Best third-party apps for the Apple Watch
Usually, a device is only as good as the third-party programs designed for it. Just think about it: why would anyone buy a top-of-the-line computer, if there weren't any games or applications that you could use on it. Fortunately, when it comes to Apple Watch, there are plenty of applications that you can choose from, so I've decided to write this short article and show you some of the best apps for it currently available on Apple's App Store.
Camera Plus
Camera Plus
Let's begin with a cool app called Camera Plus that will enhance the functionality of your iPhone's camera. The app is already incredibly popular, but what many of you may not know is that it also works on the Apple Watch, offering some pretty awesome features. For example, with this application you will be able to set timers, switch between the rear and front camera, or preview the photos and videos that you're taking in real-time directly from your wrist.
Evernote
Evernote
I'm sure that everyone has already heard of Evernote, a note-taking application that works on pretty much every platform available. If you choose to use the app on your watch, you will be able to quickly read any recent notes without looking at your iPhone, and you will also have the ability to create new ones by dictating them. Since the Apple Watch doesn't have any native note-related functionality, this tool seems like a really good addition.
Facebook
There's nothing really new that I can say about Facebook's iOS app, but since its popularity makes it impossible to ignore, I had to add it to this list. The Apple Watch version of the application doesn't offer the widest array of features, but it will still conveniently let you do some of the handy things, such as replying to messages and accepting or denying friend requests by tapping on the device's screen. Furthermore, you can use the "crown" to scroll between the items in your news feed and like posts.
Instagram
The watch version of Instagram gives you a very easy way to scroll through your feeds, like the pictures that capture your interest and leave emojis as comments. Additionally, you can receive notifications directly on the Apple Watch, thus ensuring that those who comment on the content that you posted won't feel ignored.
Strava
Strava
In case you're the kind of person who likes to jog or ride a bike, an application like Strava can be just the companion you need. What I find really funny about this app is that it will give you a trophy each time you beat a personal best, so it's doing everything it can to keep you motivated, even if your achievements are extremely minor. As far as "serious" functionality goes, the tool can display real-time statistics that include your heart rate, the distance travelled, the elevation gain and your average running or riding speed.
Twitterrific
Twitterrific
Although Twitter offers its own app, when it comes to the functionality that you get on your Apple Watch, I prefer using Twitterrific. For those of you who aren't familiar with it yet, Twitterrific is a third-party client for Twitter that lets you see your 25 most recent items such as: friend requests, mentions, replies, direct messages or retweets. Moreover, you can see the total number of friend requests, retweets and favourites that you received in the last day, get notifications on your wrist and use a set of quick actions to react to them.
Vine
Vine
The Apple Watch version of Vine lets you watch the six seconds videos directly on your wrist, and since it can also provide you with sound using the watch's speakers, it's a great way to keep yourself entertained even if you don't have your iPhone on you. The downside is that you don't have an autoplay feature, and that the screen is rather small, but from my perspective, these are minor inconveniences.
Carrot
Carrot
The last one on our list is one of my favourite weather apps ever: Carrot. The application works perfectly on Apple Watch, so whenever you want to check out the weather in your area, as well as get some some snarky comments about it, you can simply look at your wrist instead of taking out your phone. Additionally, since the screen isn't big enough for complicated graphs, the watch version of the app relies mostly on colours to give you information about the weather in the following hour.
If you're interested in learning about more of the things you can do with your iPhone, you should check out some of my previous articles: "Cool iPhone tricks you probably didn't know existed" or "How to make a video recording of your iPhone's screen".
