WatchOS 3 - Now Playing ONLY plays iTunes...used to control ANYTHING playing...???

[cerebra1]

I had the first gen apple watch and loved it...used it a lot primarily for notifications AND controlling audiobooks I was listening to via my watch. Pause, rewind, etc. It basically allowed me to control whatever showed up in "Now Playing" in the control center on my phone.

Now, with changes to WatchOS 3, I'm unable to control my audiobooks. On my iOS 10, when i'm playing an audiobook either through iBooks, or the Audible app, I can pause, rewind and advance the book.

However, when I use the "Now Playing" feature on the apple watch, it ONLY controls what's playing if it's an iTunes song...what gives? It should be a remote control for the "Now Playing" feature on my phone...irrespective of where the playing is coming from.

Anyone else having this issue?

 

[insomniac86]

Working for me with Spotify at least. So we now it does support other stuff than just iTunes.

 

[cerebra1]

Working for me with Spotify at least. So we now it does support other stuff than just iTunes.

Do you have a new apple watch series 2?

I was able to do all of that with my old apple watch, but after setting up the new one, it doesn't work. Tried rebooting both phone and apple watch...it is connected to the iPhone because it'll control other music (itunes only), and i can send watch faces to the watch from my phone...but...no luck with this.

Thanks for confirming it should work though...anyone else having any issues? Any suggested fixes? May try pairing it again.
[doublepost=1474124068][/doublepost]Ok, so thanks for that screenshot...

The new WatchOS 3 i'm still getting used to, but ....i'm an idiot.

I was looking for the stuff on the "Apple Music" app, rather than the one you posted which is "Now Playing".

Under the apple music app, there is a "Now Playing" option, and I thought that's what I needed...*smacks forehead*

THANKS!

 

[insomniac86]

Do you have a new apple watch series 2?

I was able to do all of that with my old apple watch, but after setting up the new one, it doesn't work. Tried rebooting both phone and apple watch...it is connected to the iPhone because it'll control other music (itunes only), and i can send watch faces to the watch from my phone...but...no luck with this.

Thanks for confirming it should work though...anyone else having any issues? Any suggested fixes? May try pairing it again.
[doublepost=1474124068][/doublepost]Ok, so thanks for that screenshot...

The new WatchOS 3 i'm still getting used to, but ....i'm an idiot.

I was looking for the stuff on the "Apple Music" app, rather than the one you posted which is "Now Playing".

Under the apple music app, there is a "Now Playing" option, and I thought that's what I needed...*smacks forehead*

THANKS!

No worries.

 

[cerebra1]

So just to be clear for anyone else running across this thread or with a similar issue:

The way you used to be able to control "Now Playing" was by swiping up using the glances feature in the older watch OS. It would show whatever was playing in your iOS control center.

The WatchOS 3 did away with glances in favor of a Dock. The dock has a "Music" app AND a "Now Playing" app that are separate from each other (even though the Music app, within it, has a "Now playing" button). You get to the dock by pressing the side button (not the crown)...you can manage what shows up in your dock using your watch app on the iPhone. There are a limited number of apps you can include on your dock.

In the dock, the "Music" app only plays apple music, while the "Now Playing" app is what we remember from the older version. It dynamically will show up in the dock while you're playing music, but if you want it in there permanently (as I do), add it to the dock using your Watch app on the iphone (i put mine at the top, so the app is the first to launch all the way to the left when i launch the dock.

Attaching 3 images:
1. The "Now playing"app, showing an audiobook playing via iBooks app

2. The Music dock app, showing a "now playing" section that ONLY corresponds to itunes/apple music
3. the "now playing" section from the apple music app, once clicked, showing nothing playing (while the other "now playing" dock app was showing the audiobook playing) - hence my confusion.


Modify what you see in your dock using the watch app on the iPhone, and move "now playing" up to the top...

 

[jonnysods]

Dang it won't control spotify now?

 

[insomniac86]

So just to be clear for anyone else running across this thread or with a similar issue:

The way you used to be able to control "Now Playing" was by swiping up using the glances feature in the older watch OS. It would show whatever was playing in your iOS control center.

The WatchOS 3 did away with glances in favor of a Dock. The dock has a "Music" app AND a "Now Playing" app that are separate from each other (even though the Music app, within it, has a "Now playing" button). You get to the dock by pressing the side button (not the crown)...you can manage what shows up in your dock using your watch app on the iPhone. There are a limited number of apps you can include on your dock.

In the dock, the "Music" app only plays apple music, while the "Now Playing" app is what we remember from the older version. It dynamically will show up in the dock while you're playing music, but if you want it in there permanently (as I do), add it to the dock using your Watch app on the iphone (i put mine at the top, so the app is the first to launch all the way to the left when i launch the dock.

Attaching 3 images:
1. The "Now playing"app, showing an audiobook playing via iBooks app
View attachment 653900
2. The Music dock app, showing a "now playing" section that ONLY corresponds to itunes/apple musicView attachment 653901
3. the "now playing" section from the apple music app, once clicked, showing nothing playing (while the other "now playing" dock app was showing the audiobook playing) - hence my confusion.
View attachment 653902

Modify what you see in your dock using the watch app on the iPhone, and move "now playing" up to the top...
View attachment 653905

To be fair, the now playing glance is simply an "app" now. The "now playing" behaviour via the music app had been present since watch0S 1. Meaning it has always been there and could not control other apps.
[doublepost=1474127236][/doublepost]

Dang it won't control spotify now?

Can you read dude? I Posted a screenshot controlling Spotify. We Just said use the now playing app.

 

[cerebra1]

To be fair, the now playing glance is simply an "app" now. The "now playing" behaviour via the music app had been present since watch0S 1. Meaning it has always been there and could not control other apps.

Fair point. I never cared about the music app before, because the "now playing" glance worked for me with the original phone and first two watchOS's. But since they removed glances, and my familiar "now playing" option, I saw it first in the music app, and not being familiar, couldn't understand why it wasn't replicating the old behavior.

Just adding this info here in case it helps others who were searching the forum for a similar issue.

 

[insomniac86]

Yup. Didn't help Jonnysods though. Lol.

I just wanted to clarify that it's behaviour (Music app) has never changed. Apple should have made the "Now Playing" and "heartbeat" apps pinned by default in the dock.