Apple has quietly removed the eBay app from the list of featured Apple Watch apps on its website in the United States, exactly two weeks after the launch of the Apple Watch. While eBay was the only app listed on Apple's page that has yet to be updated with Apple Watch support, it's unclear whether the removal is simply to avoid confusion by limiting mentions to apps that are available or if issues have arisen recently that will significantly delay eBay's Apple Watch support.
All other apps listed on the featured Apple Watch apps page are already available on the App Store, so Apple possibly removed eBay temporarily to avoid misleading customers. eBay remains a featured Apple Watch app on Apple's regional website for Canada in what is likely an oversight that should be addressed shortly.
"The world’s largest marketplace is now closer and more convenient than ever," the app description read on Apple's website, before the featured listing was removed today. "eBay for Apple Watch helps you stay on top of the auctions you’re watching. It can send outbid notices and other notifications directly to you, so you can react immediately."
A few months ago, Apple removed award-winning healthy eating app The Whole Pantry from the App Store and its featured Apple Watch apps page amid allegations that its creator Belle Gibson faked having cancer to benefit her cause, accusations that later proved to be true. Gibson also failed to donate thousands of dollars collected during fundraisers to charities.
Update 11:45 AM Pacific: MacRumors spoke to eBay and confirmed that the eBay Apple Watch app has not been delayed or abandoned. It will be available in the coming weeks, but was removed from Apple's page due to the fact that it was the only app that wasn't yet available for download.
Top Rated Comments
Have they got 1 developer because the PayPal app is not looking much better either.
I think Apple should put more pressure on big developers to update their apps because it's ridiculous how long some of them take/took to update. Even continuity has been added to like 5 apps.
Some developers on the other hand are always up-to-date and also include the latest features and they should get a damn award from Apple.
I used to work at this retarded company and let me just say, this doesn't surprise me AT ALL. NOT AT ALL.
Their development team is about as dumb as they come. All about quick fixes and is as about as slow as can be, and they're laying off employees left and right and don't really care how major things like this are affecting their business. Just another important moment where they're dropping the ball and why they can't attract talent.
As soon as they split from PayPal, I hope their stock plummets because they need a wakeup call. Even with something important like this, they still can't get their s*it together.
It may be fine, but all it's doing is rendering an iPhone 5 app to take up the entire screen. That's why so many elements look oversized and fuzzy on the 6 and 6 Plus, particularly on the 6 Plus.
What really ticks me off about eBay's app development is the fact that like a month after the 6/6 Plus came out they had a major update to the iPad app which was working just fine and remove features I liked, like night mode. I wouldn't hold my breath for an Apple Watch app anytime soon. I just wonder where my 13% fee is going each time. Certainly not towards app development.
To add insult to injury, eBay was one of the first apps released when Apple opened the App Store. Sad to see how far it hasn't come.
I live in Portland, OR, and know personally many of the developers who work here for eBay Mobile. Maybe it's different in San Jose, but here, all those who've worked on the PayPal app are in the same building as the other mobile developers. AND there are many highly-competent developers here, especially those acquired when eBay Mobile bought out software contractor Critical Path. Those people are constantly frustrated by the mess that is eBay's far-flung management bureaucracy. Trying to mate eBay's arcane Web code, full of ancient bugs and clunky work-arounds, to modern mobile platforms is difficult and thankless work. A recent round of layoffs got rid of some excellent workers here while protecting the jobs of others in San Jose, who have better personal contact with management. eBay as a whole uses the highly-dysfuntional "Stack Ranking" system for rating worker performance, which mandates that some members of each team receive "unsatisfactory" performance ratings during each round of reviews, REGARDLESS of actual performance. This method of "grading on a curve" ensures that good workers get penalized and become demoralized, as there is no way for a whole team to get "excellent" reviews, no matter how well they work. There IS something wrong at eBay, but the fault lies with their upper-level managers and marketers, not the mobile developers.