Can Wear OS play music?
Wear OS is Google’s smartwatch operating system designed to run on watches from various manufacturers like Fossil, Mobvoi, and Samsung. It evolved from Google’s previous Android Wear OS and aims to provide a seamless experience between your watch and Android phone. With Wear OS, users can get notifications, track fitness and health metrics, access Google Assistant, and more right from their wrist.
When it comes to music playback capabilities, Wear OS provides users options to stream music from their phone, from streaming services, or download music directly to the watch for offline listening. Features like Google Play Music and YouTube Music integration allow you to control playback of synced content. There are also third-party apps that enhance music functionality.
In this article, we’ll take a deeper look at the music playback capabilities of Wear OS smartwatches. We’ll examine if and how you can play audio through both streaming sources and local storage on the watch itself.
Wear OS Basics
Wear OS is Google’s wearable operating system designed for smartwatches and other wearable devices. It was first announced in 2014 under the name Android Wear before being rebranded to Wear OS in 2018. The operating system is designed to work with both Android and iOS smartphones via Bluetooth connectivity.
Some of the core features of Wear OS include:
- Notifications – Get notifications from your smartphone apps directly on your wrist.
- Apps – Access many popular apps optimized for your wrist like Google Maps, Uber, and more.
- Fitness Tracking – Track steps, calories, heart rate and more using Google Fit.
- Google Assistant – Get help from the Google Assistant AI on your wrist.
- Payments – Make payments using Google Pay.
- Music – Store music locally or control phone playback.
Wear OS aims to deliver core smartwatch functionality like notifications and tracking while also enabling a wide variety of apps and capabilities. It powers watches from various manufacturers like Fossil, Mobvoi, and Samsung.
Playing Music Locally
One way to play music on Wear OS watches is by storing audio files directly on the watch. Wear OS supports downloading music files and audio apps so you can listen to music without needing your paired phone nearby. This allows you to play audio even when you don’t have an internet connection.
To save music locally, you can transfer files from your computer to the watch’s storage using a file explorer app or connect the watch to your computer via USB. You can also download music files directly on the watch using apps like Google Play Music or Spotify.
Once you have music stored on the watch, you can use the built-in music apps like Google Play Music or third-party apps to play the audio files. The interface is optimized for small touchscreens, allowing you to browse, play, pause, skip tracks, adjust volume, etc. This makes it easy to listen to music during workouts without having your phone.
The amount of storage space available determines how many songs you can save locally. Most Wear OS watches have around 4-8GB of usable storage. Lower-cost models may have less capacity. So you may need to rotate your offline music selection depending on your storage limit.
Streaming from Phone
One of the most useful features of Wear OS is the ability to pair your watch with your phone via Bluetooth and remotely control music playback. This allows you to stream audio from music apps on your phone directly to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones connected to your Wear OS watch.
After pairing your phone and watch via the Wear OS app, you can use watch apps like Google Play Music to browse and play songs, albums, playlists, and podcasts from your phone’s library. The audio will stream from the phone over Bluetooth to your watch and play through the watch speaker or connected Bluetooth headphones.
This untethers you from your phone when working out or on the go. You can leave your phone in your pocket or bag and control audio playback right from your wrist. Most streaming apps on Android phones will work this way when paired with Wear OS.
The streaming functionality works for both local audio files on your phone as well as streaming apps like Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music etc. Just launch the app on your watch after pairing and you’ll be able to browse and play audio from your phone seamlessly.
Streaming Services
You can stream music on Wear OS smartwatches through various streaming apps and services like Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, and SoundCloud. These apps need to be installed separately on your watch through the Play Store or sideloaded if not available.
Streaming music requires an internet connection, either WiFi or cellular data if your watch is LTE-enabled. The audio quality will depend on the strength of your connection. Music may buffer or downgrade quality if you have a weak or unstable connection.
With a good WiFi or LTE connection, streaming services can deliver high quality audio comparable to listening on your phone. But reliability depends on maintaining that connection, so streaming works best when you are within range of a stable network.
Audio Quality
The audio quality when streaming directly from the Wear OS watch is limited by the smaller watch speakers. According to users on Reddit, “The audio quality is low while streaming from Bluetooth or lte but the audio quality gets high when you are streaming from downloads or wifi.” (Source).
To improve audio quality, it’s recommended to use Bluetooth headphones or speakers. As noted on the Spotify community forums, “Open Spotify on your Phone. Go to Settings. Set all Audio Quality options to Very High (WiFi streaming/ Cellular streaming/ Download).” Then stream to Bluetooth for better quality. (Source). The larger drivers in headphones and speakers can provide a fuller sound than the small watch speakers.
Offline Playback
One of the key features of Wear OS for music is the ability to download playlists for offline listening [1]. This allows you to listen to music on your smartwatch even when you don’t have an internet connection on the watch and your phone isn’t nearby. Apps like NavMusic allow you to transfer music files to your Wear OS watch and play them directly from the watch storage [2].
The main limitation for offline playback is the storage capacity on Wear OS watches. Most Wear OS watches have 4-8GB of storage, which allows you to store a decent number of songs/playlists, but you won’t be able to fit your entire music library on the watch. So you have to be selective about which playlists and albums you want available for offline listening.
New Features
Google has been working to improve the music experience on Wear OS watches. With the latest Wear OS 3 update, Google added support for downloading playlists for offline listening and the ability to control playback speeds.[1]
In addition, streaming services like Deezer and Spotify are releasing dedicated Wear OS apps to provide better streaming integration on smartwatches. Deezer recently launched a Wear OS 3 app with an improved interface and support for offline listening.[2] This allows users to download playlists directly to their watch and listen without a phone connection.
Streaming services adopting Wear OS will make it easier for users to access music subscriptions right from their wrist. With offline playback and speed control already supported in Wear OS 3, streaming apps stand to provide a robust music experience comparable to phones.
Limitations
Wear OS lacks a built-in, native music player app. Users must rely on third party apps or music controls connected to their smartphone in order to play local music files directly on the Wear OS smartwatch. This can be inconvenient compared to platforms like watchOS that include the Apple Music app.
Additionally, Wear OS has lacked support for some popular music streaming services. For example, it took years for YouTube Music to become available on Wear OS, only launching in 2021. Support for Spotify was also limited initially. Streaming services may be slow to build dedicated apps for Wear OS given its smaller market share compared to Apple Watch.
Conclusion
In summary, Wear OS provides a decent music playback experience directly on the watch. Users can store music locally on the watch and listen via Bluetooth headphones, or stream from an Android phone or online music services like YouTube Music. This allows you to go for a run or workout without needing to bring your phone.
The main advantages are the convenience of untethered listening and controls right on your wrist. Storage capacity on Wear OS watches is limited, but enough for playlists or podcasts. Audio quality is fairly good. The biggest limitations are needing an Android phone for full functionality, and lack of support for some major services like Spotify.
Overall, while not as seamless as the Apple Watch, Wear OS provides solid capabilities for listening to music directly from your smartwatch. For Android users wanting untethered audio on the go, it’s a worthwhile option that provides freedom and convenience. The experience could be improved with more consistent support across music services, increased storage, and iPhone compatibility. But for most users’ basic needs, Wear OS handles music playback well enough to enjoy your favorite tunes on the move.