Spotify supports standalone streaming on Apple Watch

The popular music streaming service, Spotify has released support for standalone streaming on Apple Watch, globally. On a Wi-Fi network or cellular data, now the service’s subscribers can conveniently listen to their favorite music and podcasts on the smartwatch without having their iPhones close. To enjoy the feature, users must own Apple Watch Series 3 or later.

Spotify Apple Watch app has been available for two years now, however, it did not support standalone streaming. The new feature will bring convenience to users’ listening experience by reducing the need to carry their iPhone to listen to music all the time and paired with Bluetooth headphones, they can exercise, swim, do repair work, and much more.

Spotify supports Standalone Streaming on Apple Watch

Spotify standalone support for the smartwatch in testing was recently spotted in September and now it is rolling out to subscribers worldwide. However, the rollout is gradual so some users might not see it right away on the app. Although the streaming service has not made an official launch announcement, its spokesperson confirmed the release in a statement to TechCrunch. He said,

“We’re focused on developing experiences that enable users to listen to Spotify wherever and whenever they want – regardless of the device or platform. After an initial testing period, we are now rolling out streaming capabilities for Spotify on the Apple Watch.”

The spokesperson also confirmed the rollout is global in nature.

Over the years, the support for standalone streaming service is more widely available. Apple Music and Pandora already support standalone music streaming on their respective Apple Watch Apps. However, the YouTube Music app on the smartwatch still doesn’t feature iPhone free music and podcast streaming.

In spite of differences and litigation cases, it is interesting to observe that Spotify has been introducing new features on Apple’s iOS and watchOS platforms. Recently, the service released iOS 14 widgets and launch the ‘find songs by lyrics’ feature on iOS and Android.

Spotify Apple Watch app can be download from the App Store for free and subscriptions plans start from $3.99.