Spotify is unreliable connecting headphones to Apple Watch

[adamwadesmith]

(Premium Account, Apple Watch Series 6, Watch OS 7.5, Spotify 8.6.30, Software Updates On)

When I go for a run without my phone, it's difficult to get Spotify to connect to my bluetooth headphones. I try various combinations of force closing the app, force closing Now Playing, turning the headphones on/off. It usually takes a couple of minutes before I can get it to work. I do sometimes play the radio on the watch ("Siri: tune in to 90.9 WBUR"), which always works. So do Apple Podcasts.

It would be great if I could reliably get Spotify to play through headphones paired to the Watch.

Thanks,

Adam

[Eni]

Hi there @adamwadesmith, 

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community. 

Just to confirm, is this only happening when you're using voice commands? 

On another note, we'd recommend making sure the Spotify app is granted all Permissions on your phone.

Additionally, we suggest that you try to unpair and the re-pair the watch and the phone to check if that makes any difference. 

Keep us posted on how it goes. 

[adamwadesmith]

I figured out what was going on. The connection problem was not to the Bluetooth headphones but the cellular network.

Some suggestions:
* The error message says, "there was a problem with the connection." There are three types of connection on my watch: cellular, wifi, and Bluetooth. Improve the error message to specify the type of connection that has the problem.
* When unable to connect to cellular, Spotify switches the audio connection from the connected Bluetooth headphones to the iPhone. In my scenario (on a jog), I did not have my iPhone, only my watch. By switching the audio connection to the non-existent iPhone,  it appears that the Bluetooth connection for playback is broken and not the cellular connection.
* In cases where Spotify stopped playback due to a weak cellular signal, I could still tune into the Audacy app on my watch and listen to the radio over cellular. So it should be possible for Spotify to playback when the cellular connection is less than ideal. Would more buffering or a different retry/timeout algorithm help?
* Who needs cellular when I can download music and podcasts directly to my watch? I'm still waiting for my account to gain that feature 😉

I really enjoy Spotify and can't wait to see you make further improvements to the Watch app.

Thanks,
Adam

[Eni]

Hi @adamwadesmith,

Thanks for getting back to us. 

We're glad to know it was sorted out and thanks for sharing this info with us.

We really value your feedback as it helps us to improve the app, and we'll make sure to pass this on to the right folks here at Spotify.

If you need help with anything else, just let us know. 

Have a great day 🙂

[adamwadesmith]

I've done a few more experiments, and it seems that the issue is with the Wifi connection. When I turn on Cellular, disable Wifi, force close Spotify, turn off the headphones, then turn on the headphones, it will work. But no matter how I try, it will not work over Wifi.

Other apps such as Apple Podcasts work on the Wifi connection, so I think this problem is unique to Spotify.

-Adam

[Novy]

Hey @adamwadesmith, 

Thanks for getting back to us with this info. 

In this case, could you give it a try turning Bluetooth off and on again in the settings of your watch?

Keep us posted on how it goes.

[adamwadesmith]

I tried that a few times, with no improvement.

[CarlosE]

Hi again @adamwadesmith,

Thanks for trying and keeping us posted.

In this case it may be worth running a clean reinstall of the app by following these steps. This can be helpful to get rid of any corrupted files that might be causing trouble and start a fresh connection. Make sure to also reinstall it on your watch.

Keep us in the loop.

[adamwadesmith]

I uninstalled, rebooted, and reinstalled on both the phone and watch.

I turned off my phone and was unable to connect the watch to my headphones. I then turned on my phone and could connect, though the Spotify connection was through the phone. 

I then turned off my phone and was able to connect the watch to the headphones - great! But ... then I played around with turning the wifi on and off, and the cellular on and off. Spotify had a difficult time with this - it could not switch connections without force closing the app on the watch (push and hold the side button to get the power-off screen, then push and hold the crown to force close the app). The other audio apps on my watch (Music, Podcasts) do not have this problem.

[CarlosE]

Hey @adamwadesmith,

Thanks for your reply.

If possible, could you try using different headphones to see if this behavior persists? We'd like to check if this is somehow related to the external device, in this case, the headphones.

We'll be on the lookout.

[adamwadesmith]

The headphones I've been using so far in this topic are Plantronics Backbeat Fit that are several years old, and Plantronics Backbeat Fit 2100 that are brand new.

Now I'm trying Bose QC II 35's that are a few years old. Sometimes switching connections between Cellular and Wifi works, and sometimes it doesn't. It seems a little better than the Plantronics, but it is not 100% reliable.

[CarlosE · Accepted solution]

Hey @adamwadesmith,

Thanks for keeping in touch.

We were trying out on our end but couldn't replicate this issue, so it's likely isolated to your device or specific setup. In this case, make sure to keep the app and OS up to date. You can also try reaching out to Apple support to check if they can give you any further info about this.

If you need a hand with anything else, the Community is here for you.

Take care!

[deep_trouble]

Not true. I have the same issues with Spotify on my iWatch. And i have seen several people complaining about it. You need to get better at resolving issues and not blame on the devices. Typical 'works on mine' 

[Ltsao]

Same issue here with ipod earbuds. 

Switching cellular on/off is hit and mostly misses.

Forgetting WIFI networks with only cellular sometimes helps but mostly not.

Watching this thread but disappointed there is no solution yet.

[efg22]

Downloaded Spotify songs will not play on my watch through my Bluetooth headphones. I choose a downloaded playlist and it prompts me "Choose where to play audio." I select my Bluetooth headphones which are connected to my watch, (I can switch and play downloaded Apple Music playlists without issue), and I receive the prompt "Connection Failed. Make sure [Bluetooth device] is turned on and in range." My device is connected when I look under Bluetooth Devices on my Apple Watch. 

My Apple Watch is updated to the most recent IOS update. 

[powerbastion]

This is not an isolated problem.
I have been having this problem with my Apple Watch 7 and hoped when I upgraded to the new Apple Watch Ultra it would go away.

However it still has issues when first playing music on the Watch. At first it will always try to play the track on the iPhone so I then click on the play on Watch icon and most times it will flash for a while before saing there was a problem - usually I then have to click on the watch a few more times before it eventually connects.

This is extremely annoying as when setting off on a run or heading out from work or to work - you have to to do this fiddling around pressing multiple times.

All things are up to date and this has occured with different watches and with different earphones so it's not an isolated issue. I can see this behaviour being reported in a lot of places on the web.

Thanks for your help.

[Am1970]

This is a problem I have too. Spotify does not recognise my Sony bluetooth headphones within the Spotify Apple Watch app. It recognises other devices including a Ruark portable speaker and my iPhone. 

However I don't face the same problem with Tidal which does work with those same Sony bluetooth headphones.

There are comments all over the net about the issue and suggest Spotify sort this as this has nothing to do with external headphones or the Apple Watch - this is a Spotify issue.