Developers will be able to create applications that run natively on the Apple watch using a new version of the wearable device’s operating system announced Monday.
CEO Tim Cook gave the announcement a brief mention during his introduction to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) keynote at San Francisco’s Moscone West conference center. His proclamation drew cheers from the audience of developers, who will be able to do more with the Apple Watch than they could at the time of the device’s launch in April.
It’s an improvement to the current state of Apple’s Watch OS, which currently requires users have their iPhones on and within range in order to work with third party apps. That limitation has been criticized by both developers and reviewers alike, since it reduces the Watch’s utility.
The announcement comes alongside a slew of other announcements at Apple’s developer conference, including a new version of OS X called El Capitan, along with iOS 9, the latest version of the company’s mobile operating system.