be working on the code foundation for this feature.

Obviously, as with everything Apple, it’s not known exactly when this could happen, but judging from how big such an addition would be, I’d guess the company plans to release it with the debut of watchOS 5. Also, given that watch faces would require additional battery and resources, there’s a chance only the most recent Apple Watch generations would support them.

It goes without saying that Apple could just be experimenting with this feature and it might never see daylight, but for the time being, it’s something that everyone seems to be very excited about.

And as with every other report on Apple products currently in development, take this with a pinch of salt at least until more information emerges.

Code indicates that third-party watch faces could arrive in watchOS

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Future version of watchOS could get support for third-party features
Code indicates that third-party watch faces could arrive in watchOS
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