Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Listen to music while running WITHOUT carrying iphone

N

nexx27

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 8, 2012
110
116
Hi,

I'm trying to find a solution or device that let me listen to music (preferably spotify) while running/jogging, without carrying an smartphone. Does anybody have a hassle-free solution?

PS: Already tried many times airpods 2nd gen + Apple watch 4. It doesn't work, it is a really poor solution that either doesn't work or seems to work but fails miserably (synching, no way to check if the songs are downloaded, no way to check if the songs are replicated, apple should be ashamed)!

Thank you very much.
 
nexx27 said:
Hi,

I'm trying to find a solution or device that let me listen to music (preferably spotify) while running/jogging, without carrying an smartphone. Does anybody have a hassle-free solution?
Click to expand...
I can’t think of anything that meets what you want because streaming music requires cellular data. I guess you could carry a mobile hotspot and something like an iPod touch but I suspect you’re trying to carry less stuff. You can still get MP3 players out there and put music on them, but it’s not going to be Spotify.

Maybe you consider an iPhone mini? It’s very small. I know it’s still an iPhone, but it’s hard to get around the cellular data problem when you want streaming.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mackilroy, Parowdy and nexx27
iSuzan said:
Your device would be an Apple Watch with cellular. Music streaming works very well on the Apple Watch.
Click to expand...
Well, not for me, but mostly because I live in and do most of my running in places with terrible mobile signal, so I only get intermittent cellular connection from the watch.

That said, when I have tried it, syncing a playlist to the watch to listen to using AirPods has worked really well for me. (I almost always listen to podcasts when I run, but I have listened to music this way in the last seven years, too.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Baywatchboy
The problem is synching music from phone to apple watch. It's a terrible process. If you launch spotify on the watch there's no way you make sure music is downloaded to the watch...

Really 'd like to hear from someone that really actually use those features. Also would be really a pity for a user who uses spotify on all devices to subscribe to apple music just to hear it on the go on the watch. But it seems to me Apple Music is on the same boat...

It's unbelievable, in 2024 there's no convenient solution for listening to music while running/jogging. Missed your leadership Steve..
 
  • Haha
  • Angry
  • Like
Reactions: Jackbequickly, kitKAC, jib2 and 3 others
krvld said:
Spotify on GPS Apple Watch 4/7 works well.
Click to expand...
Do you use it on a daily base? What app for music? Would love to hear from you cause It just seems to me a very bad designed solution with many gaps

Thanks
 
I dunno about a Watch 4, but my Watch 6 does just fine syncing my music from the phone and I do play that music almost every day when I'm running. It's not streaming; I don't stream music having ripped about 1000 CDs and 2000 LPs from my personal physical library over the past 30 years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Baywatchboy, jent, SpotOnT and 2 others
Apple Music works perfectly for saving a playlist to my Apple Watch SE (GPS) and playing it while out and about.

Also it 100% works to acquire the tracks you want and save them to your Mac in the Music app, then sync them over to your Apple Watch to play offline -- the way @blw777 is doing it above. No "streaming" required as the songs you want are physically saved to the watch's storage.

I think the only issue here is with Spotify, honestly. I'd just troubleshoot that since are already paying for it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: actripxl, Baywatchboy, Allen_Wentz and 8 others
nexx27 said:
It's unbelievable, in 2024 there's no convenient solution for listening to music while running/jogging. Missed your leadership Steve..
Click to expand...
Sounds like your issue is with Spotify and not Apple. I've been using my Ultra with crappy earbuds and have had a great experience aside from one hiccup after an update.

I also buy all my music though. Not a fan of music catalog renting.

I add my playlists to the Apple Watch music App. I go to downloaded music on my watch, select a playlist and start my run.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Baywatchboy, G5isAlive, headlessmike and 8 others
nexx27 said:
It's unbelievable, in 2024 there's no convenient solution for listening to music while running/jogging. Missed your leadership Steve..
Click to expand...
Had Steve lived long enough to see what Jonny with the AW, I think he'd have been pleased, and would have not allowed Spotify to stream on it until forced to do so.

While I don't find syncing my iTunes purchases to the watch particularly "convenient" (it's very slow to get them on there), I love having my playlists with me on the watch and no iPhone. When I've had Apple Music trials, I've found streaming on my cellular AW to work great too.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Baywatchboy and G5isAlive
I frequently leave my iPhone on the car and go to the gym. I have a watch SE and use Apple Music. I create a playlist and sync it thru the watch app which shows when it’s all done downloading. No issues at all with AirPod ones, pro ones, and pro twos
 
  • Like
Reactions: surfzen21
I've been doing this on a Garmin watch for years. It's not streaming (even on the one watch they make that has LTE) so you have to synchronize it while you're on wifi, which is sort of a pain. But not having my phone is worth it to me.
 
In the last 18 months I used my AW cellular (series 4 until october 2023, ultra after this date) to stream all my Apple Music’s playlists on my Air Pods Pro series 1 without any problems, while running (three time a week, started with 4-5 kms and now 10 kms each time).

Never had to download because of poor signal and never used spotify, sorry.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: xDKP
Worked with Apple Music perfectly from the AW cellular series 4 up to the Ultra 2 for me. I've used AirPods Pro 1 and 2 as well as other bluetooth running headphones and they worked a treat. 😊 If you can get your files in audio file form, I have installed an iPhone/Apple Watch app called wAudio (I previously had the wrong app, oops! my bad) that allows me to sync mp3's to my daughter's AW SE that doesn't have Cellular and that works flawlessly. 😊 I have zero connection/affiliation with that app or developer.

Don't bash something cause you're just upset. 😊 Listening to music/podcasts etc. from Apple Watch to bluetooth headphones works for millions of people. Apple can't help you with your potential "signal" issues. They also can't help user error.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TechnoMonk, jordanlucero and someoneoutthere
nexx27 said:
Hi,

I'm trying to find a solution or device that let me listen to music (preferably spotify) while running/jogging, without carrying an smartphone. Does anybody have a hassle-free solution?

PS: Already tried many times airpods 2nd gen + Apple watch 4. It doesn't work, it is a really poor solution that either doesn't work or seems to work but fails miserably (synching, no way to check if the songs are downloaded, no way to check if the songs are replicated, apple should be ashamed)!

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...
Load your watch up with songs, albums from Music from on an iPhone using Apple Watch App. They load quite quickly but watch needs to be on a charger.

When it comes to your run, select Library > Downloaded > Songs > Shuffle

Works like a charm every time for me.

Can't speak to Spotify.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Baywatchboy and surfzen21
nexx27 said:
Hi,

I'm trying to find a solution or device that let me listen to music (preferably spotify) while running/jogging, without carrying an smartphone. Does anybody have a hassle-free solution?

PS: Already tried many times airpods 2nd gen + Apple watch 4. It doesn't work, it is a really poor solution that either doesn't work or seems to work but fails miserably (synching, no way to check if the songs are downloaded, no way to check if the songs are replicated, apple should be ashamed)!

Thank you very much.
Click to expand...
Apple Watch GPS + Cellular, start the playlist on your iphone, then use the media playback app on your watch to control your tunes.
 
Apple Music on a S8 Watch (Cellular model but no cellular plan) + AirPods has worked well for me.

If you insist on Spotify then maybe getting an iPhone mini or SE 2020, or even an SE 1st Gen. (can they still use Spotify?) and downloading a playlist to it is a solution?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Parowdy
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back