Can You Play Music On Apple Watch?

You probably bought your new Apple Watch because of its versatility. 

As far as smartwatches go, the Apple Watch is reasonably priced while being loaded with features that make it easy to stay connected while on the go.

From sending and receiving SMS text messages to keeping track of your breathing, the Apple Watch can do just about everything. 

And (at least if you buy the Series 2 or newer) you can submerge it in up to 50 meters of water without risking any real water damage.

Pretty nifty, right?

You are most likely wondering how you can get your Apple Watch to play music. 

Can it even do this? How do you go about pairing it and adding music that you want to listen to as you go out on a jog or run errands throughout the day?

Can You Play Music On Apple Watch?

You have multiple options for how you listen to music on your Apple Watch. You can use streaming apps (like Apple Music, Pandora, and Spotify). Apple Music subscribers can also download and listen to the music that is in their library.

Getting your Apple Watch to play music is actually quite simple and gives you multiple options for how you listen. 

Whether you decide to listen in on Apple Music, iCloud Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, or through a third-party app, you can get the Apple Watch to do this for you.

And I am here to walk you through how to set these apps up and use them on your awesome new smartwatch.

If you are using the Apple Watch Series 3 or newer, you will be able to listen in on your favorite streaming app as well as link to music you’ve synced through iCloud or through Apple Radio. 

Like I said, this watch is downright versatile. 

And, with that being said, let’s talk about what this watch really can do in terms of playing music for you.

Which apps can I use to stream music on the Apple Watch?

You can use a variety of streaming apps for playing music on your Apple Watch. 

Quite obviously, Apple Music is easy to put onto your watch and is a great option for those who already have a subscription.

You can also use Spotify, iHeartRadio, or Pandora.

You are even able to use some smaller third party music apps if you’d like. 

The Apple Watch is not exclusive when it comes to music apps.

How to Play Music On the Apple Watch

If you are using the Music app, listening to your favorite tunes will be superbly simple. 

You can also play music that you have stored on your watch. 

The easiest way to get your music playing is just by commanding Siri to play something.

For example, you can say, “Hey Siri, play ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen” or “Hey Siri, play my workout playlist.”

Once you have your Bluetooth headphones or speakers connected to the Apple Watch, just open the Music app. 

From there, you can:

1. Play music from your iPhone (and pairing is not required for this).
2. Play music on your Apple Watch by turning the Digital Crown to scroll through the album artwork before tapping an album or playlist to play it.
3. Request music from Apple Music (for those of you who have a subscription, that is) by raising your wrist and requesting the song, artist, album, or even the lyrics from a part of the song you want to hear.
4. Play music from your library by going to Library > playlist, artist, album, or song. If you wish to play music downloaded onto your Apple Watch, tap Downloaded and select what you want to hear.

How to Download Music Onto the Apple Watch

If you want to download music onto the Apple Watch, you will first need to have it paired with your current listening device. Then, this is what you’ll need to do:

1. Tap the Apple Watch app on your paired iPhone.
2. Scroll down, then tap on Music. (You might need to choose your Apple Watch from a given list first.)
3. Tap on Add Music.
4. Look through your music collection for the songs or albums you wish to add.
5. Locate and tap on the “+” icon next to the playlist or album that you want to add to your Apple Watch.

Can the Apple Watch play music offline?

Given that you have enough storage space available on your Apple Watch, you can listen to downloaded songs offline. 

You will need to:

1. Go into the Music app.
2. Tap on Library.
3. Tap on playlists, albums, or artists to find what you wish to download.
4. Tap on the song or album you want.
5. Tap on the three dots.
6. Tap to Download. Allow the music time to download.

Can I download Spotify songs onto my Apple Watch?

For online or offline listening, you can download some Spotify songs onto the Apple Watch. 

All you have to do is:

1. Open Spotify on your Apple Watch.
2. Swipe left until you get to Your Library.
3. Tap on Your Library.
4. Tap on the album or playlist you want to download.
5. Tap on the three dots.
6. Tap Download to Apple Watch.

How do I add music onto my Apple Watch without using my iPhone?

Don’t want to use your iPhone to add music to your Apple Watch? Apple Music subscribers are able to do this. 

You will have to:

1. Tap the Music app icon.
2. Tap Library, Search, or Listen Now to find what you wish to add.
3. Tap on the album.
4. Tap on the three dots.
5. Tap Add to Library.

Closing Thoughts

Playing music on your Apple Watch works quite similarly to the way it does on your iPhone. 

While having the Apple Music subscription lets you maximize your music listening experience, it is not necessary to have one while using the Apple Watch to listen to music.

You can listen to your favorite tunes on other music streaming apps, and, of course, you can download some music (but preferably not so much that you overload the internal storage space) to listen to while you are offline.