Snapchat announced on Thursday the launch of its new watchOS app, allowing Apple Watch users to access the social network directly from their wrists. With this update, Snapchat is now available across mobile, web, tablets, and the Apple Watch.
The app lets users preview incoming messages and reply using the keyboard, Scribble, Dictation, or emojis. Snapchat says the app helps users quickly tell friends they have arrived at a meeting spot or send a quick reply while on the go.
Before this, Apple Watch users could only preview Snapchat messages if enabled on their iPhone but could not respond from the watch itself. In a blog post, Snap explained that as people use more devices daily, they want Snapchat to be available on all of them, including wearables.
This marks a change for Snapchat, whose CEO Evan Spiegel previously doubted the Apple Watch’s small screen was suitable for the app. Now, the focus is on fast message replies rather than viewing images or videos on the watch.
By launching this dedicated watchOS app, Snapchat has moved ahead of competitors like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, which do not yet offer Apple Watch apps.