Spotify premium users sporting a Pixel Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch or one of a host of other Wear OS smartwatches just got a handy update that’ll allow them to download songs to their wearables with greater ease, the company said in an Instagram post June 13.

The update allows customers to use the Spotify app on their phones to send song downloads to their smartwatches, tablets and desktops. Previously, song downloads had to be done on the wearable itself, a fairly clunky process. For runners, having songs saved locally on a smartwatch means they can still listen to music via Bluetooth headphones without needing to carry a smartphone on runs. Users can also use the Spotify app on their phones to manage their song library on various devices. This feature is limited to five devices.

A representative for Spotify directed CNET to the press release on the change.

Spotify is the world’s most popular music streaming service, with over 30% market share according to Statista. It dwarfs competing streaming platforms such as Tencent Music, Apple Music, Amazon and YouTube Music. 

Despite Spotify’s global popularity and Android being the most popular mobile operating system in the world, this update comes years after that of the competing Apple Watch, which received offline downloads back in 2021. This is likely because Wear OS, Google’s wearable operating system, was languishing for years without proper support, with Samsung opting to develop its own wearable operating system during Google’s hiatus. 

Google eventually got back into the game with the launch of the Pixel Watch in 2022. As a result, Samsung, OnePlus, Mobvoi and TAG Heuer and others have all released Wear OS smartwatches. 

While the Apple Watch remains the most popular smartwatch in the world, it’s been losing market share. According to Counterpoint Research, Apple currently has only a 20% global market share. That’s largely due to the dominance of HarmonyOS in China, an Android fork that powers Huawei smartwatches. 

The market outside of China paints a different picture. Apple’s WatchOS had a projected 49% market share, with Wear OS gaining ground with 27% in 2024, according to Counterpoint Research. The increasing popularity of Wear OS smartwatches is potentially why Spotify decided to roll out more improvements for greater feature parity. 

How to download songs to Pixel Watch or Galaxy Watch devices with Spotify

• Find the playlist, album or podcast episode you want to download on your phone and tap the three dots (…) to open the options menu.

• Select “Download to other devices” and pick your chosen device from the list.

• Once playlists, albums, or podcasts are downloaded, you’ll notice a green arrow appear next to the device name.

• Head to your device and start listening!