Downloading on Apple Watch stuck at first song

[Mihail]

Hey folks,

We're receiving reports that some users are unable to download music for offline listening on their Apple Watches. The download is stuck on the first song and doesn't progress.

If you’re experiencing this issue, make sure to add your +VOTE and follow the instructions in the Status Update below.

We'll be keeping everyone up to speed here, so make sure to Subscribe to this thread. 

Thanks! 

[billybragg1]

Thank you for the suggestion, which I appreciate and yes, I agree with the frustration around this ridiculous issues. For the record, I got as far as Step 5 'Turn your phone back on and open Spotify app on your phone' but my phone Spotify was then playing from my Apple AirPods, not from my watch.

If you can help with that, I would much appreciate it. I'll have a full head of grey hair before I get anything to download!
____
Apple Watch Series 5 GPS (7.6)
iPhone 11 (14.7)
AirPods Pro

[billybragg1]

Hi, it went like this: I got as far as Step 5 'Turn your phone back on and open Spotify app on your phone' but my phone Spotify was then playing from my Apple AirPods, not from my watch. No joy once more.
____
Apple Watch Series 5 GPS (7.6)
iPhone 11 (14.7)
AirPods Pro

[billybragg1]

Anyone solved the issue of not being able to download music for offline listening on from their Apple Watch by unsubscribing from Spotify Premium and signing up for Apple Music? Would that be an easier route rather than me wrecking everyone's heads including my own? 

[Julian]

Hey @billybragg1,

Thanks for your swift reply. 

About your question. Could you temporarily unpair your AirPods from your iPhone and follow the same steps once more? 

This way we can try to force the Apple Watch to stream after you reboot your phone. 

Let us know how this goes.

[billybragg1]

When you sau 'unpair', do you mean disconnect or 'forget device'? I have tried both in any case.
I tried that and when I got to the step of turning my phone back on and opened Spotify, it played on my phone, naturally enough. When I go to the Spotify app to 'choose where to play audio', it won't play through airpods unless they are connected to my phone. On the lower right of the watch screen (to change audio source) the watch icon is flashing and when I click on it, it it stuck on 'connecting...' Phone is highlighted in green, since that is the only source I can get to play from. Am I being really stupid and missing something? I feel that way.

[MafeG]

Hey @billybragg1,

Thank you for getting back.

Right now, we're unsure why you're experiencing something different from what was described in the steps.

Going back to the workaround shared by @steve22downs, after turning off your phone please start playing music from your Watch.

Then, turn on your phone and open the Spotify app. The app should prompt you to choose if you want to keep playing from the Watch, or start playing on your phone.

Pick the option to continue with the Watch. According to the troubleshooting, this should force the Watch to start downloading the songs.

Keep us posted. 

[billybragg1]

Thank you for your reply.

Different solutions worked for different people, so regretfully, there seems to be no universal solution. The latest, for which I am thankful (although it hasn't worked), is just one of many that have been offered by users. 

Anyway, I will try again, although from recollection of the last few attempts, when I turn on my phone back on and open the Spotify app, the watch source icon stays flashing (on the watch) and the earphones/phone jump to each other - all without a prompt to choose if I want to keep playing from the Watch. And/or the connect to watch is grayed out and stays attempting to connect but does not.

I'll try it again but as credited to Einstein, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results."

I will try for the umpteenth time and see how it goes. 

[billybragg1]

How can I play music from my watch with the phone and off what do you recommend in terms of pairing/unpairing/‘forgetting device (earphones)?

There suggestions all seem to be merging etc. Anyway, I’d be grateful for advice on these matters. 
Much obliged. 

[billybragg1]

Ok, so I did what you suggested, together with the steps as previously posted. 

Earphones connected to watch with phone off.

Cannot play from Spotify on watch (haven't been able to download to it, of course). 

I turn on my phone and my earphones immediately connect to it.

If I take my earphones out before my phone starts up, the phone app is automatically set to play from the phone. 
If I try to change the audio source from my phone and click on the watch icon, my watch takes me to my earphones on the list as devices.

If I click on them and and return to the the now playing screen on the phone, the watch icon on the lower right is flashing,. 
If I click on that I am led to the 'play on a device' screen, where it says 'connecting...' (never connects) for watch but iPhone is green and auto selected (earphones connected automatically to my iPhone too I guess). 

I have tried this three time prior to writing (in addition to countless permutations of this and other 'solutions'). 

I did not receive 'a popup in the Spotify phone app that says you are listening on your Apple Watch', which I see is 'the KEY'.

Everything connects to everything as as one would expect i.e. earphones to phone, watch to phone...

In spite of this, attempting to 'download to watch' does not download anything and if I click on the watch icon on the watch Spotify app, it is flashing and just stays on 'connecting...' as above. 

 
Anyway - that's where I (still) am with this. Hope you can make sense of the above and map it to the suggestion(s) that might finally get this to work for me and others. 

[jaytee3330]

But playing music while the phone is off, is not possible on my watch.
While Apple Podcasts for example is.