Jeff Williams, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations, said in an interview at the Code Conference on Wednesday that Apple will announce a native software development kit (SDK) for the Apple Watch at Worldwide Developers Conference next week.

Current Apple Watch apps – and there are more than 4,000 available in the apps store as of writing – are merely extensions of existing iOS apps developed for iPhone. As a result, current Apple Watch apps actually run on the connected iPhone and are limited in terms of performance and functionality.

Given a native SDK for Apple Watch, developers will be able to create apps specifically designed for Apple Watch, allowing for performance improvements; additional functionality and even independence from the connected iPhone.

According to Williams, developers will get access to the native SDK for Apple Watch in June.

Williams added that using the native SDK, apps will be able to access and use the Apple Watch’s built-in sensors and Digital Crown. As an example, he said, the Strava running and cycling app will be able to use the Watch’s sensors instead of those on the connected iPhone.

For mobile gaming fans, there is also good news. Using the native SDK, developers will be free to develop a range of new, better performing games taking advantage of the unique use cases of Apple Watch.

photo credit: Supprimer une application sur l’Apple Watch via photopin (license)