WhatsApp Apple Watch App Arrives With Key Features Still Missing

WhatsApp finally launched an official Apple Watch app, and for endurance athletes glancing at their wrist mid-run, that sounds like a win. It is not the full picture.

The app lets you read and reply to messages directly from your wrist, which is useful when you are 10k into a trail run and do not want to fish your phone out of your vest. Basic stuff, but it was genuinely missing before this update.

The gaps are real though. Six features are still absent, and for athletes who rely on quick communication during training blocks or races, those gaps matter. Think voice message playback, group chat management, and media previews, all things you get natively on a Garmin paired with your phone or even on a basic notification setup with a Polar Vantage V3.

Compared to how seamlessly Garmin Connect or Coros handle notification replies on watches like the Forerunner 965 or Pace 3, this WhatsApp app feels like a first draft. Functional, yes. Complete, no.

Solid starting point for Apple Watch Ultra 2 users who want connectivity on long efforts. But do not expect it to replace a proper notification workflow just yet.