Apple Watch Tip: How To Use Standalone Spotify App

Spotify has had an Apple Watch app for years now, but previously, users needed to bring along their iPhone to listen to their playlists on the app. The Apple Watch merely served as a remote control that allowed for easier playback. It wasn’t capable of playing the music independently of the smartphone – until now.

Music streaming app Spotify is currently rolling out support for standalone streaming on the Apple Watch app. This means Spotify users won’t have to take their iPhones with them anymore to keep listening to their favorite artists or playlists. All they need is the wearable, the app and an audio accessory.

Those who receive the feature, which is still being rolled out to users, will be able to stream music from the app directly on their Apple Watches. Audio, however, needs to be played via Bluetooth headphones or earbuds like the AirPods, AirPods Pro or Apple’s new Beats Flex.

The feature is still in beta capacity and is not yet available to all users globally. Spotify, however, told TechCrunch that the feature is indeed “rolling out” to users.

How to use it

Apple Watch users who don’t know how to use Spotify will be glad to know that it’s easy. Here’s how.

Users first need to install the latest version of the app on their Apple Watch if they don’t have it yet. This is done by opening the Watch app on the iPhone, scrolling down to the Available Apps section, then tapping the Install button next to Spotify.

Once the app is installed on the Apple Watch, users can launch it by tapping on the Spotify app on the Apple Watch’s Home Screen.

Here’s how to use it once the app is up and running:

• The three buttons at the center of the screen let users play or pause music or skip forward/back on tracks.
• The heart button, when tapped, marks a currently displayed song as a favorite.
• The button to the right of the heart is the Connect button. This lets users see a list of available Bluetooth devices the Apple Watch can connect to in order to send output audio.
• Swiping right lets users access a list of recently played songs.
• Users can scroll through song lists using the Digital Crown.