Airbnb Makes Communication Easier with new Apple Watch App

Over the past year or so AirBnb has put some major focus on design, from its logo and identity to its iOS and Android apps. Today, the company is shifting its attention towards wearables and starting with the Apple Watch. So what did the do and why did they do it? Read on.

Airbnb went through a variety of tests to understand the Apple Watch’s capability in order to understand why the app should exist on the device. Eventually, they concluded that the Watch was best for responding to booking inquiries and receiving and responding to messages. For example, when you receive a message, you’ll get a notification on your Watch that you can respond to via voice dictation or one of the pre-written messages. The best part is that Airbnb lets you write a lot of your own pre-selected responses such as the answer to “What’s the Wifi password?”. Since it’s probably a question a host would get a lot, it saves them time from having to fish it out and type it out on their phone.

Hosts will also have the ability to respond to booking inquiries right from their wrist. When a user submits their request, the host will receive a notification showing them all the details including the guest’s name, dates they would like to stay, and the full message they’ve attached. The host is then able to respond and even accept right away. If they do, the guest will receive a notification telling them that their request was accepted.

For now, that’s all the app can do, but that’s probably the most ideal. As we’ve talked about before, some apps simply don’t belong on the Watch and if they are to be, they should be rethought entirely. I like how AirBnb didn’t think to put the entire App on the Watch’s tiny screen. Rather, they took one part of the app, communication, and highlighted it on the wrist. Smart.

You can download the app here.