Taking the stage following Jeff Williams’ brief introduction, Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke revealed the details on Pokémon Go’s next big move: an app for the Apple Watch.
For the most part, Pokémon Go on the watch puts the game’s best features on your wrist: you can hatch eggs, see nearby Pokémon, and interact with Pokéstops to collect items. There’s even a complication for the watch face, letting you see how far you have to travel to hatch an egg.
From the main screen of the app, you’ll see your team and XP levels, along with a button to start your Pokémon Go “workout.” When in this mode, the time you spend chasing Pokémon will be added into the Activity app on Apple Watch. Once you begin walking, you’ll get to see the distance traveled, time spent, and calories burned.
The biggest thing you can’t do on the Apple Watch is actually catch the Pokémon – you’ll have to pull out your phone for that. Even so, being able to put away your phone and find Pokémon on the wrist only is a nice luxury.
According to Hanke, Pokémon Go for the Apple Watch will come as an update to the current iPhone app later this year.
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