Spotify has added a standalone streaming feature to its Apple Watch app, making it possible to stream music without going through your iPhone. In September, it was announced that Spotify was testing such a feature, and now it’s available to anyone with Apple’s watch.
With the standalone streaming function you can listen to music via WiFi or 4G (which is not yet supported in the Netherlands), without the Apple Watch having to be connected to an iPhone.
Many users have long complained about the lack of a standalone streaming function for Spotify. Athletes in particular ran into this, because they always had to take their phone with them while running to listen to music via the Apple Watch. This is now a thing of the past: Spotify users can stream directly via the watch with AirPods or other Bluetooth headphones, the Swedish streaming service confirmed to the American tech website TechCrunch. The feature is available worldwide, Spotify said.
By the way, some users reported that the standalone streaming feature is still in beta testing, so the option may not work flawlessly yet.
Spotify isn’t the first music service to offer a standalone streaming feature on the Apple Watch. In addition to Apple’s own service, Apple Music, web radio service Pandora has also supported the option since February this year. YouTube Music, on the other hand, does not yet support such a function, despite the fact that a separate app for Apple’s smart watch was introduced in mid-October.
That is how it works
To use the standalone streaming function on Spotify, you must have an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer with at least watchOS 6.0 installed. Spotify even recommends watchOS 7.1 or newer for the best experience.
You must also have a premium subscription with the streaming service and your watch must be connected to WiFi. This can still make it difficult to listen to music outdoors without having your phone nearby, but for example in a gym with WiFi it works. Streaming offline, for example by downloading songs to your watch, is not yet possible. Spotify did indicate a few years ago that it is working on an offline function, but it is unclear when (and if) the option will ever become available.
If you meet the requirements, it’s a matter of opening the Spotify app on your Apple Watch and choosing the music you want to listen to. You will then see the option to stream directly from your Apple Watch at the bottom right of the screen of the watch.
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