Google has officially launched YouTube Music on the Wear OS operating system, which makes it easy to stream music from the platform on your watch no matter where you are in the world. And unlike the iOS version of the app, this one lets you listen to your favorite tunes over Wi-Fi and LTE without being connected to your phone. It’s also really easy to set up and start using, so you can get back to jamming out to your heart’s content. Here’s how to listen to YouTube Music on your Wear OS watch now! How to Listen to YouTube Music on Your Wear OS Watch Even Without Wi-Fi
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The new update
With version 2.6 of Google Play Music for Android and iOS now rolling out, you can use your watch as a standalone device without your phone nearby. The only catch is that you’ll need an LTE or Bluetooth connection. If you’re at home, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem—and if you don’t have either option available, there are still ways to stream music over Wi-Fi (more on that below).
The old way
As of today, you can no longer listen to your favorite tunes without a connection. Google has cut off access for both LTE and Wi-Fi users who want to stream from their watch. Luckily there is a solution so that you can continue listening to all of your favorite music even if your phone doesn’t have a connection or you’re on the go. To do so, simply open up YouTube Music on your watch, tap Library in the top right corner, select Offline Library and then select Add Offline Songs. Next, find a song that you want to add offline by either tapping it directly or selecting it from another playlist. After selecting a song, tap Add To Offline List at the bottom of your screen and you will be able to listen to it at any time without having an internet connection. This works with playlists as well! Once you add songs to your offline library they will stay until you remove them yourself or until you run out of storage space on your watch. If you ever need more room for offline songs then simply clear some out using our guide below!
Should you do it?
Will Wear OS become smart enough to recognize your voice and trigger music playback without you needing to do anything? Probably not. But with just a few small tweaks in settings, it’s now easy enough for anyone using Android’s wearables platform to listen to YouTube Music on their wrist. You can do so even if you don’t have a watch with LTE or even if you don’t have a watch at all—and that makes it worth doing. Here’s how
Is this the only option?
If you’re on a cellular connection and don’t have access to Wi-Fi, but still want to stream YouTube music videos—you may be out of luck. There are third party apps available in Google Play that will let you download playlists for offline use, but they come with a pretty hefty price tag.
What about offline downloads?
If you’re interested in listening to your tunes without a data connection, it’s not too difficult—YouTube just made it easier. The company has added an offline feature for users of its Google Play Music app and standalone Wear OS music app.
New ways to listen
The most significant addition in version 2.6 of Google Play Music for Android and iOS is that you can now save music for offline listening. That’s not just for mobile devices—you can download tunes directly to your smartwatch too, provided it’s a Wear OS model. However, that feature isn’t available in all countries yet; here in North America you will be able to download select albums and playlists (for offline listening only) starting today.
