Item — HN Reader

"I’m also not sure if you can submit an app to the store that is only an Apple Watch app, like say a timer or small utility of some sort."

Yes, you can: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/toolbox-for-apple-watch/id98... or https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flip-coin-coin-flip-decision... for example. Pretty amazing that apps like those two got the green light from the App Store Review Team.

2 comments

In the time window just before release apps with WatchKit extensions went from "Waiting For Review" to "Ready for Sale" in less than 24h with the "In Review" time lasting less than an hour. Now we're back to 48 - 72h review times

It seems like standards can be a bit relaxed when you are submitting an app that aligns with Apple's strategy.

I don't think it's that. Perhaps they put the Apple watch release date as the app's release date and they rushed it through at the last minute.

Though I really don't see how the first one, with an iPhone app that is just a blank screen, got through.

My thinking is that if you want to say you have thousands of apps on launch day, but barely any developers have run their apps on real hardware, you have to relax your standards a bit, and figure it will work its way out in a month or two.

Normal turn-around time on app approval is about 7 days for us. When we added watch support in our last release, it was done in 2 days.