Announced during the Google Developer Keynote at Google I/O on May 18, Spotify on Wear OS will provide the ability to download music directly to Android smartwatches. According to Android Police, you’ll also be able to stream music directly from the smartwatch app. The new Spotify app has been built to act as a standalone application on your Android smartwatch. It won’t rely on connecting to the smartphone app, which means you don’t need to have your phone with you if you plan on listening to music while on the go. Based on the images shared during the session, the new Spotify Wear OS app will give you access to your entire library of music, including new playlists and podcasts. Additionally, you also can connect your wireless earbuds to a Wear OS-enabled smartwatch to listen directly from your watch. The new Spotify app for Wear OS also will allow you to switch between listening devices, similar to the controls already seen in the smartphone version. You can easily swap from listening on your watch to playing music on your kitchen speaker, or your computer. There’s no official release date for the new Spotify app, though Android Police expects it to launch around the same time as the next big update for Wear OS. This update is especially important, as it will mark the beginning of a new state for Wear OS, where the Google-owned operating system and Samsung’s Tizen come together to combine their best features. See all our coverage of Google I/O 2021 here.
