The Economist app turns your Apple Watch into a remote control

The audio won’t play directly on the Watch, rather sound through an iPhone.

Looks like all sorts of apps are making their way to the Apple Watch; from entertainment to fitness and the most important news. Among the famous publishers, The Economist appears to be the first one to make its debut on the Apple Watch with its exclusive app which allows users to use the watch more like a remote control.

The watch is going to be available starting from April 24th and The Economist’s new app meant for the smartwatch is the perfect solution for those who religiously follow the weekly audio edition. The Apple Watch would merely be used as a control and the audio output will come on your iPhones instead of the watch itself. Once you have the app, your Apple Watch is going to send you messages in order to alert you about any upcoming content including the cover image, date, and title of the next digital edition.

The Economist subscribers will be able to use their Apple Watch to play, pause, skip ahead to the next track, rewind for 15 seconds, modify playback speed and even switch between different weekly editions. While users are listening to any news stories, the headline of the story would appear on the watch’s screen. In addition to this, the interface is also going to display other relevant information such as the next track and the number of articles remaining in the section.

Tom Standage, deputy editor and head of digital strategy for The Economist, explains the use of the app in a more detailed manner. He says, “You can’t read detailed, analytical articles on a watch, but you can listen to them. Subscribers who already like to listen to The Economist while commuting or working out can use our Apple Watch app as a handy remote control. We hope this will appeal to new listeners, too. We are excited to embrace this new platform.”