Apple Watch includes storage space for adding content like apps, photos, and music, with up to some of that space dedicated to storing songs. When you add a playlist, you can listen to music on it, even when your iPhone is not in range. While the process is fairly self-explanatory, there are a few steps you don't want to forget in order to play music from Apple Watch to your Bluetooth connected headphones

Adding Music to Apple Watch

In order to listen to music on Apple Watch without an iPhone in range, you must sync a playlist to it first.

  1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch.
  2. Select Music from the list.
  3. Tap "Synced Playlist" to access your iPhone's playlist.
  4. Select a playlist from the list (if there is no playlist visible in this list, you will need to create one on your iPhone).
  5. Place your Apple Watch on its charger to initiate the sync. This step is important. Apple Watch will not sync a playlist if it has not been connected to the charger.

addingmusicapplewatch
You can customize your playlist limit here. Switch between the amount of storage or number of songs to change the view. Select 100 MB, 500 MB, 1.0 GB, or 2.0 GB of storage (or 15, 50, 125 or 250 songs). When you reach your maximum playlist limit, you won't be able to add more music.

To remove all playlists from Apple Watch, select "None" at the bottom of the Playlist screen.

Pairing Bluetooth Headphones

applewatchbluetoothpairingYou may be able to listen to music directly from Apple Watch, but only through Bluetooth headphones. Without them, music will only play through the iPhone.

  1. Put your headphones in Discovery mode.
  2. Open the Settings app on Apple Watch.
  3. Tap Bluetooth.
  4. Select the headphones you wish to pair.

Listening to Music on Apple Watch

There's one more important first step to listening to music directly on Apple Watch using Bluetooth headphones, and that involves changing the source for the music.

applewatchmusicsource

  1. Open the Music app on Apple Watch.
  2. Force press the display screen.
  3. Select "Source" from the options that appear.
  4. Choose Apple Watch as the music source to play from.
  5. Select a playlist and tap the Play button to begin listening to music.

You can also see how many songs are stored on your Apple Watch under the About section of the Settings app on the device.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Top Rated Comments

spotlight07 Avatar
137 months ago
This is a less complete article than on Apple's website.

I would like to suggest a how to article on how to remove how to articles from my newsfeed.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JCrz Avatar
137 months ago
Tomorrow on MacRumors: How to Use Your Car's Sunroof
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
137 months ago
Tomorrow on MacRumors: How to Use Your Car's Sunroof

Too advanced. How to unlock your car door.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
myrtlebee Avatar
137 months ago
I think these how-to articles are great. Not eveyone wants to dig around Google and Apple's website to find things like this. These are great for MacRumors because they help keep people on MacRumors once they're here instead of going elsewhere for this info. And the information is presented in an aesthetically-pleasing way. I do agree, however, with the posters who suggest a setting to disable notification of how-to articles for those who are not interested.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MentalFloss Avatar
137 months ago
Okay I'm getting a little bored with the Apple Watch now. Please stop publishing stories about it. It's a gadget for the super rich, I get it.

Thanks! I love being called "super rich"!

My colleague just bought a car that cost a hundred times more than my Apple Watch, and he has to pay quite a lot of money each month to fill it up with the rather expensive remains of unreplaceable million-year-old biomass. Not to mention the fact that the moment he left the dealership with the car, it lost the eqivalent of five Apple Watches in value, and it continues to lose value quickly.

If I, as an Apple Watch owner, am considered "super rich", then what do people call someone who can urinate that much money down the drain within the blink of an eye?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ballis Avatar
137 months ago
Its hard to imagine anyone buying an Apple watch not carrying an iPhone, so why even bother?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

streaming black friday 2025

Black Friday Streaming Deals Include Big Savings on Disney+, Hulu, Apple TV, and More

Monday November 24, 2025 8:03 am PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 27 Will Reportedly Have Two Key Upgrades

Sunday November 23, 2025 8:48 am PST by
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features. Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 18 Pro Looks Like a Huge Upgrade

Friday November 21, 2025 9:10 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
General Black Friday Deals 25 Red

Apple Black Friday Deals Available Now on AirPods, iPads, Accessories, and More

Friday November 21, 2025 8:48 am PST by
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
apple news banner

Apple News Loses CNN

Monday November 24, 2025 7:56 am PST by
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports. CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...