Spotify Problems On Apple Watch? 3 Known Issues (Solved)

Spotify is one of many streaming services compatible with the Apple Watch device, perfect for anyone who wants to listen to Spotify while freeing up their hands.

Of course, Apple is also responsible for Apple Music, one of Spotify’s biggest competitors, so it’s natural to wonder if there are problems when mixing and matching like that.

But it is possible to use this particular combination of device and app together, and today we’re going to go over some of the most common problems that might arise when you do so.

Spotify Tends to Crash on Apple Watch

One problem we’ve seen reported repeatedly by users is that the Apple Watch and the Apple Watch app don’t seem entirely compatible with the Spotify app.

Specifically, users report that their watch is working fine, as is the Apple Watch app, and they can do everything they should be able to, with the exception of using Spotify. 

While the Apple Watch otherwise appears to be working normally, and the user may have no trouble with Spotify used on other devices, combining Spotify and Apple Watch results in a crash.

The way this usually seems to manifest is that everything will be going fine until you tap on the Spotify app.

When you do so, the app will immediately crash.

If you’re lucky, it will only be the Spotify app specifically that crashes, so every time you try to open it on your Apple Watch, Spotify just immediately closes before it fully opens.

If you’re less lucky, trying to open it causes the Apple Watch app or even the watch itself to crash and require restarting.

• It’s recommended you uninstall and reinstall both the Apple Watch and Spotify apps to try and resolve the issue.
• Additionally, make sure both apps are updated to their latest versions.
• If that doesn’t work, a full factory reset is recommended.

Unfortunately, some users report that they still have the problem even after a full reset, in which case your only recourse is to contact customer service.

Limited Functionality without Wi-Fi

Another rather irksome issue that arises when you use Spotify on an Apple Watch is the limited functionality you’ll experience whenever you don’t have Wi-Fi access.

As long as you have some form of internet connection, be it Wi-Fi or mobile data, you should be able to easily swap playlists and generally control your experience how you’d expect.

However, the moment you lose connection, even if you are a paid Premium subscriber and have downloaded your music for offline listening, you’ll suddenly have very limited control.

Specifically, you won’t be able to switch playlists, for some reason.

Even if you, say, have multiple playlists downloaded for offline listening, and are listening to one of them when you lose connection, you won’t be able to swap to any of the others.

The issue is worst for users with the GPS models of Apple Watch, which do not have mobile data and can only connect to the internet via Wi-Fi.

Users of such watches might download as much music as possible before, say, going for a run, secure in the knowledge that the music is stored locally and should be readily available.

However, they’ll be in for a nasty shock when they leave Wi-Fi range and suddenly find they’re stuck on whatever playlist they were already listening to and can’t swap to anything else.

Even for users of the Apple Watch models which feature cellular internet connection, you’re not completely safe from experiencing this issue.

If you live in a remote area or take your exercise walks anywhere with spotty cellular coverage, you could run into this problem with a cellular Apple Watch too.

To add insult to injury, it gets even worse if your Apple Watch or Apple Watch app happens to crash while you’re without a connection.

If you experience a crash and do not have an internet connection when you start it back up, user have reported that your Spotify playlists will be empty.

This seems to have even when you have downloaded the music yourself and know for a fact that it’s there on local storage. For some reason, it will display as empty after a crash until you connect to the internet.

Sadly, there is no fix for this issue, as it seems to be a design flaw rather than a bug.

Re-installing the app and restarting your watch is probably your best trouble-shooting option at this point.

Please also check out our article about whether Garmin Watches have accurate GPS.

Spotify Downloads stuck “Loading”

Another common complaint from users of Spotify on the Apple Watch device is that they cannot successfully complete a music download for offline listening.

This issue generally takes the form of a user attempting to download a playlist onto their Apple Watch through Spotify, and the download getting inexplicably stuck.

It might appear to be working fine at first but get stuck after the first song.

That is to say, you’ll see it download a song, then you’ll see it say “1 song downloaded,” and then that message is all you’ll see; it’ll stay stuck there indefinitely.

Alternately, you might just see a screen that says “loading,” and that’s it.

Either way, regardless of the specific message you see onscreen, the point is that the download will never complete, even if you leave it sitting there for hours.

There are a couple of potential fixes for this issue.

• First of all, you should make sure your Apple Watch app and Spotify app are both updated to the most recent version.
• Turn off mobile data, if your watch has it, and try completing the download on just Wi-Fi. For some users, the download fails to complete on mobile data but works over Wi-Fi.
• You can also try to force it by using airplane mode.
  1. Specifically, you should start the download normally, then turn airplane mode on.
  2. Then, close the application and re-open it.
  3. Finally, turn airplane mode off; leave mobile data off as well, but Wi-Fi on.
  4. With any luck, the download will resume and then complete normally.

If you’re not so lucky and have tried all our tips, you should probably contact customer service at this point.

General Pros and Cons of Using Spotify on Apple Watch

Pros

• The Apple Watch allows hands-free use of Spotify while you work, exercise, or do anything else that requires your attention.
• If you have Spotify Premium, you can download playlists to your Apple Watch for offline listening.
• Even Spotify Free users can conveniently stream music to their Apple Watch through their smartphone.

Cons

• The Spotify app frequently crashes when used on an Apple Watch.
• Even with a Spotify Premium account, Apple Watch playback functionality is limited if you lose your internet connection for any reason.
• Downloads of Spotify playlists for offline listening on an Apple Watch often fail to complete.

Sources

Spotify Not Working on Apple Watch?