Use device APIs

Connect IQ includes APIs for the user interface, calendar, GPS

and other sensors, connectivity to mobile phones and wireless
sensors, and local storage for storing information when your
app isn’t actively running.
App Store
When you’re ready to publish your app for the world to use, you
can publish it to the Connect IQ App Store. The approval pro‐
cess generally goes quickly. You can browse the app store and
see what other developers just like you have innovated with the
Connect IQ platform.
You can also download an app directly to your own device
without needing to go through the app store. This is called side
loading, and you’ll learn how to do it in “Run an App on a Real
Device” on page 20.

Designing for Wearables

A wearable device is not a phone. Its screen is a small fraction of the
size of a phone; its CPU and battery won’t stand up to heavy-duty
computation. As a result, you need to change the way you think
about app development. Here are some best practices for wearable
app design:
You’ve got seconds of interaction
Don’t take a minute to explain what could be conveyed in a sec‐
ond. A bicyclist cannot safely ride while fiddling with a device;
your app should consume no more time than looking in the
rearview mirror.
Technology must be invisible
A smartphone interrupts and demands your attention. A weara‐
ble, when it does its job right, augments its wearer. It must feel
like a seamless extension of the self.
Glance-ability
With only seconds of interaction, your app needs to be glance-
able, just like a rearview mirror. If a bicyclist needs to know the
temperature, time, or her heart rate, that information needs to
be communicated in a way that can be absorbed instantly.

12 | Chapter 2: The Connect IQ Platform