Though you may have not noticed but a handful of iOS applications from leading tech bigwigs have quietly nixed support for the Apple Watch. A fresh report from AppleInsider mentions that Google Maps, Amazon and eBay have killed support for Apple’s smartwatch just recently, without any explanation to the users in their iOS app change-log. They also didn’t provide a date for their return — if they ever plan on making a turnaround.
The report further mentions that Google removed support for its widely popular mapping app a few weeks ago, while the e-tailers – Amazon and eBay – have killed support for their Apple Watch apps only a few days ago. Recent updates to their iOS apps no longer reference the Apple Watch versions of their services. These leading tech giant’s have nixed support for their services from your wrist. We’ve reached out to each one of them to learn more about their decision, as well as the plans to reinstate support in the future — if any.
But, the significant point to discuss here is not the removal of support for Apple Watch versions of apps from these tech giants, but the fact that the same went unnoticed for several weeks. This means users were not particularly interested in shopping through Amazon — which looks like a tedious job from the go or track the bids placed for products on eBay — which was a handy feature for frequent buyers. Google Maps, on the other hand, is one of the most popular mapping service but its Apple Watch app is no longer supported. You have been pushed to resort to Apple Maps for the time being.
This does not, in any way, suggest that the popularity or usability of the Apple Watch is diminishing. It may simply be because of low traffic (or user base) that may have driven the developer teams of each of these respective apps to remove support for the Apple Watch. Though its smartwatch set a record for the highest Watch revenue back in the holiday quarter but the overall popularity of the smartwatch ecosystem is on a decline. It has witnessed an immense traction for Apple watches, while Android Wear — which recently received a refresh after a couple years – has suffered at its expense.
