watchOS should show the placeholder template when the watch is locked

Originator:robotspacer
Number:rdar://27229020 Date Originated:07-Jul-2016 04:36 PM
Status:Open Resolved:
Product:watchOS SDK Product Version:watchOS 2 through watchOS 3 beta 2
Classification:Enhancement Reproducible:N/A
 
Summary:
I have a watch app with complications that specify CLKComplicationPrivacyBehaviorHideOnLockScreen. It took me weeks to figure out why my placeholder templates weren't displayed when the watch is locked. There's no documentation on what's actually displayed (the "Complications Group", see rdar://27227802) and all of the built-in Apple complications DO seem to display the placeholder templates.

Now that I understand how it works, I still don't understand why. Simply using the placeholder templates generated in getPlaceholderTemplateForComplication:withHandler: would make for a far nicer transition to the unlocked state.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Create a watchOS app.
2. In getPrivacyBehaviorForComplication:withHandler: specify CLKComplicationPrivacyBehaviorHideOnLockScreen
3. Provide placeholders using getPlaceholderTemplateForComplication:withHandler:
4. Install the app on an Apple Watch
5. Lock the watch

Expected Results:
One might reasonably expect the watch to display the placeholder templates when it is locked, because that's exactly how all of the built in complications appear to behave. (The documentation on CLKComplicationPrivacyBehaviorHideOnLockScreen does suggest otherwise, but it's not clear what "complication icon" might be referring to. See rdar://27227802 for that separate issue.)

Actual Results:
The images specified in the "Complications Group" are displayed rather than the placeholder templates.

Version:
watchOS 2 through watchOS 3 beta 2

Notes:

Configuration:
Apple Watch 42mm

Attachments:

Comments

Workarounds

I thought it might be possible to fake the behavior of Apple's complications by providing an "icon" that's actually a static version of my placeholder templates. There are two problems with this:

1: The icon is a single color image. On a multicolor watch face, Apple's complications have a two color icon when the watch is locked.

2: If I include placeholder text, it will display in color on a color watch face. For example, Apple's Calendar complication shows "--:--" when the watch is locked, in white text. If I try to do this in my own complication the text will be in color.

I could omit the text—this would work fine on some faces like Utility. For a Modular Small complication the icon will just look off center, drawing attention to the empty area. In the end it just feels like there's no way to handle this that doesn't feel kind of sloppy and amateur, which is frustrating.

By robotspacer at July 8, 2016, 10 p.m. (reply...)

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