One of Google’s most useful Apple Watch apps is suddenly gone

1 2 minutes read

Google’s lineup of Apple Watch apps just got reshuffled — and not entirely for the better. While the company quietly rolled out a minimalist Google Calendar app for watchOS earlier this week, it seems to have quietly retired another: Google Keep.

Google giveth, Google taketh away

Version 2.2025.26200 of Google Keep removes support for Apple Watch, marking the end of a presence that dates back to 2019. Though the app hadn’t seen any meaningful updates in years — it never even received a refreshed app icon or support for modern watchOS features — many users still relied on it for quick access to shopping lists and notes on the go.Its departure is likely to be disruptive for some, especially given that watchOS 26 is only just now preparing to add a native Notes app. Until now, Google Keep served as a lightweight, wrist-friendly companion that made basic note retrieval easy without pulling out a phone.

Still available on Wear OS though

Keep remains available for Wear OS users, underscoring Google’s continued (if uneven) commitment to its own wearable platform.

Meanwhile, yesterday’s surprise debut of a new Google Calendar app on watchOS offered a rare sign of engagement from the Google Workspace team on Apple’s smartwatch platform. That app, like Keep, is stripped down in functionality — offering only a week’s worth of events and tasks in a read-only list format — but it does include complications and Smart Stack support, helping it blend more seamlessly with modern watchOS.

With Keep now gone, Google’s active watchOS lineup is back down to just three apps: Maps, YouTube Music, and Calendar. But even those are showing signs of neglect — YouTube Music still lacks offline downloads, and Maps hasn’t seen a major update since 2020.

A one-step-forward, one-step-back strategy?

The removal of Keep, coupled with the barebones launch of Calendar, highlights Google’s inconsistent strategy on Apple Watch. For a company with so many user-facing services, its watchOS footprint remains surprisingly thin and often feels like an afterthought.

Whether the Calendar app signals a fresh wave of smartwatch investment — or was simply low-hanging fruit for the Workspace team — remains to be seen.

Until then, Pixel owners with an Apple Watch on their wrist will have to make do with a patchy Google experience — and one less app to check their notes.

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Aleksandar is a tech enthusiast with a broad range of interests, from smartphones to space exploration. His curiosity extends to hands-on DIY experiments with his gadgets, and he enjoys switching between different brands to experience the latest innovations. Prior to joining PhoneArena, Aleksandar worked on the Google Art Project, digitizing valuable artworks and gaining diverse perspectives on technology. When he’s not immersed in tech, Aleksandar is an outdoorsman who enjoys mountain hikes, wildlife photography, and nature conservation. His interests also extend to martial arts, running, and snowboarding, reflecting his dynamic approach to life and technology.

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