watchOS

Build Apple Watch apps the supported way — SwiftUI-first, independent, and built with the watchOS 26 SDK. These skills cover app structure, Watch Connectivity, Smart Stack widgets and complications, controls, Live Activities, background tasks, and migration from WatchKit and ClockKit.

When to Use These Skills

Use watchOS skills when you're:

• Starting a new watchOS app or adding a watchOS target to an existing iOS app
• Preparing for the April 2026 watchOS 26 SDK and ARM64 submission deadlines
• Coordinating data and state between a paired iPhone and Apple Watch
• Building complications, Smart Stack widgets, or controls for watch surfaces
• Presenting Live Activities on the watch
• Scheduling background refreshes or dealing with TN3135 networking limits
• Migrating WatchKit or ClockKit code to SwiftUI and WidgetKit

Example Prompts

Questions you can ask Claude that will draw from these skills:

• "How do I structure a new watchOS app that also has a companion iPhone app?"
• "My watch app needs to work without the iPhone installed. What changes?"
• "How do I send a file from the phone to the watch and handle delivery failure?"
• "My complication is stale — how should I update it from a push notification?"
• "How do I migrate my ClockKit complication to WidgetKit?"
• "What are the watchOS 26 submission requirements?"

Skills

• Platform Basics — App structure, independent vs. companion, entry point, submission gates

  • "Starting a new watchOS app — watch-only, companion, or independent?"
  • "What do I need to verify before submitting to the App Store in April 2026?"

• Design for watchOS — watchOS HIG, glanceable UX, navigation model

  • "How should I structure navigation on the watch — NavigationStack or a TabView?"
  • "My watch screens feel cluttered. What does Apple recommend for glanceable UX?"

• Watch Connectivity — WCSession, paired-device data transfer, Family Setup

  • "How do I sync preferences between my iPhone and Apple Watch apps?"
  • "transferUserInfo vs. updateApplicationContext vs. sendMessage — which one do I use?"

• Background and Networking — Background tasks, freshness scheduling, TN3135 networking limits

  • "How do I refresh my watch app's data while it's on the wrist?"
  • "Why do my network requests on the watch hit limits the iPhone doesn't?"

• Smart Stack and Complications — WidgetKit on the watch, RelevanceKit, ClockKit bridging

  • "How do I make my complication show up in the Smart Stack at the right time?"
  • "My complication isn't updating — what's the right way to push new data?"

• Controls and Live Activities — Controls on watch surfaces, Live Activities on watch

  • "How do I add a control to the watch's Smart Stack and Control Center?"
  • "My Live Activity shows on iPhone — how do I make it look right on the watch?"

• Modernization — WatchKit to SwiftUI, ClockKit to WidgetKit

  • "My app still uses a WatchKit Extension — what's the migration path?"
  • "How do I replace my ClockKit complication provider with WidgetKit?"

Related

• axiom-health — HealthKit sessions and WorkoutKit. Use when the watch app records workouts or reads health data
• axiom-swiftui — General SwiftUI patterns (state, layout, animations) that apply across iOS, watchOS, and macOS
• axiom-design — General Apple HIG, Liquid Glass, SF Symbols, typography
• axiom-accessibility — VoiceOver rotor, AssistiveTouch, Double Tap — the watch-specific accessibility surfaces
• axiom-integration — iOS-side widgets, core ActivityKit, and App Intents that a watch app may coordinate with