Apple Watch owners can now play music through Spotify without the need of an iPhone. In spite of being a highly requested feature, and Spotify such a popular service, the Apple Watch has remained limited in its support for the third-party music solution. However, although the support is now going live, users will want to consider it still in a beta phase for now.
Previously, Spotify would only serve to turn an Apple Watch into a remote control where users were able to use the watch to control playback as the music streamed on a paired iPhone running the Spotify app. This was still a useful feature, and especially when exercising, but inconvenient in the sense that the two devices needed to be connected. Streaming music on an Apple Watch has been possible for some time now with other services, but Spotify hasn't offered the same level of support until now.
Testing for music streaming with Apple Watches was conducted back in September, but it remained unclear when the new feature would be ready for public use. Now, many Apple Watch owners will find that once they apply the latest update they gain the feature. For those that have not used Spotify on an Apple Watch, it now might be worth revisiting to see how well streaming music on a smartwatch works.
Streaming Spotify On An Apple Watch
Streaming Spotify on an Apple Watch will be possible following an update to the app. Once installed and the app opened, a "Want to stream on your Apple Watch? Select it here" prompt should be visible with an arrow leading to a menu. From there, users can choose where they want their Spotify music streamed, providing the watch is connected to a mobile network or Wi-Fi. Music will be able to play from the watch's speaker, and users can also connect a pair of headphones for listening. Of course, Spotify has not given up the remote control feature with Apple Watch wearers still able to use the watch to control music on their iPhone.
This new update gives the Spotify app on Apple Watch much-needed life and is likely to become the device of choice to stream Spotify for many that own one. Without the need of an iPhone, users will be able to stream music while the phone is recharging in another room, or while keeping their phone secured inside a pocket or bag. Although standalone Spotify support was long overdue for the Apple Watch, its arrival is better late than never.
Source: Spotify