This Week's Sponsor:

Kolide

Ensure that if a device isn’t secure it can’t access your apps.  It’s Device Trust for Okta.


Workflow Coming to Apple Watch

After reinventing mobile automation by combining an interface reminiscent of Automator with deep integration on iOS, Workflow – one of my favorite apps of 2014 – is coming to Apple Watch. Launching today with version 1.2 of the app, Workflow will allow users to run workflows directly from their wrist, with some new features built to take advantage of communication between the iPhone and Apple Watch.

I talked to Ari Weinstein, one of the developers behind Workflow, and he told me that, first and foremost, one of their priorities has been to make sure users could run most of the app’s chains of actions from the Watch with an intuitive interface. Like other apps based on WatchKit, Workflow for Apple Watch will communicate with its iPhone counterpart, serving as a way to quickly execute workflows stored in the main app. Because of limitations in WatchKit, Workflow won’t be able to automate native Watch functionalities such as the heart rate monitor or Force Touch, but instead it’ll focus on making it easy to run workflows from a connected iPhone with just a couple of taps.

On the Watch, Workflow will get access to the same 200+ actions that allow iPhone users to create automated workflows for apps such as Maps and Reminders, or web services like Evernote and Pocket. You’ll be able, for instance, to tweet the latest photo shot on your iPhone directly from your wrist, get turn-by-turn directions for a list of specified places on the iPhone, and even speak articles fetched from the iPhone with a native text-to-speech feature. Everything has been built with convenience in mind, working around the initial limitations of WatchKit to enable users to quickly launch workflows and speed up interactions thanks to the nature of the Watch.

On the Watch, for example, Workflow will also be available as a Glance: swipe up from the watch face, tap a workflow, and it’ll be executed on the iPhone, showing its chain of actions on the Watch. All workflows created in Workflow for iPhone will work out of the box on the Watch, with no changes necessary and with only some obvious differences to consider. Due to the absence of a web browser on the Watch, workflows that require Safari will need to be executed on an iPhone, and, similarly, workflows that involve launching other apps will have to be completed outside of the Watch app. According to Weinstein, 163 of Workflow’s 226 actions can run natively on the Watch.

As a remedy to WatchKit limitations, Weinstein and team added full support for Handoff in Workflow for Apple Watch: whenever a workflow can’t be fully executed on the device, Handoff will automatically pass the task to an iPhone, which will pick up the workflow where you left off and finish running it. Additionally, third-party Watch apps won’t be able to initiate phone calls and send text messages – two other scenarios where Workflow will fall back to using Handoff with an iPhone.

For its debut on the Watch, Workflow wants to simplify access to workflows and – within the constraints of WatchKit – make it more convenient to get results from actions without having to pull out your iPhone. And while integration with third-party Watch apps won’t be possible at launch, Workflow will be capable of accessing native Watch functionality that is exposed to developers, such as Maps for directions, calendars, contacts, and more.

It’ll be interesting to see if Workflow will manage to seamlessly translate existing workflows from the iPhone to the Watch, and how, exactly, it’ll turn out to be faster than simply opening Workflow on the iPhone. The demos that Weinstein showed me were encouraging, and I believe there is – besides fun and amusement alone – clear potential in the idea of scripting apps and web services from your wrist.

We’ll have to see when the Apple Watch launches later this month. In the meantime, a teaser website is available here, and Workflow 1.2 will be available on the App Store later today.

Unlock More with Club MacStories

Founded in 2015, Club MacStories has delivered exclusive content every week for over six years.

In that time, members have enjoyed nearly 400 weekly and monthly newsletters packed with more of your favorite MacStories writing as well as Club-only podcasts, eBooks, discounts on apps, icons, and services. Join today, and you’ll get everything new that we publish every week, plus access to our entire archive of back issues and downloadable perks.

The Club expanded in 2021 with Club MacStories+ and Club Premier. Club MacStories+ members enjoy even more exclusive stories, a vibrant Discord community, a rotating roster of app discounts, and more. And, with Club Premier, you get everything we offer at every Club level plus an extended, ad-free version of our podcast AppStories that is delivered early each week in high-bitrate audio.

Choose the Club plan that’s right for you:

  • Club MacStories: Weekly and monthly newsletters via email and the web that are brimming with app collections, tips, automation workflows, longform writing, a Club-only podcast, periodic giveaways, and more;
  • Club MacStories+: Everything that Club MacStories offers, plus exclusive content like Federico’s Automation Academy and John’s Macintosh Desktop Experience, a powerful web app for searching and exploring over 6 years of content and creating custom RSS feeds of Club content, an active Discord community, and a rotating collection of discounts, and more;
  • Club Premier: Everything in from our other plans and AppStories+, an extended version of our flagship podcast that’s delivered early, ad-free, and in high-bitrate audio.