Listening to Music

[iBighouse]

So, it looks like you have two ways of using the apple watch to,listen to music with Bluetooth headphones:

1. Pair the headphones with your iPhone and simply use the watch as a way of controlling what's being played. In this case you are actually listening through the iPhone...and corded headphones would work as well. The phone is not optional.

2. Pair the headphones with your watch. Sync a music playlist from the iPhone watch app to the watch and place the watch on the charger so it can transfer the songs locally to the watches memory. The phone can now be left behind and the playlist can be played via the paired Bluetooth headset.

Do I have that right?

Is there any way to stream or listen through the watch while it's paired to the headset?

 

[melman101]

So, it looks like you have two ways of using the apple watch to,listen to music with Bluetooth headphones:

1. Pair the headphones with your iPhone and simply use the watch as a way of controlling what's being played. In this case you are actually listening through the iPhone...and corded headphones would work as well. The phone is not optional.

2. Pair the headphones with your watch. Sync a music playlist from the iPhone watch app to the watch and place the watch on the charger so it can transfer the songs locally to the watches memory. The phone can now be left behind and the playlist can be played via the paired Bluetooth headset.

Do I have that right?

Is there any way to stream or listen through the watch while it's paired to the headset?

You are correct. You can't play music through the watch's speaker as of right now.

 

[iBighouse]

You are correct. You can't play music through the watch's speaker as of right now.

It's not the speaker part that has me a bit perplexed, it's the inability to actually stream any music at all through the watch, unless that music is actually IN the watch.

I thought that somehow when paired with a Bluetooth headset that the watch would be the source of the Bluetooth signal, and it would be receiving the music stream via the iPhone but the watch would bounce it to your headset. In other words I expected the watch to act as the middleman BETWEEN the iPhone and your headphones. The watch instead seems to act as just a controller for the iPhone and the headphones are connected to the iPhone instead.

 

[Night Spring]

It's not the speaker part that has me a bit perplexed, it's the inability to actually stream any music at all through the watch, unless that music is actually IN the watch.

I thought that somehow when paired with a Bluetooth headset that the watch would be the source of the Bluetooth signal, and it would be receiving the music stream via the iPhone but the watch would bounce it to your headset. In other words I expected the watch to act as the middleman BETWEEN the iPhone and your headphones. The watch instead seems to act as just a controller for the iPhone and the headphones are connected to the iPhone instead.

But what purpose would that serve? If the music is on the phone, then it makes sense to stream the music directly from the phone to the headphone. Using the watch as a middleman only adds ineffficency to the system, without adding any benefits. Especially since many modern Bluetooth headhones can be connected to two sound sources at the same time.

 

[jasie02]

I could see the situation with headphone Bluetooth to AW, and AW wifi to iPhone beyond Bluetooth distant but still in same wifi, and streaming could continue on headphone Bluetooth to watch, if AW has Music app could stream apple music through iPhone.

 

[iBighouse]

But what purpose would that serve? If the music is on the phone, then it makes sense to stream the music directly from the phone to the headphone. Using the watch as a middleman only adds ineffficency to the system, without adding any benefits. Especially since many modern Bluetooth headhones can be connected to two sound sources at the same time.

Well, one of the things I'm wondering about is if any audio signals from the watch make it through the iPhone to the headset. It would seem me that if the actual sound signal is coming from the iPhone and not the watch, then, unless the watch is sending audio signals to the phone- you won't get to hear any beeps, chirps, bells or whistles the watch's notification systems or apps might be making with headphones on...especially noise-canceling headphones.

 

[Night Spring]

Well, one of the things I'm wondering about is if any audio signals from the watch make it through the iPhone to the headset. It would seem me that if the actual sound signal is coming from the iPhone and not the watch, then, unless the watch is sending audio signals to the phone- you won't get to hear any beeps, chirps, bells or whistles the watch's notification systems or apps might be making with headphones on...especially noise-canceling headphones.

But all the sounds the watch makes originates from the phone. The only exception I can think of is the alarm and timer, which can be set up on the watch independent of the phone. So if you are wearing a headphone connected to the phone, all notifications sounds would come directly from the phone. Plus, you are wearing the watch, and it has haptic vibrations. You'll feel the notifications on your wrist.

Personally, I'm not a fan of those bells and dings, so I have the watch set to mute. I've never considered that anyone would WANT to hear those sounds, but I guess we are all different!