Most Apple Watch owners will recognize the "Now Playing" app – it automatically launches by default whenever you play audio through the Music or Podcasts app on your iPhone. A similar screen shows when you play audio through any third-party iPhone app that also has an Apple Watch extension, like Overcast, for example.

The Now Playing app provides quick access to playback controls on your wrist, as well as track options like Love/Dislike and Delete From Library. You can also turn the Crown on your Apple Watch to adjust volume, which is handy when you're listening on AirPods or other headphones that don't have built-in volume controls.

apple watch now playing screen
You might not like the way the Now Playing app automatically appears when you play audio on your iPhone. If you just want to see your watch face when you raise your wrist during audio playback, you can turn off the default behavior by following the first set of steps below.

You can still make it easy to access the Now Playing app without it automatically taking over the screen whenever you play audio. One solution is to add the Now Playing app to your Apple Watch's Dock, accessed with a press of the Side button. Another option is to enable the Now Playing watch face complication. Click the links to find out how.

How to Disable Auto-Launch Audio Apps on Apple Watch

  1. Press the Crown on your Apple Watch to invoke the app launcher.

  2. Launch the Settings app.
    apple watch auto launch audio apps

  3. Tap General.

  4. Tap Wake Screen.

  5. Toggle off Auto-Launch Audio Apps.

How to Disable Auto-Launch Audio Apps via iPhone

  1. Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap General.
    auto launch audio watch app

  3. Scroll down and tap Wake Screen.

  4. Toggle off Auto-Launch Audio Apps.

How to Add 'Now Playing' to Your Apple Watch's Dock

  1. Launch the Watch app on your iPhone.

  2. Tap Dock.

  3. Tap Favorites in the Dock Ordering section if it isn't already selected.
    apple watch now playing add to dock

  4. Tap Edit in the upper right corner of the screen.

  5. Scroll down to the Do Not Include section and tap the plus (+) symbol next to Now Playing to add it to the list of docked apps. Alternatively, drag the app into the Favorites list via the three-line button at the far right of the entry. (Note you can also use these buttons to control the arrangement of apps in the Dock.)

  6. Tap Done in the upper right of the screen.

How to Enable the 'Now Playing' Complication

Before following these steps, make sure you're using a watch face that accepts text-based complications (Modular and Activity Digital are two such examples.)

  1. Hard press the watch face on your Apple Watch.

  2. Tap Customize.
    apple watch now playing complication

  3. Swipe left until the large text-based complication space is highlighted.

  4. Turn the Crown to scroll through the options until you get to the Now Playing complication (also shown as 'Tap to Open' in the text space).

  5. Press the Crown twice to set the complication and exit Customize mode.
Related Roundups: AirPods 4, Apple Watch 10
Related Forum: AirPods

Top Rated Comments

Fradley Avatar
89 months ago
Awesome thanks!

Now. How do I stop the ‘keep it up today’ activity notification I get every morning without disabling all activity notifications...
Watch app, Activity, turn off ‘Daily Coaching’
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
341328 Avatar
89 months ago
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I might actually like my Apple Watch again. Whoever thought this was a good idea is clueless.
I love this feature.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ted13 Avatar
89 months ago
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I might actually like my Apple Watch again. Whoever thought this was a good idea is clueless.
Well it is my favorite app on the Apple Watch, I am immensely grateful it works the way it does by default. I listen to podcasts via Overcast every morning on the long dog walk with Air Pods, and the ability to instantly adjust volume via the crown, skip back/forward 30 secs, pause or play is things I do constantly - talking to people, load street noise, etc. etc. My phone never comes out of my pocket. Far and away the most useful feature on the Apple Watch
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steve217 Avatar
89 months ago
It would be nice to be able to enable 'Now Playing' based upon the paired device. For example, when the phone is streaming to the car, I don't need 'Now Playing' from the watch - I can use the car controls.

When the phone is streaming to my AirPods, then auto-'Now Playing' would be my preference.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Wanted797 Avatar
89 months ago
Awesome thanks!

Now. How do I stop the ‘keep it up today’ activity notification I get every morning without disabling all activity notifications...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bryan Bowler Avatar
89 months ago
I love this feature.
I love the daily coaching too. Different strokes for different folks...that’s why I’m glad we have options!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...