Despite the rumours/fears that it was never going to materialise, Niantic, the developers of Pokémon Go has finally launched the Apple Watch support app today (22nd December 2016). The release of the smart watch software means you’ll now be able to control and see a number of features from your wrist, without the need to reach into your pocket and check your iPhone the entire time.
Before you get too excited, it’s worth pointing out that you can’t catch any Pokémon from the Apple Watch, which is a huge shame, but there’s still plenty to be happy about.
One of the most important is that you get notifications about Pokéstops when you come into range of them and you’ll now have the ability to spin them to get items directly from your watch. This will come in handy if you’re out in the rain and you don’t have an iPhone 7, because the Apple Watch is completely waterproof. It’s also useful for any cycling Pokémon Go players, as you’ll be able to pull up to a stop, spin it and move on without needing to faff around getting your iPhone out every time.
In addition to the Pokéstops genius, you’ll get notifications about Pokémon in the vicinity, so again you won’t need to stay glued to your iPhone to find out what you can catch close by. You’ll be able to focus on getting from A to B a little more without walking with a hunch peering down at your phone wherever you go, so maybe you’ll have a little more chance of avoiding waist-height street posts.
You can also log each play session as a workout now, so whatever you do while playing Pokémon Go will count towards your activity goals. When you add in the fact that you’ll be able to monitor distances remaining to hatch eggs and to your next buddy candy, it makes for a decent accompaniment to your daily exercise.
If that isn’t enough, you’ll get notifications when you hatch an egg or unlock a medal achievement too, so it should be a pretty solid support app for the main game, even if you can’t use it to catch the little blighters.
The launch of Pokémon Go on the Apple Watch comes at a frenetic time for Niantic as the app developers work hard to get gamers playing, despite it being more than a little cold outside. We’ve had timed bonus events for Halloween and Thanksgiving, along with a Santa hat Pikachu, the arrival of Ditto and a number fabled baby Pokémon; improved search functionality and a big shakeup of the meta-data that sits behind the game. The arrival on the Apple Watch and Apple Watch 2 should act as another good incentive to get out and see some sights.
For more on the latest edition of the wearable tech, read our what you can do on the Apple Watch 2 for details.
