Listening to music on the go is easier than ever with streaming services like Spotify. Thanks to the Spotify app for Apple Watch, you can access your favorite playlists, albums, and podcasts directly from your wrist – no iPhone required.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to set up and use Spotify on your Apple Watch even when you don’t have your iPhone with you. We’ll cover:
Enabling Offline Playback in the Spotify App
The key to using Spotify untethered from your iPhone is to enable offline playback. This allows you to download playlists, albums, and podcasts to your Apple Watch so you can listen without an internet connection.
Here’s how to enable offline playback in the Spotify app:
- Open the Spotify app on your iPhone.
- Tap on the “Settings” tab.
- Toggle on “Offline Mode”.
- Under “Download over Wi-Fi only”, choose the quality you want to download offline content at. To save storage space, lower quality is recommended.
Once offline playback is enabled, you can download content to your watch for offline listening.
Downloading Playlists, Albums & Podcasts to Your Apple Watch
With offline playback turned on in the Spotify app on your iPhone, you can now download playlists, albums and podcasts over Wi-Fi to listen from your Apple Watch later without your iPhone.
To download a playlist or album:
- Open the Spotify app on your iPhone.
- Browse or search to find a playlist or album you want to download.
- Tap the “Download” icon next to the playlist or album name.
- Select “Download to Apple Watch” to save it directly to your watch.
For podcasts, navigate to the episode you want and tap the “Download” icon to save to your Apple Watch.
Downloaded content will sync automatically over Wi-Fi so you can listen untethered from your phone.
Connecting AirPods or Bluetooth Headphones to Your Apple Watch
To listen to Spotifyoffline from your Apple Watch, you’ll need to connect wireless headphones – either AirPods or any Bluetooth headphones will work.
To pair AirPods:
- Put your AirPods in the case and open the lid next to your watch.
- A pairing popup will appear on your watch – tap “Connect”.
- Your AirPods will now connect directly to your Apple Watch whenever you open the case.
For other Bluetooth headphones:
- Open the Settings app on your Apple Watch.
- Tap “Bluetooth” and turn it on.
- Put your headphones in pairing mode – the watch will scan and find them.
- Tap to connect.
Your headphones will now automatically connect for music playback.
Controlling Spotify Playback from Your Apple Watch
Once you have playlists downloaded and headphones connected, you can fully control Spotify playback from your Apple Watch without needing your iPhone:
- Open the Spotify app on your watch to access playlists, albums, and podcasts.
- Tap a playlist or episode to start playing.
- Use the Now Playing screen in the Spotify app to pause, skip tracks, adjust volume and more.
- Ask Siri to control playback using voice commands like “Hey Siri, play my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify”.
So whether you’re out for a run, at the gym, or just don’t want to carry your phone, you have full offline access to Spotify through your Apple Watch.
Tips for Using Spotify Untethered
Here are some additional tips for getting the most out of using Spotify on your Apple Watch by itself:
- Save storage space by downloading playlists or albums as lower quality for offline listening.
- Remember to connect your watch to Wi-Fi regularly so downloaded content stays up to date.
- Use Airplane Mode on your watch to prevent draining the battery trying to connect to your phone.
- Shuffle playback of a playlist or album for more variety if you listen untethered frequently.
- Make sure Spotify is set as the default music provider for Siri on your watch.
Listening to Spotify anywhere you go is easy with the Apple Watch. By preparing playlists and podcasts ahead of time for offline playback, you can enjoy access to your favorite tunes even when you leave your iPhone behind.
Troubleshooting Spotify on Apple Watch
If you run into any issues using Spotify offline on your Apple Watch, here are some troubleshooting steps:
- On your iPhone, check that Offline Mode is enabled in Spotify settings.
- Make sure your watch and iPhone are connected to the same Wi-Fi to sync downloaded content.
- Try restarting both devices if downloads aren’t transferring properly.
- Check that you have sufficient storage available on your Apple Watch.
- Ensure Spotify is installed and updated to the latest version on both devices.
- Reset network settings on your watch if it has trouble connecting to Wi-Fi or headphones.
Re-downloading playlists or albums can help if any downloaded content isn’t accessible offline. Contact Spotify customer support for further troubleshooting if needed.
With Spotify’s offline playback and Apple Watch app, listening to your favorite jams on the go is effortless. Follow the steps in this guide for untethered access to playlists, albums, and podcasts so you always have your music – no iPhone required.
