Tag: siri

Enjoy More Ways Than Ever to Use Spotify on Your Apple Watch—Now With Downloads

May 21, 2021

Your playlists and favorite shows can quickly turn from mundane to momentous—no matter where you are or what you’re doing. With smart speakers, tablets, video game consoles, and TVs, there are more ways than ever to enjoy your favorite music and podcasts from any room of the house. But what if you’re looking for something a little more . . . mobile? 

Starting today, we’re rolling out the ability to download your favorite playlists, albums, and podcasts on Apple Watch. All users are already able to play tracks, albums, playlists, and podcasts, and now Premium users will also be able to download everything they’re listening to for a true offline and phone-free experience. This is on top of all the other Spotify features on Apple Watch—from Connect & Control to streaming to Siri. 


Check out four great ways to enjoy your favorite music and podcasts on your Apple Watch:

Control playback in your home or on the go

Now, all users can control playback—seamlessly playing, pausing, and skipping tracks or podcast episodes—directly from your wrist. You can also use your Apple Watch to control playback from everything, whether it’s wireless speakers, TVs, or gaming consoles, using Spotify Connect.

Download your playlists and leave your phone behind

Starting today, we’re beginning to roll out the ability for Premium users to download playlists and podcasts to Apple Watch for offline use. Heading on a hike but still want to take your tunes? Here’s how: 

  1. Find the music and podcasts you want to download on your watch. 
  2. Select the playlist, album, or podcast and press the three dots (…) and choose “Download to Apple Watch.” 
  3. To check on the progress, head over to the Downloads section on the watch. 
  4. Once playlists, albums, or podcasts in your library are downloaded, you’ll see a little green arrow next to their names.
  5. Connect your headphones and start listening, no matter where you are!

Being able to download music and podcasts complements the existing feature of being able to stream* your favorites from the watch, and now you don’t even have to take your phone with you. It’s perfect for that next run, or for keeping both hands focused while you’re cooking. Leave your phone behind and still stay connected to the music and podcasts you love.

This is the first iteration of the highly requested download experience for Spotify on the Apple Watch. We want to know your thoughts, so head over to our Community page to share your feedback. As always, we continuously make improvements to the overall experience.

Let Siri know what you want to play

With Siri support on Apple Watch, all users can just say “Hey, Siri” followed by your command to play your favorite songs, artists, albums, playlists, and podcasts. You can also “like” music, ask what’s currently playing, and control your media settings, like volume, skip track, play, and pause. Be sure to end each command with “on Spotify” so Siri knows which service to access. Try this on for size: “Hey, Siri, play my Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify.”

The new overall experience for Spotify on Apple Watch is rolling out to all users globally over the coming weeks. Users can either update their watches to the latest version or download the app on the App Store.

*Requires Apple Watch Series 3 or later, with watchOS 6.0+ (recommend 7.1+) with a cellular connection or wifi and a Spotify Premium account. Please make sure you are also running the latest version of Spotify on your iPhone.

6 New Ways to Stream Spotify from Your Smart Devices

October 7, 2019

These days, you’re likely always with a smart device—whether using your smartwatch on the go or enjoying your smart speaker at home. Now, more and more of these items include integrations with Spotify, so not only are you always with your device, but you also always have access to all of your favorite audio content.

It’s all part of our ubiquity strategy—the idea that you should be able to tune in to Spotify wherever, whenever, using whatever.

The end state here is to ensure that Spotify aligns more deeply with the multiple devices in your life so that you won’t need to find the songs or podcasts to suit the moment—they will find you.

– Sten Garmark, VP of Product

How to Listen to Spotify in the Car

August 26, 2019

Whether driving the familiar streets of your daily commute, breaking out the guidebook for a road trip, or just going around the corner to grab some milk, the first thing most people do when they get in the car is turn the volume up. And if you already use Spotify to listen to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks—maybe through your home speaker or Bluetooth headphones—you can easily and seamlessly continue listening from the car.

And your car-listening experience keeps getting better. Thanks to Spotify playlists such as Your Daily Drive, which combines the very best of news talk shows with the best of audio streaming, you can arrive at your destination even more informed. Plus, we’ve made it even easier to sync Spotify with two of the most popular navigation apps, Google Maps and Waze. It’s quick to enable playback controls within the navigation settings, making switching and selecting music as seamless as possible. And, with our integration to Google Assistant, it’s also possible to use your voice to control what you listen to in the car. 

From belting out the best songs to binging a podcast, setting up Spotify in your car is simpler than ever, with a variety of ways to play Spotify through your car speakers. And with a Spotify Premium account, you can save your music, podcasts, and audiobooks for offline listening, perfect for when you drive through spotty areas. So no matter what type of car or phone you have, take a look at the options below to see which works best for you. Soon you’ll be well on your way.

Please remember that safety is the #1 priority on the road. ALWAYS observe traffic laws.
NEVER attempt any of these connectivity methods while you are driving, and avoid interacting with your device while your car is in motion.

If your car has an AUX or USB socket, using a cable is probably one of the fastest ways to connect.

  1. Make sure you have the correct type of cable to connect to your phone (you can check with your car’s manufacturer if you don’t know which type you need). Some phones no longer have a phone jack, so you may also need the dongle that came with your phone.
  2. Find the AUX or USB socket in your car and plug in the cable. (Try looking for it on the center console.)
  3. Turn on your car and stereo, select the AUX (or USB) input, then open Spotify and tap “play.

Use Bluetooth to go wireless and enjoy all the functionalities of your smartphone or tablet.

  1. While you’re in park, go to “Settings” in your car stereo or to find the Bluetooth menu, then choose the option to pair your device. Some cars have a voice control button on the steering wheel instead—press that. 
  2. Sync by turning on Bluetooth on both your mobile device and your stereo.
  3. Select your car, enter the pairing code if needed, then open up Spotify and hit “play.”
  4. If you have audio controls on your steering wheel, you may be able to control what you’re listening to from there.

Have Android Auto or CarPlay? Simple!

  1. For Android Auto, start your car, plug your phone into the USB port, and play Spotify.
  2. For CarPlay for iOS, start your car and make sure Siri is on. Plug your phone into the USB port or connect wirelessly. Then, on your iPhone, go to “Settings,” then “General,” then “CarPlay.” 
  3. Select your car and get listening!

Is Spotify built into your car? No phone needed, just log in and drive!

  1. Check whether Spotify is preloaded as an audio source—look under either media or audio.
  2. If your car has an “app store” built in, simply search for Spotify, download, and log in—it’s that simple!
  3. Be sure to check with your car’s manufacturer if you have any questions and also to make sure your car has a data plan activated to use Spotify. Just to note, some cars require Spotify Premium for integrated listening.

Take Spotify along for the ride, no matter where you’re going or what you drive to get there.

Also be sure to check out our Driving Hub, the ultimate pit stop for the best driving music and podcasts. Or take Spotify for the ride with additional information on how to introduce your car to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

*Updated as of April 9, 2024, to include Spotify Audiobooks and built-in car offering.