Spotify Coming To Apple Watch Thanks to Partnership With Third-Party App 'Snowy'
Over the past few months, users on Reddit have been voicing excitement for a new app being developed and beta tested that would finally bring Spotify onto the Apple Watch. Called "Spotty," and then "Snowy" when Spotify cited copyright concerns with the first name, the new app faced troubles with Spotify's legal team who also referenced UI similarities to the company's first party iOS app.
Because of this, news surrounding Snowy had slowed in recent weeks, but this week developer Andrew Chang gave users a big update: Snowy will live on thanks to an official partnership with Spotify itself. This means that Spotify will work with Chang to develop and add Apple Watch functionality and playlist pairing into the streaming music service's main iOS app.
Hi all, thanks for your patience and understanding. I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be working closely with Spotify to bring Snowy to the Apple Watch as part of an official Spotify iOS app. Spotify’s powerful iOS SDK made it possible to develop Snowy, but I can’t wait to take things to the next level with the expertise and tools available at Spotify. While I can’t give any estimates as to when it’ll be available, you can rest assured that a Spotify Apple Watch companion app is in the pipeline.
Although a launch date is still unclear, when it debuts the new Spotify Apple Watch companion app will finally give Spotify listeners a comparable experience on Apple Watch as Apple Music subscribers have had over the past few years.
Chang didn't confirm that every feature will make it into the final version of the app, but Snowy's website currently lists features like offline playback so users can leave their iPhone behind and still listen to Spotify through the Apple Watch, multiple real-time complications support, Siri controls, and even hands-free gestures that enable music controls through "a flick of the wrist."
In March, Spotify announced that it had hit 50 million paid subscribers, growing steadily from the 40 million it had in September 2016. As its rival, Apple Music has shown impressive growth since its launch in 2015, boasting 20 million paid subscribers in December 2016 and beating Spotify in the realm of monthly unique users thanks to Apple Music's lengthy three-month free trial given to every new subscriber.
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