Meta’s Facebook Messenger app is set to leave Apple Watch at the end of the month, marking another developer ditching watchOS it seems.
Earlier this week, Messenger users saw a message in their iOS app that said, “Changes to Messenger on Apple Watch”. The announcement said, “After May 31 Messenger won’t be available as an Apple Watch app, but you can still get notifications on your watch.”
Now, interestingly enough, this announcement by Meta came before Google I/O yesterday, where it announced the first watch app for WhatsApp—would land on Android smartwatches running Wear OS.
With Messenger for Apple Watch disappearing, you won’t be able to download the app for the wearable and lose the ability to reply. But notifications will still be incoming, mirroring what’s on your iPhone.
Numerous Redditors were disappointed in receiving the announcement from Meta, noting they actually were using the Messenger app on Apple Watch to reply to incoming messages.
Facebook launched Messenger on Apple Watch way back in the fall of 2015, offering the ability to respond to messages, plus send emojis, give a like, send voice clips and also share your location, right from the wrist.
Aside from the native Messages app on Apple Watch which offers full functionality, we need more watchOS apps from third-party messaging apps. I’d really like to see WhatsApp for Apple Watch come to life, but given the first launch with Google’s Wear OS, we might need to keep waiting.
