How to Make a Wearable App: Step-by-Step Development Guide

Wearable technology is reshaping how industries operate, from healthcare to fitness apps and beyond.

 

These devices—whether smartwatches, fitness trackers, or custom wearables—offer new ways for businesses to engage with customers, collect valuable data, and improve user experiences. But wearable app development is a complex process that requires careful planning, app design, and execution. 

 

 

At Onix, wearable app developers, we've had the pleasure of working on several wearable projects, including the Phlex app. In this guide, we'll walk you through the ins and outs of wearable app development, using insights from our work with Phlex to provide practical examples.

Why Wearable Apps Matter for Businesses

Wearable apps are more than just gadgets—they provide real business value by enhancing customer experiences, offering valuable data insights, and creating new revenue opportunities. Let’s break down why wearable apps are crucial for businesses today.

 

1. Enhanced Customer Engagement and Retention

Wearable application development create personalized, real-time interactions that increase engagement and build stronger customer relationships.

 

• Personalized Experiences: Customers can receive tailored insights, such as fitness metrics or health notifications, improving their daily experiences.
• Constant Interaction: Since wearables are worn throughout the day, your app becomes a part of the user’s routine, fostering continuous engagement.

 

Example:

Phlex Swim’s app provided real-time swim tracking, motivating users by offering instant feedback on their performance. This kept users engaged and encouraged them to use the app regularly, increasing overall customer retention.

 

Business Value:

 

• Increased customer lifetime value (CLV)
• Higher app usage and engagement rates
• Opportunities for upselling premium features

The swimming app created by our team

 

Read also: What it Takes to Make a Custom Fitness App: 2024 Complete Guide

 

2. Data-Driven Decision Making

Wearable device app development generates a wealth of real-time data, providing businesses with valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences.

 

 

Example:

Phlex Swim collected performance data from users, such as swim speed, strokes, and calories burned. This data allowed Phlex to better understand their users' needs and optimize their app accordingly.

 

Business Value:

 

• More informed product updates and features
• Data-backed marketing strategies
• Personalized services that improve customer satisfaction

3. New Revenue Streams and Business Models

Leveraging wearables in mobile development can unlock new monetization opportunities, allowing businesses to offer premium services, subscriptions, and exclusive content.

 

• In-App Purchases: Offer users additional features, such as advanced analytics or coaching tools.
• Subscription Models: Provide ongoing services that users can subscribe to for a monthly fee.
• Hardware-Software Bundles: Combine wearables with apps to create an integrated product offering.

 

Example:

Phlex could introduce premium features like personalized swim plans, expert advice, or real-time coaching, creating new revenue streams beyond the initial app download.

 

Business Value:

 

• Diversified revenue sources
• Recurring income through subscription models
• Increased product value and customer willingness to pay

4. Improved Customer Loyalty and Brand Differentiation

Wearable apps allow businesses to stand out by offering innovative, unique experiences that enhance brand loyalty.

 

 

Example:

By using wearable tech, Phlex was able to differentiate themselves in the competitive fitness market by offering a seamless and valuable experience for swimmers.

 

Read also: Custom Telemedicine App Development: The Ultimate Guide

 

Business Value:

 

• Higher customer retention rates
• Brand advocates who promote the product
• Competitive advantage in the market

Creating an account in Phlex swimming app

 

5. Operational Efficiency and Cost Savings

Wearable apps don’t just benefit customers—they can streamline internal operations and reduce costs in industries like healthcare, logistics, and employee management.

 

• Healthcare: Wearables can monitor vital signs and alert staff about patient conditions, reducing manual checks and improving care.
• Employee Productivity: Wearables can track worker health and performance, ensuring safety and optimizing workflow in industrial environments.

 

Example:

While Phlex’s wearable is consumer-facing, similar technology can be adapted to improve efficiency in industries like healthcare, where monitoring vitals or tracking patient activities could lead to faster care responses and better resource management.

 

Business Value:

 

• Reduced operational costs through automation
• Improved employee productivity and safety
• Faster, more informed decision-making in real-time

 

Steps to Developing a Wearable App

Developing a wearable app is a multi-stage process that requires a deep understanding of your users, careful platform selection, and seamless UI design and integration with hardware. Let’s dive into each step in detail, using the Phlex Swim app development as a guiding example.

 

1. Understanding Your Target Audience

The first step in wearable app development is to clearly define and understand your target audience. Wearable technology is highly personal, and people expect these devices to fit seamlessly into their daily lives. This means your app must be designed with specific user needs in mind, right from the beginning.

 

For Phlex Swim, the target audience was competitive swimmers and fitness enthusiasts. These users needed a product that would deliver accurate, real-time performance data while swimming, without any distractions or complexities.

 

We spent considerable time researching their routines, training habits, and pain points. This helped us understand that swimmers want quick access to critical data, such as lap count and stroke efficiency, while keeping other features minimalistic.

 

 

Understanding your audience’s specific needs is crucial. For Phlex, this meant building a simple yet powerful app that delivers essential swim data with minimal distractions, setting them apart from other fitness apps.

Feed of all the activities in swimming app by Onix

 

2. Choosing the Right Platform and Device

Once you’ve defined your audience, the next step is selecting the right platform and device for your app. This decision will shape the development process, from design to coding. Wearable apps are not one-size-fits-all—each platform has unique capabilities and limitations.

 

For Phlex, we developed the app to work with their proprietary swimming tracker. However, we also integrated the app with iOS and Android smartphones so users could sync their swim data post-session. This made the app versatile and accessible across multiple platforms.

 

If you’re building a wearable app for a broader audience, it’s essential to consider where your users are. For example:

 

 

Key Takeaway:

Choose your platform and device early. If you're targeting fitness users, smartwatches and fitness trackers might be your best bet. For niche audiences like competitive athletes, custom wearables paired with mobile apps (like Phlex) provide better flexibility.

 

3. Features to Include

Wearable apps must provide value in the most streamlined way possible. Users don’t have time to navigate complex menus—they want immediate access to the features that matter most. Let’s look at the essential features that should be included in your app, based on our experience with Phlex:

 

• Real-Time Data Syncing: Wearables are all about providing instant feedback. For Phlex, we developed a system that synced swimming metrics (lap count, stroke type, speed) between the wearable and the mobile app in real time. This instant feedback helped users adjust their performance during the swim.

 

• User-Friendly Interface: With limited screen space, wearable apps need to be simple and intuitive. Phlex’s design was stripped down to only the critical swim metrics to ensure users weren’t distracted during their workout.

 

• Offline Functionality: Many wearables are used in environments where smartphones aren’t accessible. Swimmers, for example, rarely have their phones nearby while in the pool. We made sure the Phlex app worked offline, syncing data automatically once users reconnected with their phones.

 

• Personalized Insights: The true power of wearable apps lies in their ability to offer tailored, actionable insights. Phlex provided customized feedback based on swim performance, helping athletes adjust their training for optimal results.

 

 

“Focus on simplicity and functionality. Ensure your app provides value by syncing data instantly, offering a clean interface, and giving users personalized insights that help them improve.” - Volodymyr Bandurka, Tech Lead at Onix

The training effectiveness and metrics 

 

4. Designing for Wearables

Designing for wearables isn’t just about scaling down a mobile app. Wearables have unique interaction patterns, and users often interact with them briefly, glancing at data rather than spending extended time on them. When designing for wearables, you must rethink the user experience entirely.

 

For Phlex, our design focused on simplicity and ease of use. Swimmers needed to access critical metrics with as few taps as possible, so we ensured that lap count, time, and stroke type were displayed prominently. More detailed stats were available post-swim, giving users the in-depth analytics they wanted but without cluttering the swim experience.

 

Battery life is another critical consideration. Wearables have limited battery capacity, and apps that drain battery life too quickly can be a dealbreaker for users. During Phlex’s development, we optimized the app to ensure it could last multiple swim sessions without requiring a recharge.

 

 

“Rethink your user interface for wearables. Keep it simple, make interactions quick, and always optimize for battery life.” - Lead of UI/UX design department. 

 

5. Development and Integration

After finalizing the design, the next step is to choose the right development approach and ensure seamless integration with the hardware. There are two primary considerations here: native vs. cross-platform development and how to integrate your app with the wearable sensors.

 

For Phlex, we opted for native development to take full advantage of the hardware and sensors within the swimming tracker.

 

Native apps generally perform better on wearables, especially when it comes to real-time data tracking, which was crucial for Phlex. By using the device’s Software Development Kit (SDK), we ensured the app communicated effectively with the tracker, providing accurate swim data.

 

 

Key Takeaway:

Choose native development for optimal performance, especially if your app relies heavily on wearable sensors. Ensure seamless integration between the app and device.

 

6. Testing and Iteration

Testing is critical for wearable app development, and it’s not just about testing the software. You also need to test how the app interacts with the hardware in real-world conditions.

 

For Phlex, this meant conducting rigorous tests in various swimming environments (indoor, outdoor, saltwater, etc.) to ensure the data was accurate under different conditions.

 

During testing, we encountered challenges like inconsistent Bluetooth connectivity between the Phlex wearable and smartphones. By running real-world tests, we were able to address these issues before the app’s launch, ensuring a smooth user experience.

 

 

Key Takeaway:

Test rigorously in real-world conditions to identify and fix wearable-specific issues, such as connectivity or sensor accuracy.

 

Costs of Developing a Wearable App

Wearable app development can vary significantly in cost, depending on factors like the complexity of the app, the device it integrates with, the features required, and the level of testing and post-launch support. Based on our experience with Phlex Swim, we’ve seen firsthand how different stages of the development process impact the final budget.

 

Here’s a detailed breakdown of the main stages and their associated costs:

 

 

Why Phlex Fell Into the Higher End

In the case of Phlex Swim, the complexity of the project pushed it toward the higher end of this range. Here’s why:

 

• Custom Wearable Integration: Phlex required integration with a specialized swimming tracker, which added complexity to both the development and testing phases. Ensuring seamless communication between the wearable and the app across different environments (e.g., indoor pools, open water) was critical.
• Rigorous Real-World Testing: Because Phlex was designed for a specific niche—competitive swimmers—rigorous real-world testing was a must. This added time and resources to the testing phase, as we had to ensure the app worked reliably in various aquatic conditions.
• Native Development for Performance: We chose native development for optimal performance, which increased the development cost. Native apps provide better integration with wearable hardware and are generally more responsive, especially for real-time data tracking, which is essential for Phlex’s user experience.

 

Additional Factors That Can Influence Costs

 

• Custom vs. Existing Platforms: Developing for custom wearable devices, like Phlex, will typically cost more than building for existing platforms like Apple Watch or Android Wear. The integration with custom hardware requires more specialized development and testing.
• Advanced Features: If your app requires advanced features such as AI-driven insights, real-time coaching, or complex data analytics, expect higher development and testing costs. For instance, Phlex’s personalized swim analytics feature added an extra layer of complexity to both development and post-launch support.
• Long-Term Support: Wearable apps often require long-term support, particularly as hardware evolves or new operating system updates are released. Phlex’s commitment to continuously improving its app with new features and optimizations is a good example of how ongoing support adds to the total cost.

 

Key Takeaway

The cost of developing a wearable app depends on several factors, including the complexity of the device integration, design, and testing needs. While the Phlex app fell on the higher end of the cost spectrum due to its specialized nature, the result was a seamless, high-performance app that met the exact needs of its target audience.

 

Investing in the right stages—particularly in development and testing—ensures that your wearable app delivers a smooth and valuable user experience, drawing inspiration from super app examples that excel in seamlessly integrating various services into a single platform.

 

Looking for developing an app like Phlex or your custom wearable app? Contact us for a consultation and let’s bring your vision to life!

FAQ

 

What are the key benefits of wearable app development for businesses?

 

• Enhanced Customer Engagement: Wearable apps allow businesses to connect with users more directly, providing personalized experiences like fitness tracking or health monitoring.
• Data Collection & Insights: Wearable devices gather valuable real-time data that can be analyzed to understand user behavior, improving marketing strategies and customer service.
• Brand Differentiation: Offering a unique wearable app can set a brand apart from competitors, showcasing innovation and a forward-thinking approach.
• Increased Productivity: For internal use, wearable apps can boost productivity by streamlining tasks, such as providing instant notifications or enabling hands-free access to data for employees.

 

How long does it take to develop a wearable app?

 

• Simple Wearable Apps: 3-4 months, including basic functionalities like notifications or health tracking.
• Medium Complexity Apps: 4-6 months, with features like real-time data sync, customization, or integration with other devices.
• Complex Wearable Apps: 6-12 months or more, for apps requiring advanced functionalities like AI-based analytics, custom UI/UX, or multi-device compatibility.

 

What features should be included in a successful wearable app?

 

• Seamless Connectivity: Reliable Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity for data synchronization with smartphones or cloud servers.
• User-Friendly Interface: A simple, intuitive UI that fits the small screens of wearable devices.
• Real-time Notifications: Instant alerts or reminders that keep users engaged without overwhelming them.
• Health & Fitness Tracking: For health-focused wearables, tracking metrics like heart rate, steps, or sleep patterns is essential.
• Customization Options: Allow users to personalize the app’s settings, notifications, and appearance for a better experience.
• Low Power Consumption: Optimized app performance to preserve battery life is crucial for wearable devices.

 

How much does it cost to develop a wearable app?

 

• Basic Wearable Apps: $15,000 - $30,000, focusing on simple functions like step tracking or notifications.
• Medium Complexity Apps: $30,000 - $80,000, including more advanced features like custom UI or integration with third-party services.
• High Complexity Apps: $80,000 - $150,000+, for apps with sophisticated functionalities, custom design, and advanced data analytics.

 

Costs can vary based on factors like developer location, platform (Apple Watch, Wear OS, etc.), and specific features required.

 

Can Onix help with both software and hardware integration for wearables?

Yes, Onix specializes in integrating both software and hardware for wearables. This includes developing custom software solutions that communicate effectively with various sensors and hardware components, ensuring seamless data exchange and functionality. Their expertise can help optimize performance and enhance user experience.

 

Can I scale my wearable app for other markets or devices?

Yes, scaling your wearable app for different markets or devices is feasible. By using a modular architecture, you can adapt the app for various operating systems and device types.

 

This approach allows for easier updates and feature expansions, making it possible to cater to different user needs and preferences across markets. Additionally, Onix can assist in localization and compliance with regional regulations to facilitate smoother market entry.