It’s that time of year again when apps are rounded up like sheep and paraded in top # lists. For our part, we’ll be showing you the Top 10 Apple Watch apps of 2015. Released back in April of this year, Apple finally brought the smart watch revolution to the mainstream and has been going from strength to strength ever since.
Now, of course this list is subjective but we’ve found all of these apps to be either useful, well-designed or innovative and occasionally all 3!
See More: ‘Get a Rose Gold Apple Watch with this one weird trick‘
1. Vine
As our attention spans get shorter and shorter, why not embrace it by downloading the Vine app? The 6-second videos are well-suited to on-the-wrist viewing and the app allows you to access featured vines as well as any you’ve favourited.
Free, iTunes
2. BBC News
Few news apps can compete with the BBC’s offering for Apple Watch. When it comes to quick glances of the news, timeliness and succinctness are key. The app offers you notifications of breaking news as well as offering access to ‘top stories’, ‘my news’ (based on the preferred categories you’ve specified within the iPhone app) and ‘most read’ with an image and accompanying brief synopsis.
Free, iTunes
3. ProCamera
For the photographers amongst us, ProCamera is indispensable allowing for use of a remote trigger, external viewfinder preview, photo preview and timer. You can configure the length of the timer delay and also how many photos are shot in each burst.
£3.99, iTunes
4. Google Maps
For the majority of us, mapping apps are absolute live-savers – whether you’re in a brand new city or just trying to navigate through some winding streets in your home town. Google tends to be cream of the crop in this area and their Apple Watch app continues this. It has quick-buttons for quickly giving you directions to home or work as well as routes you’ve recently searched for. It also offers text-based journey directions and transport type can be switched by using Force Touch.
Free, iTunes
5. Runtastic
A somewhat timely inclusion to the list, particularly with the new year being almost upon us. Give yourself a hand sticking to any new years resolutions by downloading the Runtastic app for Apple Watch. Runtastic accesses your heart rate data and displays it alongside details of your run. GPS data is pulled from your iPhone as well to enrich the run data further.
£3.99, iTunes
6. Cruncher
Bizarrely, Apple decided not to include a calculator app with the Apple Watch (a staple of any new Smartphone / Tablet / digital device for years). Luckily, there are a few suitable options. For innovation value, Cruncher is the clear winner. Excellent for those who struggle with the proportions of the Apple Watches’ screen, Cruncher uses several sub-menus to select numbers and symbols. It takes a while to get used to but it quite intuitive once you get the hang of it.
Free, iTunes
7. 1Password
Probably a bit safer than that scrap of paper you’ve been using for the past few years, the 1Password app allows you to view passwords and secure notes from the main iPhone app on your Apple Watch. You can choose whether to have the passwords and notes easily accessible or protect them behind a four-digit PIN. Please note, the actual 1Password iPhone app is free but the
£7.99, iTunes
8. Lifeline 2
So far, games haven’t really excelled on the Apple Watch with the small screen size being one of the most limiting factors. Lifeline 2 (and its prequel) work around this somewhat as they follow the old school style of the ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’ games. In Lifeline 2 you must help a young woman on a deadly quest to avenge her parents and rescue her long-lost brother – the story play out in real-time so you’ll get notifications throughout the day when tasks and quests need completing. Even working within the Apple Watches limits, Lifeline 2 still manages to be a surprisingly engaging experience.
£2.29, iTunes
9. UK Bus Checker
For those of us confined to public transport, anything that makes our daily rush-hour commute that bit easier is welcome. Especially in winter when you’d rather not be stuck at a cold, wet bus stop the UK Bus Checker is an invaluable tool. UK Bus Checker allows you to access scheduled bus times for over 40 UK cities and, once you’ve planned it on your phone, to track it on the Watch. When doing this it uses the iPhone’s GPS and displays your location at the bottom of the screen. If you tap the nearby icon, the app with show the departure board for your nearest stop. In a helpful touch, the app also displays messages that may be pertinent to your journey e.g. if there are train strikes that may make buses busier.
Free, iTunes
10. Clear
We can’t do a top 10 Apple Watch Apps round-up without including a to-do list app and so we’ve found a fantastic one in the form of Clear. While not the most fully featured app, you don’t need it to be and it suits the Apple Watch wonderfully. It uses accentuated colours and intuitive gestures to make the experience more engaging so checking off tasks isn’t a chore. One slight niggle is that you can’t type new tasks into the watch however you can add them via Siri if needed.
£3.99, iTunes
And there you have it, a round-up of the top 10 Apple Watch apps of 2015. Let us know in the comments below if we’ve missed anything and we may be encouraged to add a part 2…
Also, feel free to grab some accessories to go with these Apps for Christmas/the new year!