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Only reason I don’t have an Apple Watch is because you can’t stream Spotify over cellular, you need to have your phone with you. What’s the point? I want to go

Only reason I don’t have an Apple Watch is because you can’t stream Spotify over cellular, you need to have your phone with you. What’s the point? I want to go for a run and stream music with just the watch to my Bluetooth headphones. I don’t need the watch if I have to bring my phone with me.

selectodude 7y ago
You can stream Apple Music over WiFi/cellular without the phone. Not sure if that will include Spotify at some point but I do know the new watchOS has opened up a lot of those APIs.
- ashelmire 7y ago
  That's nice, but I already pay for spotify and use it on my non-Apple devices. Does Apple Music let me stream any song in their library?
  - threeseed 7y ago
    Yes. Apple Music is just like Spotify.
    - ashelmire 7y ago
      Oh, huh. Thanks for the info, might open up the watch for me.
  - saagarjha 7y ago
    Yes.
  - bognition 7y ago
    yes, think of it as a spotify clone by apple
  - balboah 7y ago
    Don't fall for it. I tried switching for a trial period but Spotify owns iTunes in so many ways. Especially the discover weekly list
  - frio 7y ago
    Yes, Apple Music is just Spotify by Apple -- but, if you're outside of the USA, you might find less obscure music available. Regional restrictions here in NZ are frustrating.
    - Marsymars 7y ago
      Or certain integrations won't work outside of the USA. (e.g. Apple Music doesn't work with Alexa in Canada.)
- Nextgrid 7y ago
  Apple Music is a disaster when it comes to music discovery, and frankly their app is very much behind compared to Spotify. Even on iOS it feels like a web app, something I didn’t think I’d ever say about Apple’s own, built-in app.
  - EugeneOZ 7y ago
    I feel strongly opposite - Spotify UI is a reason why I cancelled subscription. Queue management is just awful, other elements are much less intuitive than in Apple Music.
    - stronglikedan 7y ago
      Seems like you two use the apps in different ways. Spotify is acceptable for picking a couple songs and discovering similar music, but sucks at just queuing up the music you already know about. I prefer Pandora for discovery, but it sucks at connecting to external devices. Since device integration is my most important feature, I settle for Spotify's discovery.
    - homonculus1 7y ago
      Even just navigating to an album or browsing songs saved on your device are awful. Everything I want to do in their app requires far too many clicks or endless scrolling through a list that's only sorted alphabetically, and the pages are stuffed with features that push their algorithmic promotions. You're not gonna have a good time unless you're the most mindless, passive consumer and you don't want to bother with managing your library or making any choices of your own. Saving songs is spotty too, some of the "saved" songs on my phone don't actually have the data and won't play when I'm offline. I can't figure out how to force them to redownload short of maybe uninstalling the app, so sucks to be me I guess. Spotify's mobile app is so bad that I'm constantly reconsidering my subscription. I'd go so far as to say that being able to explore new artists and save their discography for later when I'm commuting is a meaningful improvement to my quality of life, but Spotify has managed to make the experience so shitty that I usually just turn on the radio instead.
  - cltsang 7y ago
- flurdy 7y ago
  https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/iOS-Apple-Watch-Spotify-Streaming-and-Offline-Listening/idi-p/4576991 https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/iOS-Apple-Watch-...
esemor 7y ago
This
totalthrowaway 7y ago
It isn't perfect, but the Mighty (bemighty.com) is basically an iPod Shuffle that you can download Spotify offline playlists to. It filled that niche for me.
johnborkowski 7y ago
I got one of these guys (Garmin fenix 5x plus) for that very reason: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/603229 https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/603229 It's the only watch (or was at the time) that has an independent Spotify app.
- ilikehurdles 7y ago
  I use the Garmin Forerunner 945 that has this functionality now too.
killa_kyle 7y ago
I handle this with an elastic phone waist band (google flip belt for an example). I don't think about the phone at all and do everything from the watch
jniedrauer 7y ago
The last 2 generations of Garmin watches support streaming by Spotify. I'm kind of stunned that Apple doesn't support this.
- rahoulb 7y ago
  There was a third party app called Apollo for the Apple Watch. It used the cellular or Wifi connection of the watch to stream directly from the Spotify API. Spotify issued a cease and desist within days. I still have it installed on my phone and watch - it's a long way short of perfect (when it loses its connection it hangs and there's no easy way to reset it) - but it does work. So it's not Apple stopping the release of this functionality.
  - colordrops 7y ago
    why would spotify issue a cease and desist to an app that keeps people from abandoning their service?
    - rahoulb 7y ago
      No idea, the developer said he was told they were violating the terms of the Spotify API agreement by using non-standard hardware. The only thing I can think of is Spotify had/has one of their own lined up and haven't released it. I assume this is all tied up with their campaign about unfair treatment on the App Store, but it still makes little sense to me. Apollo was written by a single developer in their spare time, it works (although not perfectly - still good given it's a 1.0 and they were working alone with no support) and has been released for almost a year.
graeme 7y ago
Watchos 6 added streaming audio for apps. So, Spotify will hopefully add it. https://developer.apple.com/watchos/ https://developer.apple.com/watchos/
mlthoughts2018 7y ago
I really don’t want streaming on the watch to be seen as an acceptable solution by consumers. If I can’t actually cache my raw media files onto the watch directly and play using any watch-only player app I want, then it’s unusable. Any solution that requires streaming or tethering is a total non-solution.
ilikehurdles 7y ago
I can stream Spotify offline on my Garmin watch. It’s a game-changer going back to the days of bringing nothing but my watch (and Bluetooth headphones) with me to runs and the gym. Battery life is also several times longer than any Apple Watch generation and the sensors much more accurate and versatile. They claim 2 weeks in smartwatch mode for the Forerunner 945. But a lot of times the decision to buy a watch is fashion-driven rather than utility-driven, and depending on what city you live in, either high-tech fitness watches are everywhere, or anything other than an Apple Watch gets you a dirty look.
- FridgeSeal 7y ago
  I borrowed a friends Garmin Forerunner for a 2 week MTB trip to NZ, it was certainly capable, but horrific all uncomfortable and I had a small scar for a while where it had dug into the back of my hand.
  - xtrimsky1234 7y ago
    Have you tried recent devices? Garmin used to have a bump on some forerunners, my wife had it, it was very uncomfortable. I personally have the Vivoactive 3, which is flat, I've been wearing it 24/7 except for charging (during the day, so i've slept with it), and it's very comfortable.
  - hearhear 7y ago
    what's this? are you retarded or something?
dkonofalski 7y ago
To be fair, though, that's 100% Spotify's fault. I remember when there was a watch app for Spotify and Spotify bought out the company and removed the app from the App Store. Now, they refuse to release a new app because of their little dispute with Apple regarding purchases. Makes me hate Spotify because it only adds to the list of really silly things they've done that spites customers but might make them a few dollars in the long run.
- joegahona 7y ago
  I signed up to Apple Music for this very reason, and will likely dump Spotify despite my love for their Discover feature.
  - dkonofalski 7y ago
    This, combined with an Apple Music student discount (yay going back to school as an adult), is exactly what got me to dump Spotify.
    - kcolford 7y ago
      Spotify also has a student discount which is what got me to bother paying for it.
  - MagnumOpus 7y ago
    The anticompetitive measure by Apple working as designed then. Looking forward to the inevitable outcry on this forum once the EU competition commissioner levies another fine on Apple worth a day's profits...
    - dkonofalski 7y ago
      Spotify being a baby is an anticompetitive measure by Apple? That's a hot take.
- adrr 7y ago
  There are no 3rd party apps that can stream over the cell connection or Wifi on the Apple Watch. Pandora, Tunein etc. Some can do offline. Pretty sure Apple only allows their apps to use the cell connection for streaming because thats an Apple thing to do.
colordrops 7y ago
The only reason I don't have an apple watch is because of the square tablet shape that screams "APPLE ON MY WRIST". They need to release something more low key if it's going to be visible on my body all the time.

selectodude 7y ago

You can stream Apple Music over WiFi/cellular without the phone. Not sure if that will include Spotify at some point but I do know the new watchOS has opened up a lot of those APIs.

ashelmire 7y ago
That's nice, but I already pay for spotify and use it on my non-Apple devices. Does Apple Music let me stream any song in their library?
- threeseed 7y ago
  Yes. Apple Music is just like Spotify.
  - ashelmire 7y ago
    Oh, huh. Thanks for the info, might open up the watch for me.
- saagarjha 7y ago
  Yes.
- bognition 7y ago
  yes, think of it as a spotify clone by apple
- balboah 7y ago
  Don't fall for it. I tried switching for a trial period but Spotify owns iTunes in so many ways. Especially the discover weekly list
- frio 7y ago
  Yes, Apple Music is just Spotify by Apple -- but, if you're outside of the USA, you might find less obscure music available. Regional restrictions here in NZ are frustrating.
  - Marsymars 7y ago
    Or certain integrations won't work outside of the USA. (e.g. Apple Music doesn't work with Alexa in Canada.)
Nextgrid 7y ago
Apple Music is a disaster when it comes to music discovery, and frankly their app is very much behind compared to Spotify. Even on iOS it feels like a web app, something I didn’t think I’d ever say about Apple’s own, built-in app.
- EugeneOZ 7y ago
  I feel strongly opposite - Spotify UI is a reason why I cancelled subscription. Queue management is just awful, other elements are much less intuitive than in Apple Music.
  - stronglikedan 7y ago
    Seems like you two use the apps in different ways. Spotify is acceptable for picking a couple songs and discovering similar music, but sucks at just queuing up the music you already know about. I prefer Pandora for discovery, but it sucks at connecting to external devices. Since device integration is my most important feature, I settle for Spotify's discovery.
  - homonculus1 7y ago
    Even just navigating to an album or browsing songs saved on your device are awful. Everything I want to do in their app requires far too many clicks or endless scrolling through a list that's only sorted alphabetically, and the pages are stuffed with features that push their algorithmic promotions. You're not gonna have a good time unless you're the most mindless, passive consumer and you don't want to bother with managing your library or making any choices of your own. Saving songs is spotty too, some of the "saved" songs on my phone don't actually have the data and won't play when I'm offline. I can't figure out how to force them to redownload short of maybe uninstalling the app, so sucks to be me I guess. Spotify's mobile app is so bad that I'm constantly reconsidering my subscription. I'd go so far as to say that being able to explore new artists and save their discography for later when I'm commuting is a meaningful improvement to my quality of life, but Spotify has managed to make the experience so shitty that I usually just turn on the radio instead.
- cltsang 7y ago
flurdy 7y ago
https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/iOS-Apple-Watch-Spotify-Streaming-and-Offline-Listening/idi-p/4576991 https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/iOS-Apple-Watch-...

esemor 7y ago

This

totalthrowaway 7y ago

It isn't perfect, but the Mighty (bemighty.com) is basically an iPod Shuffle that you can download Spotify offline playlists to. It filled that niche for me.

johnborkowski 7y ago

I got one of these guys (Garmin fenix 5x plus) for that very reason: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/603229 https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/603229 It's the only watch (or was at the time) that has an independent Spotify app.

ilikehurdles 7y ago
I use the Garmin Forerunner 945 that has this functionality now too.

killa_kyle 7y ago

I handle this with an elastic phone waist band (google flip belt for an example). I don't think about the phone at all and do everything from the watch

jniedrauer 7y ago

The last 2 generations of Garmin watches support streaming by Spotify. I'm kind of stunned that Apple doesn't support this.

rahoulb 7y ago
There was a third party app called Apollo for the Apple Watch. It used the cellular or Wifi connection of the watch to stream directly from the Spotify API. Spotify issued a cease and desist within days. I still have it installed on my phone and watch - it's a long way short of perfect (when it loses its connection it hangs and there's no easy way to reset it) - but it does work. So it's not Apple stopping the release of this functionality.
- colordrops 7y ago
  why would spotify issue a cease and desist to an app that keeps people from abandoning their service?
  - rahoulb 7y ago
    No idea, the developer said he was told they were violating the terms of the Spotify API agreement by using non-standard hardware. The only thing I can think of is Spotify had/has one of their own lined up and haven't released it. I assume this is all tied up with their campaign about unfair treatment on the App Store, but it still makes little sense to me. Apollo was written by a single developer in their spare time, it works (although not perfectly - still good given it's a 1.0 and they were working alone with no support) and has been released for almost a year.

graeme 7y ago

Watchos 6 added streaming audio for apps. So, Spotify will hopefully add it. https://developer.apple.com/watchos/ https://developer.apple.com/watchos/

mlthoughts2018 7y ago

I really don’t want streaming on the watch to be seen as an acceptable solution by consumers. If I can’t actually cache my raw media files onto the watch directly and play using any watch-only player app I want, then it’s unusable. Any solution that requires streaming or tethering is a total non-solution.

ilikehurdles 7y ago

I can stream Spotify offline on my Garmin watch. It’s a game-changer going back to the days of bringing nothing but my watch (and Bluetooth headphones) with me to runs and the gym. Battery life is also several times longer than any Apple Watch generation and the sensors much more accurate and versatile. They claim 2 weeks in smartwatch mode for the Forerunner 945. But a lot of times the decision to buy a watch is fashion-driven rather than utility-driven, and depending on what city you live in, either high-tech fitness watches are everywhere, or anything other than an Apple Watch gets you a dirty look.

FridgeSeal 7y ago
I borrowed a friends Garmin Forerunner for a 2 week MTB trip to NZ, it was certainly capable, but horrific all uncomfortable and I had a small scar for a while where it had dug into the back of my hand.
- xtrimsky1234 7y ago
  Have you tried recent devices? Garmin used to have a bump on some forerunners, my wife had it, it was very uncomfortable. I personally have the Vivoactive 3, which is flat, I've been wearing it 24/7 except for charging (during the day, so i've slept with it), and it's very comfortable.
- hearhear 7y ago
  what's this? are you retarded or something?

dkonofalski 7y ago

To be fair, though, that's 100% Spotify's fault. I remember when there was a watch app for Spotify and Spotify bought out the company and removed the app from the App Store. Now, they refuse to release a new app because of their little dispute with Apple regarding purchases. Makes me hate Spotify because it only adds to the list of really silly things they've done that spites customers but might make them a few dollars in the long run.

joegahona 7y ago
I signed up to Apple Music for this very reason, and will likely dump Spotify despite my love for their Discover feature.
- dkonofalski 7y ago
  This, combined with an Apple Music student discount (yay going back to school as an adult), is exactly what got me to dump Spotify.
  - kcolford 7y ago
    Spotify also has a student discount which is what got me to bother paying for it.
- MagnumOpus 7y ago
  The anticompetitive measure by Apple working as designed then. Looking forward to the inevitable outcry on this forum once the EU competition commissioner levies another fine on Apple worth a day's profits...
  - dkonofalski 7y ago
    Spotify being a baby is an anticompetitive measure by Apple? That's a hot take.
adrr 7y ago
There are no 3rd party apps that can stream over the cell connection or Wifi on the Apple Watch. Pandora, Tunein etc. Some can do offline. Pretty sure Apple only allows their apps to use the cell connection for streaming because thats an Apple thing to do.

colordrops 7y ago

The only reason I don't have an apple watch is because of the square tablet shape that screams "APPLE ON MY WRIST". They need to release something more low key if it's going to be visible on my body all the time.