Apple Watch users may want to take note of this upcoming change. According to MacRumors, several users of the wearable have recently received a notice from Meta informing of the discontinuation of its Messenger app for the device, which will come into effect after 31 May 2023.
The social media conglomerate first introduced a wearable app for its messaging service on the Apple Watch back in 2015. Not only did it allow users to have a glimpse of incoming chats, the app also gave them the ability to send audio clips, stickers, reactions and other smartwatch-friendly responses directly via their wrist. However, it does not let you reply via text due to the limitations of the device, among other reasons.
NOT HAPPY @Apple @messenger #applewatch #wtf pic.twitter.com/B81aK6EUf3
— Amanda Nova (@M_anda_M) May 9, 2023
Meta did not explain the reason behind its decision to discontinue Messenger on the wearable via the aforementioned notice. But despite its removal, the company noted that users would continue to get notifications of incoming chats from the private messaging platform on their Apple Watch. Via an official statement issued to several media outlets, Meta encouraged users to rely on the Messenger app on their smartphones, desktop and web instead.
The discontinuation of Messenger follows the exit of other high-profile apps from the wearable, including fellow Meta-owned platform Instagram, as well as Slack, Trello, Twitter, Hulu and many others. Again, it is believed that the limited amount of interactions possible via the Apple Watch hindered these apps from being of any significant use, therefore causing the lack of demand or necessity.
Meanwhile, Meta’s other private messaging platform WhatsApp has recently announced that it will release a new official app for Wear OS wearables in summer this year. This updated release will let users browse recent chats, scroll through message histories, and reply using text or voice directly via their wrist. There’s no word on whether a WatchOS version is planned, however.
