How to browse the web on an Apple Watch
How to browse the web on an Apple Watch: While Apple does offer a hidden browser, a new mini web browser is bringing the web to your wrist.
Apple doesn’t include its Safari browser on the Apple Watch for obvious reasons. It’s doesn’t believe you can achieve a worthy World Wide Web experience on a 45mm display.
There is a hidden browser of sorts that’s a product of Apple’s own WebKit API, introduced in watchOS 5. That comes into play when you receive a URL link within the Messages and Mail apps. Tap those links and you will see a functional web page where you can tap links and browse through websites, using the Digital Crown to scroll through pages.
This also applies with links that appear within Siri search results. MacRumors also points out a little hack where you can send yourself a link to Google via iMessages, perform the web search there and browse whatever you want.
Download the µBrowser for Apple Watch
While there is no Safari, where there’s a will, there’s the intrepid developer community. The µBrowser is described as a Mini Browser on your Watch and arrived on the App Store last week to great acclaim, with a 4.8 rating out of 5 so far. It only costs $0.99/£0.99 too.
You can download the µBrowser app for Apple Watch here.
It enables you to type in web addresses directly on the display or enter search terms to enjoy a micro browsing experience. The companion iPhone app also enables you to set up bookmarks to your favourite sites to avoid having to type them in.
You will need watchOS 8 installed on your Apple Watch and iOS 15 on your iPhone in order to use this app. It should work nicely on all of phones compatible with the latest update, although the larger displays available in the newer generations will naturally be best.
There are some issues, naturally, with readability on home websites, while 9to5Mac reports that images can take a while to launch, if they launch at all. Users do have to confirm they want to browse to that page after it launches.
Developer, the app-tly named Arno Appenzeller writes: “I believe that µBrowser can be the perfect emergency browser when you are on the go and don’t have your phone with yourself. It is a start and I hope watchOS will improve so I can add new features to µBrowser. I’m pretty interested in deliver the best possible web experience on iOS.”