Uber has quietly shut down its Apple Watch app, with the software program now exhibiting a message that instructs individuals to “please swap to the Uber cell app.” The corporate is “not supporting the Apple Watch app,” in accordance to the textual content, which ends with Uber apologizing for any inconvenience attributable to the app’s discontinuation. There’s additionally a tragic face emoji to drive that sentiment house.
As famous by MacRumors, Uber hasn’t but eliminated the Apple Watch app from its App Store listing, the place it nonetheless will get its personal tab and screenshots. Presumably, that may all be historical past as soon as the firm releases its subsequent replace to the iOS app. The Verge has reached out to Uber for extra particulars, and if I had to guess, the firm is possible to cite low utilization as the primary purpose for its Apple Watch exit.
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Uber’s Apple Watch app provided fundamental ride-hailing performance.
Picture: Uber
On the one hand, this is one other instance of smartwatches persevering with to shed apps — even these which are massively popular and borderline important on a telephone — that aren’t core to their function(s) of health monitoring, notifications, music playback, and so on. I’ve lengthy had Uber put in on my Apple Watch, and I don’t suppose there was a single event the place I hailed a experience from my wrist.
Uber ended help for its WearOS app greater than two years in the past, so it’s not like Google’s platform fared a lot better with person engagement. Lyft has been out of this sport since 2018. Maybe it’s a case the place the kind issue simply isn’t the proper match for the service.
The Apple Watch app supplied barebones ride-hailing performance, with extra superior choices like splitting fares and sharing an ETA reserved for the full cell app.
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Apple has beforehand highlighted Uber for the Apple Watch.
Picture: Apple
But it surely additionally goes to present that, in some methods, smartwatches are solely shifting additional away from having the ability to function a standalone smartphone fill-in — even quickly. Possibly barely anybody took benefit of Uber on the Apple Watch, however the proven fact that it not exists on the platform in any respect feels notable.
Need to depart your telephone at house for the day and rely on your mobile Apple Watch? You may’t hail an Uber in that state of affairs anymore. And it’s a use case that Apple itself as soon as highlighted, as you may see above.
Uber continues to provide its major app for iPhone and a bigger model for the iPad.
