Spotify has announced an overhaul of its Spotify app for Android Wear OS, bringing new features that fans have been wanting for ages.
The update now allows users to access Recently Played playlists, artists, albums and more.
The app now supports Spotify Connect, which means you can stream music from your watch to nearby speakers and computers. The company has also announced offline storage and playback for the app, but that update won’t be coming until November alongside a new generation of Fossil and Michael Kors smartwatches.
The new Spotify app will come auto-installed on all Fossil Gen 4 and Michael Kors Access Runway smartwatches when they debut later in November.
Spotify says the overhauled Wear OS app is currently rolling out to smartwatch users and should be completed within a week (give or take a few days). I’ve got a second generation Moto 360 Sport and can’t seem to install the app, so the roll-out appears to be selective for now. Early reports from those who have received the update say the experience is still kind of buggy.
You still cannot select specific songs through the watch interface, which is a feature Android Wear users have been asking to do for a while.
Android Wear owners who want to experience the new update can check to see if it is available to them by opening the current Spotify app on your device. The app will prompt you to update it, and once complete, you’ll have access to the new interface and Spotify Connect features.
The offline playback feature won’t be available until November, unfortunately.
This update is a much-needed refresh of an essential app for Wear OS, which Google seems to have abandoned. There was no mention of smartwatches or other accessories at the most recent Pixel event earlier this month.