Do you remember when apps on the Apple Watch used to load for several seconds before they actually launched? Yes, that was when the Apple Watch was introduced originally in April 2015. Indeed, before Apple enabled developers to build native Apple Watch apps, this was a major usability concern, equally disliked by users and developers.
Recently Apple shared an update with its developer community, noting that updates to watchOS 1 apps will no longer be accepted. Apple writes:
“Please note that starting April 1, 2018, updates to watchOS 1 apps will no longer be accepted. Updates must be native apps built with the watchOS 2 SDK or later. New watchOS apps should be built with the watchOS 4 SDK or later.”
Also Apple asks developers to take full advantage of the processing power of Series 3 Apple Watches, and take advantage of the performance boost:
Enable your watchOS apps to connect anywhere and anytime, even without a phone nearby, by updating for watchOS 4 and Apple Watch Series 3. Take advantage of increased performance, new background modes for navigation and audio recording, built-in altimeter capabilities, direct connections to accessories with Core Bluetooth, and more. In addition, the size limit of a watchOS app bundle has increased from 50 MB to 75 MB.