How to avoid an Apple Watch 2 App to stop running after a few seconds the screen turns into black?

Question

I am developing an Apple Watch2 App. My app stops running after a few seconds the screen turns into black but I want my app to run on the screen even after the screen turns into black. So that the user can see my app anytime on the screen by not tapping to the app icon again. I tried to add a timer and then an animation and also made dynamic UI changes to avoid my app to stop running but it didn't work - after a few seconds the screen turns into black, the app stops and the main watch clock screen comes into display. I saw that it is possible to do this functionality in "Apple Workout App". When the user starts a timer, even if the screen turns into black, the app doesn't stop running so the user checks the timer anytime she/he wants. So please let me know how I can get this functionality?

Thanks, E.

Answer 1

You can't control this from your app; The user selects the behaviour for their watch using the Apple Watch app on their phone. They can select "Show watch face" (the default) or "Resume Last Activity". They can also select how long the display stays on for on a tap; either 15 or 70 seconds.

Some Apple apps such as Maps, Remote and Timer can override this setting and if a fitness app has an active HealthKit workout activity then the watch will also resume the last activity on wrist raise/face tap. If your app isn't using HealthKit for a workout activity then you have to live with the behaviour the user has selected.