Apple Watch & watchOS Consulting
Apple Watch developer and watchOS consulting. Independent watchOS apps, HealthKit on Watch, complication timelines budgeted for OS throttling, emergency features for medical apps. I've built watchOS features across more than a dozen apps in healthcare and consumer categories over the last decade.
- standalone watchOS apps that work without the phone in the room
- HealthKit on Watch: sample types, observer queries, Watch-to-phone reconciliation
- complication timelines budgeted to avoid OS throttling
- watchOS developer work: Watch Connectivity payloads, background delivery, Always-On state
What clients say
"Vadim was instrumental to the success Epsy enjoyed on iOS, taking it from an idea on a Miro board to the highest rated and most downloaded app of its kind on the store."
James C. · Mobile Engineering Lead, Epsy
"We had a strict deadline, and Vadim managed to complete the job in time. He gave us meaningful feedback and suggested better approaches, not trying to blindly stick to our specification."
Founder · Pre-seed streaming service
"I can say with confidence that it will be difficult to find a better developer. Vadim is achievement-oriented, highly organized, with very good communication skills."
Alex Z. · Co-Founder, eda.so
Related work
How I accidentally became PureGym's unofficial Apple Wallet developer
Tired of fumbling with the PureGym app for 47 seconds every morning, I reverse-engineered their API to build an Apple Wallet pass that gets me in with a quick wrist scan. Along the way, I discovered their bizarre security theatre: QR codes that expire every minute while my ancient 8-digit PIN lives forever.
Epsy
Health companion app for epilepsy patients.
For a very long time, Apple Watch was considered to be a device for either people dealing with too many notifications. Today we will change it.
Let's have a look at this really powerful toolkit released by Apple during last three years to both make profit and make people's lifes healthier and safer.
Common engagements
Ship a standalone watchOS app
Alongside your iOS app. I handle the Watch Connectivity reconciliation that goes wrong when the phone is in another room, the full complication set, and the Always-On state that drains batteries when misconfigured. 4-8 weeks depending on feature overlap, solo or with your team.
Diagnose a battery-drain report
The cause is usually a complication timeline, sometimes a stuck HealthKit observer, occasionally a background task that refuses to end. Diagnosis is 60% of the work. I reproduce it on a physical Watch, patch it, and document what changed so the team doesn't reintroduce it.
Design a Watch-first feature
I work from a product brief and design for the wrist first: emergency actions, quick-log flows, real-time glances, all tuned for the 3-second interaction.
Pricing
Architecture reviews, hiring help, second opinions on that thing that's been bugging you.
Available nowFeatures, MVPs, migrations, firefighting. Minimum 5 days.
Available nowPriority support: review agency code, join architecture calls, catch problems before they ship.
Questions
Is the Watch the right place for our feature?
It depends on the interaction shape. If the feature is a form, a list, or settings, the work belongs on the phone. If it fits a 3-second interaction, if the user's phone won't be reliably accessible, or if it belongs on a watch face as an ambient glance, the Watch is the right place.
Does watchOS support [feature]?
Usually 'sometimes, with caveats.' Which watchOS version shipped the feature matters, and so does whether Apple has since deprecated it. Better to check before you commit the architecture to it.
We need an Apple Watch version of our iOS app. Can you build it?
Yes. Most Apple Watch engagements either extend an existing iPhone app with a Watch companion or build a standalone Watch app alongside it. 4-8 weeks end-to-end, depending on how much of the iPhone app's logic needs to live on the wrist.
Our iOS app includes health data. Can you bring it to Watch?
Yes. HealthKit on Watch has directional restrictions and background-delivery behaviour that differ from the phone side, so I map which data flows where before writing code. I've shipped HealthKit on Watch in medical apps including Epsy (CES Innovation Award). Usually 2-4 weeks alongside the iOS team.
Can you build an emergency feature on Watch for a medical app?
Yes. Emergency on Watch needs to work with the phone away, with minimal taps, and with clear feedback. I shipped this for Epsy (epilepsy seizure logging) and it's the category of work where watchOS matters most. Think through the failure modes before the happy path.
Why hire you instead of adding Watch work to our existing iOS team's backlog?
If your iOS team already ships Watch confidently, you don't need me. The common reason teams bring me in is that Watch work is the first thing that slips when a roadmap is busy: small surface area, different lifecycle, needs live-device testing your team may not have set up. I ship the Watch app without stealing attention from their iOS roadmap.
How quickly can you start?
Advisory calls can happen within days. For project work, I typically need 1-2 weeks notice to clear the calendar, though I keep some buffer for urgent firefighting. Check the availability badges above for current openings.
Do you work with early-stage startups?
Yes, from pre-seed to Series C and beyond. For very early teams, the advisory tier often makes more sense than project work: you get architecture guidance without committing to a large engagement before you've validated the product.
What's included in the day rate?
Everything: code, architecture decisions, code review, documentation, async Slack availability during working hours. No surprise add-ons. I bill for time spent working on your project, not for "thinking about it in the shower."
We're in a different timezone. Will that slow things down?
I'm currently in Vancouver (PST), with full overlap for North American teams. For UK and Europe, I'm online by their afternoon. For Gulf or APAC, we'd agree on overlap hours and handle the rest async. I've worked with teams from San Francisco to Dubai.
Areas I cover
Where I've worked CV · LinkedIn
Building for Apple Watch?
Tell me what you're working on. I reply within 48 hours.
work@drobinin.com