Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Spotify Tests Untethered Apple Watch Streaming for Some Users
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
It seems maybe their management is too busy complaining about Apple to be able to hire a competent product manager.
It’s entirely possible they didn’t think their customers wanted that feature. Or maybe they weren’t aware it was possible?
PLEASE don't allow this. Apple, Spotify, somebody... I don't want to hear some moron's crappy music blaring through a tinny mono watch speaker the next time I'm on a bus or subway or at the airport.
This would be handy for me. I pair some ear muff headphones for when I mow, and right now I can only play Apple Music through my watch. I get good enough WiFi signal around the outside of my house where this would be even better.
After Spotify's childish and unwarranted rant the other day I don't even want their crapware on my Macs, iPhone or forthcoming Apple Watch. I clicked Launchpad and got sick to my stomach when I saw Spotify's icon. Deleted it and it won't be back. Apple Music for now on.
Might as well. People are already bombarded with plenty of morons who feel they should have conversations on their phones via speakerphone so the entire world around them is forced to hear their personal business.
The Spotify community is chock full of pages requesting this feature. The usual “we’re looking into it” responses have been posted for years.
but yeah totally agree they’ve been so focussed on complaining lately
It is... with Aple MusicThe only reason Spotify’s whining about monopolu has some point.
Pandora has this feature too so no monopoly complaints this time.
I don’t think Apple allowed it until WatchOS 6, but I don’t see any reason the feature couldn’t have been ready a year ago if Spotify cared. Prior to that, they could legitimately point their finger at Apple and blame them. I was mostly just beng snarky 😬🤣
Last edited:
Don’t blame you! It’s not a dealbreaker for most users, it’s more the fact that they left it so long and just didn’t really seem to care
In November 2018, Spotify released an accompanying app for Apple Watch that allows iPhone users to access and control their favorite Spotify music and podcasts from their wrist.
Image via iPhone-Ticker.de
One of the limitations of the app is that it doesn't allow users to stream music directly to their Apple Watch without an iPhone connection, which effectively makes it a wrist-based remote control for Spotify on iPhone.
That could be set to change, however, as iPhone-Ticker.de reports that some users of the app are seeing dedicated support for direct audio streaming to Apple Watch without being connected to iPhone.
Users with the feature report that they can stream Spotify through connected Bluetooth headphones or through the Apple Watch's built-in speaker over LTE or Wi-Fi. The function appears in the app as a blue beta icon, suggesting it's still an experimental feature with limited rollout.
There's no indication that the appearance of the beta feature is tied to a particular version of watchOS or iOS, but hopefully it won't be long before the ability to stream Spotify from the wrist will be available to all subscribers. That should come as good news for Apple Watch LTE owners who regularly leave their iPhone at home to go for a run, for instance.
Having said that, the Spotify app for Apple Watch still has no option to store music locally on your wrist for offline listening, so hopefully that's something the company is also working on behind the scenes.
Article Link: Spotify Tests Untethered Apple Watch Streaming for Some Users
I’ll be back on Spotify premium as soon as this is available. Apple Music is a pretty inferior product compared to Spotify, Can’t even cast from Apple Music.
If I can't use Hey Siri in my car with Spotify then it's horribly inferior to Apple Music.
Apparently Spotify wasn't able to deliver this feature until Watch OS 7 due to DRM limitations, so it wasn't "laziness" or deal-related:
Here’s Why Spotify Has Been Limited on the Apple Watch (But watchOS 7 Will Change That)
www.idropnews.com
Here’s Why Spotify Has Been Limited on the Apple Watch (But watchOS 7 Will Change That)
Here's Why Spotify Has Been Limited on the Apple Watch (But watchOS 7 Will Change That)
Despite Apple opening up watchOS to third-party music services a couple of years ago, there's actually been a surprising dearth of them available natively
www.idropnews.com
Interesting development. Still odd that Spotify wouldn’t comment on this for the years people have been asking for it.Apparently Spotify wasn't able to deliver this feature until Watch OS 7 due to DRM limitations, so it wasn't "laziness" or deal-related:
Here’s Why Spotify Has Been Limited on the Apple Watch (But watchOS 7 Will Change That)
Here's Why Spotify Has Been Limited on the Apple Watch (But watchOS 7 Will Change That)
Despite Apple opening up watchOS to third-party music services a couple of years ago, there's actually been a surprising dearth of them available natively
+1. About 15 months ago I got tired of waiting for Spotify to get their act together so I switched to AM. And although I was a happy Spotify Premium customer for about 5 years, I don't miss it. Apple Music is just as good and IMO the differences between the two are minor.
The FairPlay thing may be true, but I'm skeptical. When WatchOS 6 was announced IIRC Pandora jumped on the new streaming APIs right away. Spotify did not. And as you observe, they stonewalled their customers.
You don't! You listen with paired Bluetooth headphones while in the gym, out running, cycling, etc.
Agree, Siri integration for hands off phone control while driving was the 2nd factor that drove me to AM.
Last edited:
Your mileage apparently varies from mine.
I find very little to distinguish the services, musically speaking. They are both great at post ~1975 popular music and both bad at most other eras and genres.Not being able to cast would bother me too if I lived in Google's ecosystem, but I don't. Another YMMV.
I agree, if the limitation was put on by Apple, Spotify would have let the world know. The fact is Pandora implemented streaming on WatchOS6 and Spotify remained quiet on the issue.
What I do not understand is why they would stonewall their customers like this? I am a huge Spotify user and they clearly have the resources to do it. And if this was Apple’s fault, believe me they would be making announcements until the cows come home.
I can not imagine hearing music over the speakers of my watch. Good music needs good quality. Thanks for the option but I prefer my speakers.