The Google graveyard has claimed one other sufferer: the corporate has killed the Apple Watch model of its Hold app. Whereas the note-taking app continues to be obtainable for iPhone and iPad, the 2.2025.26200 Google Keep App Store update launched on Monday has eliminated watchOS assist, bringing the overall variety of Google apps for Apple Watch again down to 3.
This sours some hope that Google would develop its watchOS app choices after quietly rolling out a new native Google Calendar app for Apple Watch yesterday, having initially pulled several Google apps from the platform in 2017. The Google Hold app was launched to watchOS in 2019 however has largely been uncared for since, missing any significant updates. Now, Google Calendar, Maps, and YouTube Music are all that stay, with the latter two additionally in want of modernization.
Whereas outdated, Hold was nonetheless useful on Apple Watch, offering a handy method for customers to rapidly create lists or jot down info on the go. There doesn’t seem like a notable third-party various on watchOS to interchange it. Its elimination confirms a number of reports made by Keep users on Reddit last month, who mentioned Google had notified them that “the watch app can be deprecated quickly.” We’ve got reached out to Google to make clear why the app was eliminated.
Hold continues to be obtainable for smartwatches working on Google’s personal Put on OS platform. That’s unlikely to be of any consolation to Apple Watch customers who’re disrupted by the elimination, nevertheless; they might want to wait till Apple brings a local model of the Notes app to watchOS 26 this fall.