Just about a year ago, a startup named DoublePoint launched a gesture control app that lets smartwatch users control phones, tablets, and headsets, among other devices. The Apple Watch has finally received its own version.
In the lead-up to CES 2025, Doublepoint introduced the WowMouse app for Apple Watch, which boasts a few algorithmic refinements and a partnership with Bosch. The app’s Android version has already raked in over 100,000 downloads, says the company.
The premise of WowMouse is rather simple. With an Apple Watch on your wrist, you can control your Mac with cursor and click movements. But that’s just the start, as DoublePoint apparently has bigger ambitions.
“Doublepoint plans to expand connectivity in the near future to include control of any Bluetooth-enabled device,” says the company. On top of that, the software will be open-sourced so that developers can build on the existing work.
To that end, DoublePoint has worked with Bosch Sensortec to integrate its gesture algorithms with the latter’s inertial measurement units (IMUs) to allow for energy-efficient and precise gesture sensing.
Bosch Sensortec is already a well-known player in the phone and tablet segment that provides MEMS sensors used for a wide range of chores such as activity measurement, gesture detection, and image stabilization.
DoublePoint’s partnership with Bosch is just a showcase of the possibilities ahead, and how the former aims to serve expanded device control capabilities with its software stack.
At its CES booth, the company is giving a glimpse of the future. Using the WowMouse app on an Apple Watch, users can play games, summon an AI assistant, use it as an XR input, and control smart home devices.
In addition to the watchOS release, DoublePoint says it has also updated the underlying framework to make some crucial improvements. The static accuracy has shot up to 97%, while mid-walk and running figures have reached 95% and 94%, respectively.
“This enhanced performance paves the way for innovative applications in smartwatches, fitness wearables, augmented reality headsets, accessibility tools, and a range of everyday use cases,” says the company.
Apple already offers wrist-based gesture controls on its smartwatch using the Double Tap system. Even though it is quite a refreshing experience, the feature is limited to the Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Series 9, and its successor.