Snapchat Lands on Apple Watch: A New Way to Stay Connected

In a move that’s turning heads in the wearable tech space, Snapchat has officially launched a native app for the Apple Watch, marking its first foray into watchOS. Announced on June 5, 2025, this release expands Snapchat’s presence across devices, bringing its signature quick and playful communication style to your wrist. While the app doesn’t deliver the full Snapchat experience, it offers a focused set of features that make it a compelling addition for users who want to stay connected on the go. Let’s dive into what this new app can do, its limitations, and why its arrival is a big deal for both Snapchat and Apple Watch users.

What the Snapchat Apple Watch App Can Do

The Snapchat app for Apple Watch is designed with simplicity in mind, focusing on messaging functionality rather than the platform’s hallmark photo and video-sharing features. Here’s what you can do with it:

• Preview Incoming Messages: When a friend sends you a chat, you can view the first 100 characters of the message directly on your Apple Watch. This preview pops up as a notification, making it easy to glance at incoming texts without pulling out your iPhone.

• Reply to Chats: The app lets you respond to messages using the Apple Watch’s built-in tools, including the tiny keyboard, Scribble (where you draw letters with your finger), Dictation for voice-to-text, or by sending emojis. This is perfect for quick replies like confirming plans or dropping a “🔥” to keep the conversation going.

• Stay Notified: If you’ve enabled Snapchat notifications on your iPhone and mirrored them to your Apple Watch, you’ll get alerts for new messages or interactions. This ensures you’re never out of the loop, even during a run or when your phone is tucked away.

These features are tailored for convenience, letting you stay engaged with friends without needing to access your phone. For example, you can let someone know you’ve arrived at a meetup spot or send a quick reply while jogging, all from your wrist.

What the Snapchat Apple Watch App Can’t Do

While the app is a welcome addition, it’s not a full-fledged Snapchat experience. Here are the key limitations:

• No Camera or Snap Creation: The Apple Watch lacks a camera, so you can’t take or send Snaps directly from the device. Snapchat’s core feature—capturing and sharing photos or videos—isn’t supported, which makes sense given the hardware constraints.

• Limited Story Viewing: Unlike earlier workarounds that allowed users to browse public Stories via Snapchat’s website (e.g., stories.snapchat.com), the native app doesn’t support viewing Stories or Snap Map directly. You’re restricted to messaging-related tasks.

• Can’t Initiate Conversations: You can only reply to incoming notifications, not start new chats from the Apple Watch. This means you’ll still need your iPhone to kick off a conversation or send a Snap.

• No Access to Older Messages: The app only shows previews of new notifications, so you can’t scroll through past chats or revisit older messages. This keeps the experience streamlined but limits its depth.

These restrictions highlight that the Apple Watch app is more of a companion tool than a standalone platform. Snapchat’s focus remains on smartphones and tablets, where its camera-driven features shine.

How to Set It Up

Getting Snapchat up and running on your Apple Watch is straightforward, but it requires a few steps to ensure notifications work smoothly:

1. Install Snapchat on Your iPhone: Make sure the Snapchat app is installed and updated on your paired iPhone.

2. Enable Notifications: On your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Snapchat and turn on notifications. Then, open the Watch app, navigate to Notifications, and ensure the Snapchat toggle is enabled under “Mirror iPhone Alerts From.”

3. Download the App: The Snapchat app is available on the watchOS App Store and requires watchOS 9.0 or later. Once installed, it integrates with your existing Snapchat account.

4. Customize Notification Settings: In the Snapchat app on your iPhone, fine-tune which notifications (e.g., chats, Stories, or mentions) you want to receive to avoid being overwhelmed.

Once set up, you’ll see chat notifications on your wrist and can reply using the Apple Watch’s input methods.

Why This Matters

Snapchat’s arrival on the Apple Watch is significant for a few reasons:

• Expanding Snapchat’s Ecosystem: With nearly a billion users, Snapchat is a major player in social media, and this move aligns with its goal to be “everywhere” its users are. By supporting wearables, Snapchat ensures it remains relevant in a world where people use multiple devices daily. The company’s blog post emphasizes this commitment, noting that its community already enjoys Snapchat on mobile, web, and tablets.

• Reviving Apple Watch Apps: The Apple Watch has struggled to maintain developer support for third-party apps. Big names like Slack, Uber, and Facebook Messenger have abandoned watchOS, citing limited user engagement and high development costs. Snapchat’s decision to launch a native app bucks this trend, signaling confidence in the platform’s potential for social interaction.

• Enhancing Wearable Communication: The app’s focus on messaging taps into the Apple Watch’s strength as a quick, glanceable communication tool. For Snapchat’s younger audience, who rely on the app for fast, informal chats, being able to reply from the wrist is a game-changer—especially in situations where pulling out a phone is inconvenient.

• Setting a Precedent: Snapchat’s move could inspire other social platforms to revisit the Apple Watch. Users have expressed a desire for apps like WhatsApp and Slack to return, and Snapchat’s streamlined approach might show how to balance functionality with the Watch’s limitations.

The Bigger Picture

The Snapchat Apple Watch app arrives at a time when wearables are becoming more integral to our digital lives. The latest Apple Watches, like the Series 10 with its larger 46mm display, make it easier to interact with apps comfortably.