Every supermarket needs an Apple Watch app

These last months, I’ve been on an Apple Watch journey. While I’ve played with the wearable before, this is the first time I’ve ever actually owned one, and — as sad as this sounds — it’s actually changed my day-to-day life? I can’t believe I wrote that? God help me?

Before we dive into that, I’ve got an announcement. Nay, a proclamation: every supermarket needs an Apple Watch app. This is the word, and the word is good.

Let me explain.

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I’ve written about it here, but because I wear my Apple Watch around 23 hours a day, it’s consistently telling me what to do. This involves getting me to breathe, stand up, or exercise. Effectively, it’s my robotic buddy and I’m its fucking dog.

Yet it’s not just health benefits the Apple Watch gives me. One of its positives it how it operates like a mini phone. For example, you can sync up music, audiobooks, or podcasts with it. You can use Apple Pay without an iPhone. And, because my Apple Watch isn’t cellular, it feels great being cut off from instant messages and phone calls, while still having access to some vital functions.

This has meant it’s far easier for me to just pop out to the shops without taking an array of stuff with me. But this is where I bump into an issue: there aren’t many supermarket Apple Watch apps.

Up until the beginning of the pandemic, I wouldn’t have given a solitary fuck about this. But I don’t think I’m alone in having developed far more interest in grocery shopping this year. I mean, what else is there to do apart from eating and crying?

series six supermarket apple watch app — This is an example of an Apple Watch that needs a supermarket app.

One of the side effects of doing more food shopping means that, for the first time ever, I’m experiencing the true joys of supermarket loyalty cards. In case you aren’t on board with this trend, let me tell you about it. The key is I’m given personal discounts on products I regularly buy — meaning I’m always keen to scan mine whenever I have the opportunity. And, before you ask, this is what being 31 is all about.

Here’s when we run into the issue.

Although most grocery chains have an iPhone app, it’s rare to see a supermarket Apple Watch app. This means I need to either bring my phone with me, or my wallet with the physical loyalty card in — two things that completely ruin my dream of a seamless Apple Watch life. And this isn’t on.

So, I’m putting out a call, a rallying cry for people across the world: EVERY SUPERMARKET NEEDS AN APPLE WATCH APP.

It doesn’t need to be complicated, I just need something that shows my loyalty card’s barcode, so I can hoover up the sick discounts on spicy mango hummus and oat milk that have been getting me through the pandemic. A supermarket Apple Watch app? Is that too much to ask? I think not.

I’m waiting.

Story by Callum Booth

Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting (show all) Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC. Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too. Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.