Apple Working on 'Find My Watch' and Third-Party Watch Complications, 'TVKit' Dev Tools for Apple TV

apple_watch_modularAhead of next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple is laying the groundwork for future software and hardware updates for both the Apple Watch and Apple TV, according to a new report from 9to5Mac.

Timing for some of the new features remains unclear, but the report claims Apple is working on a "Find My Watch" implementation that could be paired with a "Smart Leashing" feature that would remind Apple Watch users if they appear to have accidentally left their iPhones behind.

First, Apple has been working on a feature dubbed “Find my Watch” for the Apple Watch, which as the name implies will allow a user to track a Watch’s location, as well as lock or remotely wipe it if it is lost or stolen. [...]

Given the Apple Watch’s reliance on an iPhone, Apple plans to implement Find my Watch via what’s currently known inside the company as “Smart Leashing.” According to a source, the Watch will use its wireless signal to establish its location relative to the iPhone, and will optionally be able to notify a user if the iPhone is accidentally left behind.

The news comes following concerns over the lack of any sort of Activation Lock functionality for the Apple Watch, but the new features may require new hardware to support them, pushing their launch off until the release of the second-generation Apple Watch.

Apple is also reportedly working on support for third-party watch face complications for the Apple Watch, which would, for example, allow users to see at a glance if they have unread Twitter mentions. Additional software and hardware work is focused on filling out health and fitness functionality for the Apple Watch, including additional sensors that were rumored but did not make it into the first version of the device.

On the Apple TV front, sources claim Apple's developer tools that will allow developers to build third-party apps for the next-generation Apple TV will be known as "TVKit", with the new hardware and tools expected to debut at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference. The Apple Watch appears set to serve as a key method for controlling the new box, which will also support Apple's rumored live streaming television service, although recent rumors have suggested that piece of the overall package may debut several months later than the hardware.

Apple's WWDC keynote is expected to see a significant number of announcements, including the new developer tools for Apple TV apps and native Apple Watch apps, as well as iOS 9 and OS X 10.11. As was the case last year, hardware announcements may be slim or absent entirely, particularly with updated 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro and 27-inch iMac models expected this week.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 10, Apple TV
Tag: 9to5Mac

Popular Stories

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Next Week With These New Features for Your iPhone

Friday February 14, 2025 6:18 am PST by
The first iOS 18.4 beta for iPhones should be just around the corner, and the update is expected to include many new features and changes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman expects the iOS 18.4 beta to be released by next week. Below, we outline what to expect from iOS 18.4 so far. Apple Intelligence for Siri Siri is expected to get several enhancements powered by Apple Intelligence on iOS...
iPhone 17 Roundup Feature 2

iPhone Design to Change 'Significantly' This Year

Monday February 17, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple is set to "significantly change" the iPhone's design language later this year, according to a Weibo leaker. In a new post, the user known "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone's design is "starting to change significantly" this year. The "iPhone 17 Air" reportedly features a "horizontal, bar-shaped" design on the rear, likely referring to an elongated camera bump. On the other...
Apple Maps 2024

Apple Maps Might Start Showing Ads

Sunday February 16, 2025 7:22 am PST by
Apple is "exploring" the idea of showing search ads in the Apple Maps app, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Back in 2022, Gurman said software engineering was "already underway" to display ads in the Apple Maps app, but Apple did not move forward with the idea at the time. Today, he said Apple is "giving this notion more thought" again. This time around, he said Apple has yet to...
Tim Cook Apple Park

10+ Announcements Apple Could Have Rolled Into a February Event

Saturday February 15, 2025 8:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have enough upcoming product announcements to justify a full event this month, yet all signs indicate these reveals will be handled through a series of press releases instead. There are a multitude of rumors from reliable sources about specific announcements in the coming weeks, so here's everything that Apple could have feasibly included in a hypothetical February event: ...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

What to Expect From the 'Apple Launch' Next Week

Thursday February 13, 2025 11:48 am PST by
Apple has yet to announce any new devices this year, but that could change starting next week. Apple CEO Tim Cook today said to "get ready" for a "launch" on Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," said Cook, in a social media post. The post includes an #AppleLaunch hashtag, along with a short video featuring an animated Apple logo inside of a circle....
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro With All-New Camera Bar Design Allegedly Revealed

Thursday February 13, 2025 5:49 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro will feature three rear cameras arranged in a familiar triangular layout, but the cameras will be housed in an all-new rectangular camera bar with rounded corners, according to YouTube channel Front Page Tech. iPhone 17 Pro camera design render created by Asher for Front Page Tech In a video uploaded today, Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser said the camera ...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple Teases Its Next Major Product Launch

Friday February 14, 2025 9:38 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the imminent Apple product "launch" that is widely expected to be the fourth-generation iPhone SE. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos In a social media post on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of...
Apple 2025 Thumb 1

Two of Apple's Oldest Products Are Finally Getting Updated This Year

Friday February 14, 2025 6:03 am PST by
Apple released the HomePod mini in November 2020, followed by the AirTag in May 2021, and both still remain first-generation products. Fortunately, rumors suggest that both the HomePod mini and the AirTag will finally be updated at some point this year. Below, we recap rumors about the HomePod mini 2 and AirTag 2. HomePod mini 2 In January 2025, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is ...

Top Rated Comments

markfc Avatar
127 months ago
Love this time of year...exciting times ahead.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ButteryScrollin Avatar
127 months ago
WWDC is going to be jam packed.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
127 months ago
I don't wish to sound overly negative, but I hope Apple spends as little as possible on Siri or abandons it. It's hopeless. Voice is a dead-end that will only ever be useful for the blind. It's one of the big minuses of the Apple Watch, along with no GPS and a reliance on Bluetooth. I feel the same about Handoff.

What I would like is for Apple to stop my iPad Air 2 and iPhone 5 from rebooting daily and to fix the myriad bugs that should have been fixed years ago. Bring a proper sepia mode to both Yosemite and iOS, allow font sizes to be increased universally—especially on the App Store, the Mac App Store, the iTunes Store and iBooks; those app descriptions are tiny. Allow more than five photos for app descriptions. Allow more than 30 seconds for previews. Increase tv show previews to 90 seconds. Bring split screen to the iPad. Bring proper file management to iOS. Bring PDF to print to iOS.

The 13" iPad should be turning the iPad into a true post-PC replacement. Make it happen, Apple. You should have done it three years ago, but Steve Jobs died. Excuse accepted, but get on with it. Cook has obviously not been kicking your butt.

I can't believe this was upvoted. The last thing Apple should do is abandon investment in Siri and technologies like Handoff. Voice isn't dead. In fact Microsoft is making huge investments in Cortana and wants it everywhere. IMO Apple's problem is they haven't improved Siri fast enough and spent too much time on silly things like having Siri bring back cutsy/smart alec responses to queries. Apple needs to get better at push and predictive. The Watch will force them to do that as its strengths are in push, not pull, not go launch an app for everything you want to do.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ethanwa79 Avatar
127 months ago
Please give us developers a Siri SDK. Please.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tricil Avatar
127 months ago
Will Find My Watch work on the watch I ordered over a month ago that still isn't here yet?

;)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blacktape242 Avatar
127 months ago
OH there it is!!! on my wrist! :eek:
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)