Spotify Tests Untethered Apple Watch Streaming for Some Users
In November 2018, Spotify released an accompanying app for Apple Watch that allows iPhone users to access and control their favorite Spotify music and podcasts from their wrist.

Image via iPhone-Ticker.de
One of the limitations of the app is that it doesn't allow users to stream music directly to their Apple Watch without an iPhone connection, which effectively makes it a wrist-based remote control for Spotify on iPhone.
That could be set to change, however, as iPhone-Ticker.de reports that some users of the app are seeing dedicated support for direct audio streaming to Apple Watch without being connected to iPhone.
Users with the feature report that they can stream Spotify through connected Bluetooth headphones or through the Apple Watch's built-in speaker over LTE or Wi-Fi. The function appears in the app as a blue beta icon, suggesting it's still an experimental feature with limited rollout.
There's no indication that the appearance of the beta feature is tied to a particular version of watchOS or iOS, but hopefully it won't be long before the ability to stream Spotify from the wrist will be available to all subscribers. That should come as good news for Apple Watch LTE owners who regularly leave their iPhone at home to go for a run, for instance.
Having said that, the Spotify app for Apple Watch still has no option to store music locally on your wrist for offline listening, so hopefully that's something the company is also working on behind the scenes.
Popular Stories
Apple's new Live Translation feature for AirPods will be off-limits to millions of European users when it arrives next week, with strict EU regulations likely holding back its rollout.
Apple says on its feature availability webpage that "Apple Intelligence: Live Translation with AirPods" won't be available if both the user is physically in the EU and their Apple Account region is in the EU....
Apple continues to phase out the physical SIM card tray on iPhones, with the latest models relying solely on eSIM technology in more countries.
The new iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max support eSIMs only in these countries and regions, according to Apple:
Bahrain
Canada
Guam
Japan
Kuwait
Mexico
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
Un...
iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air pre-orders began at 5 a.m. Pacific Time in the U.S. and many other countries today. If you have yet to place a pre-order, you might face a longer wait now, depending on your desired configuration.
As of shortly after 6 a.m. Pacific Time today, nearly all iPhone 17 Pro Max configurations on Apple's online store in the U.S. are facing ...
Apple held its annual iPhone event on Tuesday, September 9, to unveil the iPhone 17, ultra-thin iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
All of the new iPhone models will be available to pre-order starting Friday, September 12 at 5 a.m. Pacific Time / 8 a.m. Eastern Time in the U.S. and dozens of other countries, according to Apple. The release date for the devices is one week...
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are still a year away, there are already a few rumors about the devices that offer an early look ahead.
If you are skipping the iPhone 17 Pro and want to know about what to expect from the iPhone 18 Pro models, we have recapped a few of the key rumors below.
Under-Screen Face ID
In April 2023, display industry analyst Ross Young shared a...
Apple today introduced the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Both devices feature a new aluminum unibody design, with the Ceramic Shield now protecting both the front and back sides. Apple says the front side is now Ceramic Shield 2, which offers 3x better scratch resistance, while the rear Ceramic Shield is advertised as 4x more resistant to cracks compared to the back glass on previous...
Wednesday September 10, 2025 3:53 pm PDT by
Juli CloverWith the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, Apple introduced a new design for the rear of the device. Instead of a camera bump, we now have a camera plateau that spans almost the entire back of the iPhone. The camera plateau houses an upgraded camera system that includes a revamped Telephoto lens.
All three of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cameras are 48 megapixels, and there are five zoom...
Apple has confirmed the battery capacities for the iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models that were announced earlier today.
Apple is required to publish energy labels on its iPhone product pages in the EU, and they reveal the official mAh battery capacities for the devices.
Here are the battery capacities for each model, according to Apple:
iPhone 17:...