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 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

spotlight07 Avatar
126 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
126 months ago
Tomorrow on MacRumors: How to Use Your Car's Sunroof
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
126 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
126 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
126 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
126 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

Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.3 Coming Soon: Here's What's New

Monday January 13, 2025 5:33 am PST by
iOS 18.3 is currently in beta for developers and public beta testers. So far, the upcoming iPhone software update is very minor in scope. Below, we outline what is new in iOS 18.3 so far. The only potential new feature coming to iPhones with iOS 18.3 so far is robot vacuum support in the Home app, but this functionality is not yet live. Apple is laying the groundwork for the feature,...
new magsafe charger

Apple Releases Updated MagSafe Charger Firmware

Tuesday January 14, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the 25W MagSafe Charger that is compatible with the iPhone 12 and later and the latest AirPods and Apple Watch models. The updated firmware is version 2A143, up from the 2A138 firmware that the accessory shipped with. In the Settings app, you'll see a different version number than the internal firmware number. The 2024 MagSafe charger was...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Wednesday January 15, 2025 7:16 am PST by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the "ultra-thin" device. Overall, the "iPhone 17 Air" is shaping up to be a mixed bag. Due to its thinness, the device is expected to have some limited specifications compared to the iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, only a single speaker, no SIM...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
severance new york promo 1

Apple Promotes Severance Season 2 Premiere With Lumon Industries Pop-Up and Visits From Actors

Tuesday January 14, 2025 3:47 pm PST by
Ahead of the season two premiere of hit TV show Severance, Apple is marketing the show with a fun Severance pop-up at the Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Apple has assembled a glass cube with workstations that are identical to the setups that Lumon employees use on the show, complete with employees "working," doing yoga, playing catch, throwing paper airplanes, sipping coffee, and...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
General Apps Messages Redux

Phishing Attacks Use This Simple Trick to Defeat iPhone Message Security

Monday January 13, 2025 6:11 am PST by
A new social engineering tactic is being used by cybercriminals to trick iPhone users into disabling iMessage's built-in phishing protection, in a bid to expose them to malicious links and scams, according to BleepingComputer. The scam exploits a security feature in iMessage that automatically disables links from unknown senders. Apple told the outlet that when users reply to these messages...