(Pocket-lint) – The Spotify Apple Watch app is adding the option to stream music or podcasts without a connection to the iPhone.
Spotify’s Apple Watch app offers the ability to play music on the Apple Watch and control how music is played to Spotify Connect-compatible devices. However, since 2018, it hasn’t allowed you to sync songs for offline playback or directly stream songs to the Apple Watch from your phone or LTE on the watch. It just replaced the “Now Playing” screen on the Apple Watch and gave you a refined way to control songs being played on your iPhone or Spotify Connect devices.
But several users have now reported (via 9to5Mac) that they can directly stream music or podcasts through the Watch app, which means they don’t need an iPhone close by to stream their playlists. They can do it over Wi-Fi or a cellular connection instead. The feature seems to be testing right now.
In a statement to Engadget, Spotify said that, after an initial testing period, it is now “rolling out streaming capabilities” for Spotify on the Apple Watch. Offline listening still isn’t included in the Apple Watch app, unfortunately. Spotify has promised in the past that the feature is in the works, though.
Writing by Maggie Tillman.
