This week, I created an app I’ve always wanted but could never quite find: Watch Notes. It’s a simple utility app that lets you sync plain text notes from your iPhone to your Apple Watch. While there’s a similar app in the App Store with this functionality, it requires a $3.99 monthly subscription, and I didn’t want to pay that anymore. Instead, I decided to build my own.
It only took me a few days—maybe 5 to 10 hours of work in total—to code the app, submit it to the App Store, and get it approved. The concept is straightforward. You can use a basic plain text editor on your iPhone to create notes of any length, copy and paste whatever text you need, and then sync it directly to your Apple Watch. The primary use case for me is scripture memorization. Each week, I copy and paste a verse I’m working on into the app, and it syncs to my watch. Anytime I need to reference the verse while on the go, I can quickly open the app and see it right there on my wrist.
A small hack I included was naming the watch app “A Watch Notes App” so it appears at the top of my app list when using the Apple Watch’s list view. It’s a minor detail but one that saves time and adds to the app’s convenience. It’s satisfying to have full control over the app’s features, fix any bugs that crop up, and optimize it for exactly what I need. This flexibility highlights an exciting trend: personal software. With even a little development knowledge, anyone can create custom solutions that fit their specific needs.
For this project, I didn’t aim for an all-encompassing app. Instead, I focused on getting that one core feature right—pushing content from the phone to the watch. I skipped complications like two-way syncing, iCloud integration, or editing notes directly on the watch. These decisions helped me focus on what mattered and launch the app faster.
That said, there are some ideas I might explore in the future, like adding folders to organize multiple documents for easier navigation. For now, though, it’s a solid, functional app that does what I need it to. Best of all, the App Store approval process was smooth—it got accepted on the first try in just 24 hours.
Building this app also gave me a chance to experiment with using AI to code for the Apple Watch. The experience wasn’t without challenges, as the watchOS codebase is less commonly used, meaning there’s less training data for AI to pull from. The most difficult part was getting the syncing process to work correctly; it took several attempts to get the code just right. Still, it was worth the effort, and I learned a lot in the process.
This app also aligns with my broader approach to app development: creating small, useful apps quickly and frequently. Instead of focusing on massive, high-risk projects, I’m building a portfolio of smaller apps. This diversifies my risk, and if one app doesn’t perform well, it’s not the end of the world. Each new app is another shot on goal.
I’m excited to see how Watch Notes does in the App Store. For now, I’m moving on to next week’s project, but I’ll check back later to see how it performs. Stay tuned!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/watch-notes-sync-your-docs/id6740779369
Jake
52 Apps in 52 Weeks 
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