simondpb

Q: Third party apps not working on Apple Watch

After I bought the Apple Watch over a month ago, still a lot of third party apps (like Facebook Messenger, Swarm, Skype or GoPro) aren't working on the watch. Most of them keep loading or crash after a few seconds.

 

It feels like a miss a lot of the functionality of my Apple Watch because those apps aren't working.

Apple Watch Sport 42mm, watchOS 2.1

Posted on Feb 17, 2016 12:05 PM

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Q: Third party apps not working on Apple Watch

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  • by Hamoud234,

    Hamoud234 Hamoud234 Feb 17, 2016 1:28 PM in response to simondpb
    Level 1 (70 points)
    iPod
    Feb 17, 2016 1:28 PM in response to simondpb

    You should be downloading apps that are compatible with your apple watch. Have you updated to the latest version of watchOS 2?

  • by simondpb,

    simondpb simondpb Feb 17, 2016 1:43 PM in response to Hamoud234
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Feb 17, 2016 1:43 PM in response to Hamoud234

    The apps I'm talking about are already installed on the watch, so yes, they should be compatible.

     

    When I try to open some of those third party apps (e.g. Facebook Messenger, Swarm, Skype,...) all I get is the loading sign that keeps spinning (see picture below). Sometimes the apps crashes after a few seconds.

    IMG_5076.PNG

  • by simondpb,

    simondpb simondpb Feb 17, 2016 1:45 PM in response to simondpb
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Feb 17, 2016 1:45 PM in response to simondpb

    Also, my Apple Watch is updated to the latest version, watchOS 2.1!

  • by Jonathan UK,Apple recommended

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Feb 18, 2016 2:56 AM in response to simondpb
    Level 7 (31,031 points)
    Apple Watch
    Feb 18, 2016 2:56 AM in response to simondpb

    Hi

     

    Try the following steps, trying to open the app after each:

     

    • Place your Apple Watch on its charger with power connected and also connect your iPhone to power.
    • On your iPhone: open the Music app and start playing a song (through your iPhone speakers is fine).
    • On your iPhone, in the Watch app, go to: My Watch (tab) > scroll down and tap on the name of the app that won't open > turn off the option for Show App on Apple Watch > pause for a few moments > turn the option back on again.

     

    If that does not resolve the issue, next try unpairing and re-pairing your watch:

     

     

    More information:

    Get help with apps on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

     

    If the issue persists, try these steps, which have resolved the same issue for some other users.

     

    • On your iPhone, go to: Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage > In the Storage section, tap on Manage Storage > Music > Edit (upper-right corner) > delete All Songs.
    • Back up your iPhone to iCloud (do not reset your iPhone afterwards, just make the backup):
    • Also back up (but do not Sync) your iPhone to iTunes, selecting the option to "Encrypt iPhone backup" (again, do not reset your iPhone afterwards, just make the backup):
    • Then re-try opening each of the affected apps.
    • Music can be added back to your iPhone again after trying these steps.

     

    After trying these steps, if the issue persists (or if it is initially resolved, but then later returns), I suggest that you contact Apple Support for further assistance:

     

    https://www.apple.com/support/watch/contact/

  • by Rob2775,

    Rob2775 Rob2775 Mar 7, 2016 2:01 AM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 7, 2016 2:01 AM in response to Jonathan UK

    Apple censored my last reply because apparently listing steps you've taken and commenting on a lack of progress to fix the actual issue makes uncomfortable reading. I have this same problem and have only had an Apple Watch for 4 days. No third party apps run, same as example above, loading with spinner then nothing.

     

    - Tried your suggestion of playing music while uninstalling and installing app, no luck

    - Tried the same suggestion of playing music while installing app on a fresh reset watch, no luck

    - Tried rebooting both watch and phone several times, no luck

    - Tried unpairing and re-pairing watch along with full watch reset, no luck

     

    I've read the suggestion about deleting all music elsewhere but I'm not prepared to do that. I have a 128GB iPhone 6 with 75+GB of music and I'm not going to waste time re-syncing it all to a 4 month old iPhone to get basic features of Apple Watch to work. I've read elsewhere of people who got it working from deleting music, but the problem returned one reboot later or on the next watch app install.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Mar 7, 2016 2:32 AM in response to Rob2775
    Level 7 (31,031 points)
    Apple Watch
    Mar 7, 2016 2:32 AM in response to Rob2775

    Hi Rob

     

    As Apple's recommended steps have not resolved the issue and you are unwilling to try the further steps, I suggest that you contact Apple Support for further assistance:

    https://www.apple.com/support/watch/contact/

     

    You may also wish to submit feedback here:

    https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

  • by Rob2775,

    Rob2775 Rob2775 Mar 8, 2016 12:53 AM in response to Jonathan UK
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 8, 2016 12:53 AM in response to Jonathan UK

    Thanks Jonathan, I appreciate your suggestions and support (my original thanks was also removed and I forgot to add it back in my revised reply). I have an appointment with an Apple person on Sunday but I'm really not expecting a solution as this is obviously a known software issue and I hope they can actually issue an update to solve it. I did speak to a "Senior Support Representative" who also suggested the playing music thing which you did. If I was responsible for Apple products and knew the official suggested fix was to try playing music when installing apps, I'd be pretty embarrassed and want to fix this more urgently!

     

    Thanks again.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Mar 8, 2016 2:00 AM in response to Rob2775
    Level 7 (31,031 points)
    Apple Watch
    Mar 8, 2016 2:00 AM in response to Rob2775

    You're most welcome!

  • by Rob2775,

    Rob2775 Rob2775 Mar 13, 2016 12:59 PM in response to simondpb
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 13, 2016 12:59 PM in response to simondpb

    Just an update from me as I have the same issue on a watch straight out of the box 1 week old. Have an engineering issue open via a senior technical support guy via phone, but he also sent me back to the Apple Store for a Genius Bar appointment, which was today. They replaced the watch since it's in the first two weeks, and as I fully expected, we setup the new watch in the store and had the exact same issue right out of the box - any user installed apps don't work.

     

    So it's not hardware - it's software. And I'm told to just wait until Apple fix this in the fullness of time - with a very basic watch in the meantime. Cannot believe this is not more widespread or more urgent for Apple to fix as I have pretty vanilla kit: 128GB iPhone 6 only 4 months old on 9.2.1. Apple Watch Sport, 1 week old and now replacement 1 hour old, WatchOS 2.1. Mentions of deleting music do sound interesting as I have 70GB of music (40GB free), but this is not a "fix".

  • by dembow,

    dembow dembow Mar 14, 2016 12:13 PM in response to Rob2775
    Level 1 (98 points)
    Mar 14, 2016 12:13 PM in response to Rob2775

    Rob2775 wrote:

     

    Mentions of deleting music do sound interesting as I have 70GB of music (40GB free), but this is not a "fix".

     

    Do not bother as it will most certainly not work. I have an iPhone 6S 128GB paired with Apple Watch Sport. It's also only a couple of months old. Not single third party application worked since day one. I too am puzzled as to why this is not a bigger issue for Apple (go see Macrumors' forums if you don't want to feel lonely).

     

    I have tried every single step mentioned by Jonathan and ones mentioned on Apple Support page. None, I repeat, none of them worked. It's kind of sad when I easily get notifications from such apps on my watch, but once I tap to open them it gets stuck loading until it kicks you out to your home screen. I really like the watch, I use it everyday as much as I can. However, this is one, but giant eyesore for me.

  • by Jonathan UK,

    Jonathan UK Jonathan UK Mar 14, 2016 12:23 PM in response to dembow
    Level 7 (31,031 points)
    Apple Watch
    Mar 14, 2016 12:23 PM in response to dembow

    dembow wrote:

     

    I have tried every single step mentioned by Jonathan and ones mentioned on Apple Support page. None, I repeat, none of them worked.

     

    Hi

     

    I am sorry to hear that. Although the suggested steps have helped some others, as they have not resolved the issue for you, I suggest that you contact Apple Support:

     

    https://www.apple.com/support/watch/contact/

  • by Rob2775,

    Rob2775 Rob2775 Mar 15, 2016 3:29 AM in response to dembow
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 15, 2016 3:29 AM in response to dembow

    dembow wrote:

    Rob2775 wrote:

     

    Mentions of deleting music do sound interesting as I have 70GB of music (40GB free), but this is not a "fix".

     

    Do not bother as it will most certainly not work.

     

    I haven't bothered with that particular fix which I also saw on the MacRumors thread too. The watch was a leaving present after 13 years in the same job, I had not been sold on the Apple Watch myself, so I've no interest in messing around deleting and resyncing 70GB of music which is far more important to me - struck me as unacceptable for Apple to have a situation where that was the fix and I told the (helpful) team in store, if it comes down to that, have the watch back and give me a credit note. Not interested at all.

     

    Echo Jonathan (also very helpful) to file a support query, I've had a very hands on guy now via phone who's raised an engineering issue with the US and calls me back regularly to update. The one mystery in all this is that everyone at Apple (by phone, in store) claims they've never seen this issue before, yet I have a plainly very standard combination of Apple devices. It must be the line they're told to use - no matter how widespread it appears in comments on the internet. Thank you for reassuring me I'm not the only one.

  • by Rob2775,

    Rob2775 Rob2775 Mar 19, 2016 4:48 PM in response to simondpb
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Mar 19, 2016 4:48 PM in response to simondpb

    Definitive update here - managed to drop my 4 month old iPhone 6 in a large river today (don't ask) and on purchasing a replacement I setup both phone and watch fresh (on my last phone I hadn't gone as far as do the prescribed delete all my music as had 70gb of it) and lo and behold on a new iPhone 6s 128gb and a reset watch replaced by Apple last Sunday STILL NO THIRD PARTY APPS WORK. How much more do Apple need to replicate this. It just about does it for me, shameful Apple are selling this watch and not fixed such a major flaw. It's got to trading standards levels that Apple is not yet admitting or addressing this.

  • by Hamoud234,

    Hamoud234 Hamoud234 Mar 20, 2016 1:47 PM in response to Rob2775
    Level 1 (70 points)
    iPod
    Mar 20, 2016 1:47 PM in response to Rob2775

    I don’t think you have a hardware problem. It’s software. Make sure you updated to the latest version of watchOS 2. Also, you could make a suggestion to apple here: Apple Watch Feedback

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