Spotify offline playback on Wear OS starts rolling out to some users

Free Spotify users will have some limitations, though.

Update, Aug 23 (5:00 p.m. ET): Some users already receiving new update

What you need to know

• Spotify is launching its Wear OS app update soon.
• The update will allow Spotify users to download playlists and podcasts for offline listening.
• The update will arrive on watches running Wear OS 2.0 and above, including the new Galaxy Watch 4.

Before Samsung launched the new Galaxy Watch 4, Spotify talked about launching an updated Wear OS app that will finally allow downloadable content for offline listening. Now that the Galaxy Watch 4 is official with Wear OS 3, Spotify is reaffirming its commitment to an improved app experience.

The company announced in a blog post on Wednesday that it was preparing to launch the updated app for Wear OS users. With the update, Spotify Premium listeners will be able to download playlists, albums, and podcasts to their watch to enjoy tunes without being tied to a Wi-Fi or LTE connection.

Free Spotify users will be more limited in their offline selection and can apparently only download podcasts, while everything else has to be streamed in shuffle mode through a data connection.

Users simply have to find the content they want and select "download to watch." There will be a download section in the app that will allow users to check the progress of the download. And similarly to how the Spotify app works on the best Android phones, downloaded content will appear with a green arrow next to it.

Bringing offline listening to Spotify has been a highly requested feature for Wear OS users for some time, especially when the feature is available on some of the best music players like Pandora. It will give users without an active data connection the ability to go on a run and bring their playlists with them. And with the Galaxy Watch 4's whopping 16GB of storage, there should be plenty of space to save favorites.

Spotify will join the upcoming YouTube Music app that's launching with the Galaxy Watch 4, offering Wear OS users the ability to download content.

The best part is that Spotify's update isn't limited to Wear OS 3 devices. Wear OS devices from Fossil, Mobvoi, Suunto, and more should see the new update arrive "over the coming weeks," so long as it runs Wear OS 2.0 and above.

Update, Aug 23 (5:00 p.m. ET) ― Spotify update rolling out to some users

Some users on Reddit have reported already receiving the new Spotify update. As seen in the image, the app includes an icon indicating that media is being played on the watch.

According to a user, the feature brings considerable battery drain and some overheating, although that may be device-dependent. Users have reported the update on some of the best Wear OS watches like the TicWatch Pro 3 and OPPO Watch.

The update appears to be rolling out in various countries, so if you haven't received it, it's only a matter of time.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

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