- What the Spotify App for Apple Watch Can't Do. As great as it is that Spotify released an Apple Watch app, it does have a couple of major shortcomings that you should be aware of.
- Spotify first rolled out its Apple Watch app in late 2018 with a promise that offline playback for music and podcasts along with direct cellular streaming would be coming in future updates, but.
- Spotify is adding standalone streaming to its Apple Watch app.
- Previously, Spotify Premium subscribers had to have their iPhone with them in order to stream music from the Spotify app on their Apple Watch.
- Spotify has yet to formally announce the update, but it is now rolling out globally and should begin to appear on every Apple Watch in the days ahead.
However, today Spotify is finally rolling out a new update to the Spotify watchOS app that brings standalone streaming to your Apple Watch. With this feature you will finally be able to leave your iPhone behind when you go out for a run, for example, and stream Spotify songs from your Apple Watch straight to your Bluetooth earphones or AirPods. Nov 04, 2020 Here’s how to check if you have it: Make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of the Spotify app from the App Store. Open Spotify on your Apple Watch From the Now Playing screen, tap on the phone or speaker icon in the bottom right corner. Choose your Apple Watch from the “Play on a device”.
Spotify brought its app to the Apple Watch all the way back in November 2018, but in the two years since, the only way to actually use the app has been to carry around your iPhone with you as well. It basically served as a remote for Spotify’s iPhone app, but according to TechCrunch, Spotify began rolling out support for standalone streaming on the Apple Watch app this week. Testing began last fall, and soon everyone will have access.
“With Spotify for Apple Watch you can control the Spotify experience from your wrist. You can now stream Spotify directly from your Apple Watch and even use Siri to control the playback!” Spotify states on a new support page that was recently added to its website to reflect the new feature. “In addition to streaming Spotify directly from your wrist, you can also control playback of Spotify, with the Spotify Connect feature built-in you can select which device you want to play Spotify on and select anything to play from your recently played tracks.”
Spotify also notes on this support page that in order to stream music directly from your wrist, you’ll need to have a Spotify Premium subscription, an Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 6.0+ (though watchOS 7.1+ is recommended), a cellular or WiFi connection, and the latest version of the Spotify app on your iPhone.
When I told one of my coworkers the news about standalone streaming coming to Apple Watch, he was ecstatic. He is just one of many Apple Watch users who wear the device when they exercise, but were previously forced to drag their iPhone along as well if they wanted to listen to music on Spotify. He and all other Spotify subscribers will soon be able to leave the iPhone behind and stream music over a cellular or WiFi connection.
“We’re focused on developing experiences that enable users to listen to Spotify wherever and whenever they want – regardless of the device or platform,” a Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch when asked about the update, which has yet to be formally announced by the company as of Wednesday evening. “After an initial testing period, we are now rolling out streaming capabilities for Spotify on the Apple Watch.”
The spokesperson also added that this is a global rollout, so in the coming days, everyone with an Apple Watch and a Spotify Premium account should finally be able to start streaming music iPhone-free.
Spotify is now rolling out support for standalone Apple Watch streaming via the Spotify app for Apple Watch. The new feature allows Spotify users to listen to music or podcasts from Spotify using a WiFi or cellular connection without the need to have an iPhone nearby.
While a Spotify app for the Apple Watch has been available for a few years, standalone streaming on the Watch was not an option until now. Spotify has been testing the feature for the last few months and has not begun rolling it out to the general public.
The new feature allows users to stream Spotify content directly from the Apple Watch to Bluetooth headphones, making it ideal for exercising without the need to bring your iPhone along.
While the feature is not yet available for all users everywhere, Spotify has confirmed that it is “rolling out” the feature as of today. German site Macerkopf.de first spotted the change, which was confirmed by TechCrunch.
“We’re focused on developing experiences that enable users to listen to Spotify wherever and whenever they want – regardless of the device or platform. After an initial testing period, we are now rolling out streaming capabilities for Spotify on the Apple Watch,” a spokesperson told TechCrunch.
If you don’t as yet have the feature on your Apple Watch, be patient, as it will take some time for the feature to roll out to all Apple Watches.