Spotify Tests Untethered Apple Watch Streaming for Some Users

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.

spotify streaming

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.

Tag: Spotify

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro's alleged design via Front Page Tech Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
Generic iOS 18

Apple Seeds iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 Release Candidate With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music and More

Monday March 24, 2025 10:07 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the fourth betas. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. With iOS 18.4, Apple is adding the Priority Notifications...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3, and Apple's own Advanced Audio Codec...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Iridescent Search

Foldable iPhone Expected to Launch Next Year, Costing Around $2,000

Monday March 24, 2025 3:43 am PDT by
Apple will launch its long-rumored foldable iPhone next year with a ~$2,000 premium price tag attached, expects well-connected Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Gurman's comments on Apple's launch plans for its first foldable device appeared in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter. Earlier this month, the reporter said Apple's foldable iPhone could be arriving "as early as 2026,"...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...

Top Rated Comments

Quixotic3 Avatar
59 months ago
I still only really care about being able to store a playlist locally so that if I am biking or out for a hike etc. I don't have to carry a iPhone
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tom.humphrey Avatar
59 months ago
About time
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
agffth Avatar
59 months ago
I'd much rather just download songs for offline playback. How is this not standard for Apple Watch by now?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ChrisMoBro Avatar
59 months ago
Maybe by 2025 they’ll release offline playback
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maerz001 Avatar
59 months ago

This exact feature made me move to Apple Music years ago... This is just beyond lazy from Spotify and too little, too late!
Before watchOs 6 is was not possible by apple restrictions not because of laziness ;)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
59 months ago
Crazy how this wasn’t already a feature
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)