Spotify has added a standalone streaming feature to its Apple Watch app, making it possible to stream music without using your iPhone. In September, it was announced that Spotify was testing such a feature and now it is available to anyone with Apple's watch.
With the standalone streaming function you can listen to music via WiFi or 4G (which is not yet supported in the Netherlands), without the Apple Watch having to be connected to an iPhone.
Many users have long complained about the lack of a standalone streaming function for Spotify. Athletes in particular encountered this, for example, because they always had to take their phone with them while running to listen to music via the Apple Watch. This is now a thing of the past: Spotify users can stream directly via the watch with AirPods or other bluetooth headphones, the Swedish streaming service confirmed to the American tech website TechCrunch. The feature is available worldwide, according to Spotify.
Incidentally, some users reported that the standalone streaming feature is still in beta testing, so the option may not work completely flawlessly yet.
Spotify isn't the first music service to offer a standalone streaming feature on the Apple Watch. In addition to Apple's own service, Apple Music, web radio service Pandora has also been supporting the option since February this year. YouTube Music, on the other hand, does not yet support such a function, despite the fact that a separate app was released for Apple's smart watch in mid-October.
That is how it works
To use the standalone streaming function on Spotify, you must have an Apple Watch Series 3 or newer with at least watchOS 6.0 installed. Spotify even recommends watchOS 7.1 or newer for the best experience.
You must also have a premium subscription with the streaming service and your watch must be connected to WiFi. This can still make it difficult to listen to music outdoors without having your phone nearby, but it works in a gym with WiFi, for example. Streaming offline, for example by downloading songs on your watch, is not yet possible. Spotify did indicate a few years ago that it was working on an offline feature, but it's unclear when (and if) the option will ever become available.
If you meet the requirements, it's a matter of opening the Spotify app on your Apple Watch and choosing the music you want to listen to. At the bottom right of the screen of the watch you will then see the option to stream directly from your Apple Watch.
