Learn WatchKit for iOS

Learn WatchKit for iOS covers the development of applications for the new Apple Watch using the WatchKit framework in iOS 8 and the Swift programming language. In this book, an Apple Watch application is an extension to an existing iOS app and is packaged and submitted to the App Store along with it. Using a suite of simple examples, Kim Topley, co-author of Beginning iPhone Development with Swift, introduces and explains every feature of WatchKit and the associated technologies that you’ll need to understand to build Apple Watch applications for iOS 8, culminating in a complete WatchKit application that shows weather forecast information for various cities around the world on the Apple Watch.

What you’ll learn

• How to build an application for the Apple Watch as an extension of an existing iOS app.
• How to use all the features of the WatchKit framework in iOS 8.
• How to integrate your Watch app with its hosting iOS app and how to communicate between them.
• How to build a Glance for your WatchKit app to make the most useful information more easily available to your users.
• How to handle notifications.
• How to use handoff to allow the user to quickly switch to your WatchKit app from its Glance or when handling a notification.
• How to build, test and debug your Watch App on the simulator and on a real watch.

Who this book is for

This book is for existing iOS developers who want to understand and use WatchKit to extend their application onto the Apple Watch. Readers are assumed to have basic knowledge of iOS development.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Welcome to the Apple Watch

Chapter 2. Interface Controllers and Layout

Chapter 3. Watch User Interface Objects

Chapter 4. More Watch User Interface Objects

Chapter 5. Controller Navigation

Chapter 6. Tables and Menus

Chapter 7. Building a WatchKit App

Chapter 8. Glances, Settings, and Handoff

Chapter 9. Notifications