Why are big apps quitting the Apple Watch?

Almost three years on from launch, the Apple Watch continues to be lauded as the number one smartwatch on the market. So why are apps jumping ship?

Workplace chat service Slack has announced it will axe its standalone app for the Apple Watch. It follows in the footsteps of Twitter, Google Maps and Amazon who have all deserted the smartwatch platform.

But why are they leaving? Companies are finding that standalone apps for the Apple Watch are not particularly useful and are choosing instead to focus on notifications. Apple's "rich notifications" are able to push updates directly from your iPhone to your wrist, with a thumbnail included.

So even without an app installed, Slack users will be able to view new messages as they come in and even reply. The only thing missing is the ability to view unread mentions.

"Apple Watch users, there's now one ios app for all of your needs," a spokesperson said. "We've removed the standalone Watch App, but rest assured, receiving and replying to messages from your wrist works the same as before. It's like two for the price of one, but with apps."

Twitter withdrew its WatchOS app in September last year following feedback people never scrolled the feed. "We heard from people that notifications were the most helpful part of the Apple Watch Twitter experience," Twitter spokesperson Dan Jackson said, according to Macrumors.

"With this, we are focusing on supporting more robust, media-rich notifications. We are committed to providing the very best Twitter experience on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Apple Watch, and we'll continue to iterate and improve our apps across all platforms."