iOS Hacker Shows Web Browser Running on Apple Watch
iOS developer Nicholas Allegra, better known by his handle "comex" within the jailbreaking community, shared a short video on Twitter that shows a web browser running on the Apple Watch. The fifteen-second clip shows Allegra tapping, panning and zooming on the Google homepage on the Apple Watch, but the functionality is limited as to be expected because of the small screen size and lack of an on-screen keyboard.
"I always wanted a web browser on my wrist," tweeted Allegra, who later shared another picture of the iOS built-in dictionary running on the Apple Watch. Allegra stopped short of providing details about the hack, but a web browser running on the Apple Watch is an interesting proof-of-concept and fuels the possibility of an Apple Watch jailbreak or native apps with web browsing capabilities in the future.
Apple confirmed last November that fully native Apple Watch apps will be available later this year, but it remains unclear what restrictions Apple will place on them. Apple Watch apps are currently loaded from a paired iPhone via Bluetooth as WatchKit extensions, and developers do not have access to the Apple Watch's gyroscope, accelerometer, built-in speaker, microphone or Taptic Engine.
Allegra was an active member of the jailbreaking community in the early years of iOS devices, while
attending Brown University in Rhode Island. Under the pseudonym "comex," he revived JailbreakMe.com in early 2011 as a one-tap jailbreaking solution for compatible iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices at the time. He later
interned at Apple in 2011 and
Google in 2013.
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