Third-party apps are finally heading to Huawei smartwatches
- Huawei is opening its smartwatch platform to third-party developers.
- This means apps made outside of the company’s walls will be available to install on its devices.
- Fitness app Fitify becomes the first such app available.
Huawei employs solid hardware in its smartwatches but they’re often let down by basic, limited software. Now, the company announced the first third-party app available to install on Lite OS. Specifically, Huawei Watch GT 2 Pro users can now install Fitify — the first third-party app available for users beyond China.
While the app itself will likely be a boon for those focusing on personalized workouts, it’s the implication of the news that will most excite Huawei wearables users. Fitify could be the first in a long list of apps heading to the platform. The company says it’s determined to work with third-party developers to bolster the wearable platform’s offerings.
Read more: The best home workout apps for Android
For Huawei, cooperation with third-party developers is more important than ever. Its smartphone division discovered this the hard way in May 2019 when its support for Google services and the Play Store was pulled from new products. Although AppGallery continues to be a fair stop-gap, the firm has since struggled to regain a foothold in the smartphone market. It recently fell behind Oppo and Vivo in Q4 2020 in terms of global smartphone shipments.
Despite its smartphone woes, wearables are a bright sector for the company. The Watch GT 2 was the third best-selling smartwatch in the first half of 2020, according to data from Counterpoint. Huawei only lagged behind Apple and Garmin in the wearables market, per the same report.
Loading pollMore apps would be a definite buff to Huawei watches, too. In our Watch GT 2 Pro review, we loved the lengthy battery life and fitness tracking smarts but lamented the lackluster app support. Other devices will likely benefit from this move, too.
What do you think of Huawei’s news? Let us know if it sways your opinion of its smartwatches by voting in the poll above!
from Android Authority https://ift.tt/3uDfeP8
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