Chirp for Apple Watch picks up where the official Twitter client left off

Chrip is a wrist-based Twitter client for your Apple Watch

After Twitter pulled its watchOS app, Apple Watch owners were left seeking alternative apps such as Tweetbot, Twitterrific and Bluebird. Enter Chirp, a tiny little wrist-based Twitter app developed by the young Australian developer Will Bishop, who is just 16 years old.

A wrist-based Twitter app

With Chirp, you can browse your timeline and Twitter lists, like and retweet posts, publish tweets, access your direct messages on the service, catch up on the latest trends, search for your favorite hashtag and more. The app even lets you see quotes, pictures, hashtags, mentions and much more, right on your wrist.

To compose a tweet from the main menu, press the display firmly with Force Touch and choose the option Compose Tweet. The tweet composer even supports @mentions—just tap on the text of your tweet in the composer, then choose the option labeled Mention Someone.

Other options in the composer let you replace or append someone.

To help make the app your own, a few limited UI customizations are available through Chirp’s settings on the watch, like hiding various parts of the user interface including images, the retweet or like counter, timestamps and more.

“Seeing as so many people were disappointed when Twitter pulled their official app, it only made sense to at least try,” Bishop told TechCrunch of building Chirp. “People think using your watch for more than 30 seconds is ridiculous, but I figure if people want to use it, let them.”

Bishop previously developed a micro version of Reddit, called Nano.

Pricing and availability

Chirp for Apple Watch is a free download from App Store. More advanced features are available if you purchase the $1.99 Pro edition, including the ability to post tweets, send and view DMs, and more.