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Video: Apple Watch can surf the web with the right app, even if not supposed to

Published May 11th, 2015 7:45AM EDT
Apple Watch Web Browser App
Image: Chris Smith, BGR

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One of the best things about the Apple Watch, I found during testing, is the fact it lacks a browser application. Apple seems to think you don’t need to load websites on the tiny screen of the Watch, and it might be right. Not only would it be annoying for the eyes, but typing web addresses would also be inconvenient, particularly because there’s no keyboard app either on the device. That, however, doesn’t mean clever developers haven’t been working on a browser app for the Watch.

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Popular developer Comex, known from his iPhone jailbreak-related activities, posted a short video showing that Watch OS can indeed run a web browser app, though it’s not clear how the developer managed to render Google.com on the Watch. The application is not available for download at this time though.

The developer seems to suggest he found a way to bypass Apple’s Watch OS restrictions, which might indicate the device could run all sorts of apps in the future, once it’s jailbroken if that should ever happen, or once Apple releases the native SDK for Watch OS.

The company did already confirm that native third-party Watch apps, the kind of apps that don’t need to run through their iPhone equivalents, will be arriving “later this year,” as 9to5 Mac points out.

A short video showing Comex’ achievement follows below.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2007. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he closely follows the events in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming new movies and TV shows, or training to run his next marathon.