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[iOS] Apple Watch: Spotify Streaming and Offline Listening

Submitted by on ‎2018-09-28 06:50 PM
Status: Implemented

Apple Watch: Offline Listening

 

watchOS 5 should allow Spotify to develop an app that allows offline listening and streaming via cellular data.

 

Vote here to show your support for this development!

Updated on 2021-07-20

Hey everyone,

Thanks for coming to the Spotify Idea Exchange and voting to make this happen.

Тhis has been one of our most upvoted ideas and we've known it's something that our users would really like to see come true. We're happy to announce that this feature will now become available for the Apple Watch Series 3 or later.


It will be gradually rolled out, so it might take a bit until everybody has access to it.  That being said, we'd like to let you know that the roll-out rate has increased a lot in the last weeks, so if you haven't received the feature in the past, try reinstalling the app on your watch again and there's a big chance you'll get Offline listening now.

Once again, thanks for helping us make Spotify better and voting to make this happen, here on the Community.

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Comments
stu517
Newbie
2019-02-14 07:10 PM
Realize they simply don't care
0 Likes
Orbsitron
Casual Listener
2019-02-14 07:27 PM

To give Spotify some credit, it took them a while to release the Watch app in the first place, but they were working on it and they did release it.  I think it's premature to state that Spotify doesn't care about streaming and offline download support.  

 

They likely have several priorities and the Apple Watch has limited APIs around offline downloads (from what I've read from WatchOS app developers) such that there are some technical challenges around making a decent user experience for offline downloads.  I'm not as familliar with the streaming APIs (streaming is more important to me, but I'm not as familiar with how WatchOS app devs feel about the capabilities Apple offers there).  Given that it may be technically challenging and given that Spotify likely has several priorities and projects going on at once, I suspect they are working on this, but it will take a significant amount of time (much like their v1 of the Watch app). 

 

What would be nice would be an update from Spotify confirming that they are working on these two features.  They haven't been great about communication on this app.  The fact that this is still listed as "New Idea" indicates they haven't decided not to do this work, at the very least.

I'm hopeful the app gets updated to support streaming and to support offline downloads, and I'm also furstrated by the wait.  Despite that frustration, I do think it's reasonable to assume Spotify does care but perhaps there are other things at play (including work they deem as higher priority).

0 Likes
stu517
Newbie
2019-02-14 07:32 PM
It would take 30 seconds to reply "we're working on it" and watchOS5 opened
up the API to make offline download relatively easy. Obviously Pandora
didn't find it that difficult. So this is the primary watch thread on
their own support forum - if they won't even acknowledge the thread it is
of no importance to them
lorenzom55
Newbie
2019-02-16 12:57 AM

Sending us over to a post about cellular data access is not the original intent of this post.  We want to be able to sync our playlists to Apple Watch to listen off line just as the Apple Music app does.  Not everyone has an LTE watch.

0 Likes
Oracleyoda
Newbie
2019-02-17 11:38 AM
Cellular doesn’t help anyway. I think Spotify is being blocked by Apple trying to force Apple Music on everyone
0 Likes
stkrkdknmibalz
Newbie
2019-02-19 03:04 AM

Much needed! I would like to be able to play music without my iPhone!

0 Likes
jimohagan
Newbie
2019-02-19 05:40 AM

For the love of every thing, get it done. Please. 

0 Likes
btrice
Newbie
2019-02-19 06:40 AM

I switched to Apple Music when I got a cellular Apple Watch only because of the offline feature. If this is introduced I will switch back immediately.

0 Likes
gtrfghr
Newbie
2019-02-19 08:22 AM

Because of this, I switched over to Apple Music after being a Spotify customer for over 3 years. 

 

I still prefer Spotify, so I'd love to return once the Apple Watch-version actually supports offline playback. 

0 Likes
jdrochholz
Newbie
2019-02-19 12:41 PM

This is a no-brainer. 

0 Likes