Apart from iOS 13, it appears Apple plans to bring significant changes to the upcoming watchOS 6. One of these major changes is said to be support for deleting first-party apps. Now, this essentially implies that users will be allowed to remove almost all stock apps if they wish to. These include the likes of apps such as Alarm, Timer, Stopwatch, Remote, Camera Remote, Radio, ECG, Breathe, Noise Cycle Tracking, and more.
Removing an app from Apple Watch works largely similar to what you’d do an iPhone. Just long press on the grid to trigger the blurry effect and press the small X symbol to delete a specific app. That said, this method only works for third-party apps, as Apple restricts users to delete first-party apps that Apple Watch comes pre-installed with.
However, this is all about to change when watchOS 6 starts rolling out. Users will be able to uninstall apps such as Radio, World Clock, Timer, Stopwtach, Walkie-Talkie, and several others. In case users want them back, they’ll just need to reinstall the apps from the App Store.
However, nothing will change when it comes to removing third party apps. Deleting an app from Apple Watch will result in removal of the same app from the iPhone as well. That said, this behavior won’t apply to apps that come shipped with the Apple Watch. TechCrunch, however, notes that not all of the built-in iOS and watchOS can be removed, as the likes of Heart Rate and Messages will be there.
Apple plans to release watchOS 6 in September. This is certainly good news for Apple Watch users who wouldn’t want to clutter up their screen with unused apps. The changes mentioned above are likely to make their way in the beta builds in the coming weeks.
