WatchOS code hints at third-party dials for Apple Watch

By: Bohdan Chub | 16.04.2018, 15:37
WatchOS code hints at third-party dials for Apple Watch

Only three years after the launch of the first Apple Watch in Cupertino thought about supporting the dials of third-party developers. This is indicated directly by the line of code in the recently released beta watchOS 4.3.1.

What do we have here?

watchos-beta-custom-watch-face-code.gif

A promising comment was found in the NanoTimeKit framework component, which is responsible for the connection between the developer server and Xcode on the Mac. The message indicates the location in the code where configuration files for third-party dials will be generated. It seems that Apple has just started to work in this direction, and the implementation of the new function will take some time.

When to expect?

Not before the release of watchOS 5, if the company does not abandon this idea. The next version of the platform should be released in the autumn, tentatively in September.

Until now, all the dials were created by Apple, some in cooperation with Disney and Nike. Users can change not only the design itself, but also the color scheme. In addition, the output of information from applications is supported. In other words, with customization, Apple Watch is OK, but the corporation is unlikely to ever release a dial with a dancing 8-bit Pebble or a geeky binary clock (Android Wear).

Source: 9to5Mac