Snapchat is now available on the Apple Watch
You can now reply to Snaps from your wrist, but don’t expect selfies.
Snapchat finally showed up to the Apple Watch party—ten years late, but still making an entrance. After a decade of ignoring watchOS, the company has quietly released its first official Apple Watch app. And while it’s not full-featured, it’s surprisingly useful in a world where most social apps have ditched smartwatches altogether.
Instead of trying to cram its entire camera-heavy platform onto a tiny screen, Snapchat kept things simple. The new app lets users preview incoming messages and reply directly from the watch using Scribble, the keyboard, voice dictation, or emojis.
You won’t be able to view/take images or videos, and message previews are capped at the first 100 characters. Crucially, reading a message on the Apple Watch won’t mark it as “read” on Snapchat’s mobile or web apps.
According to the company, the app is launching with a limited feature set, but they plan to “evolve the experience over time.” Regardless, the new set of features fits right into the Apple Watch’s strengths.
What makes this notable isn’t just what Snapchat is doing, but what everyone else isn’t. There isn't a dedicated Facebook app for the Apple Watch, or even a WhatsApp release.
In fact, apps like Instagram, Slack, Facebook Messenger, Uber, Trello, and Amazon that were once available on watchOS have all pulled out in the past few years. Most found the platform too limiting, or their apps didn’t see enough use.
Snapchat, launching now after all that retreat, flips the script: it suggests there’s still value in being on your wrist, even if just for a fast “hey.”
Louis Eriakha
