YouTube Music for Wear OS simply lets you download songs and playlists to your watch for on-the-go listening without your phone. Useful for exercising, this capability has been non-existent on the platform following the deprecation of Google Play Music.
The app is primarily a long list split into “Downloads,” “Recommended,” and “Library.” The first section can include your “Offline Mixtape,” “Your Likes,” and “Discover Mix.” This is followed by playlist suggestions, while “Settings” is located at the very bottom where you can select how many songs are stored. Once playback is initiated, you can swipe left for Now Playing controls, which lets you like/unlike tracks.
A “Smart Downloads” feature, just like on mobile, will refresh what’s cached on your wearable when you’re connected to Wi-Fi and charging. A monthly YouTube Music Premium subscription is required.
YouTube Music’s expansion to Wear OS 2 is starting this week for Fossil and Michael Kors Gen 6 devices, as well as the Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 3 GPS, TicWatch Pro 3 Cellular/LTE, and TicWatch E3. The common denominator here is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear 4100 or 4100+ chipset.
Fortunately, older watches, including those running the 3100, will get YouTube Music “later this year.”
Once your device is eligible, YouTube Music will be available to download in the Google Play Store. Learn more about how to get started with YouTube Music on Wear OS here.
This decision to expand YouTube Music’s availability comes as the Wear OS 3 upgrade for existing devices is not set to arrive until mid-2022. Many people would have been locked out of YouTube Music without today’s move. It’s the right call by Google to ensure subscribers stay satisfied and the platform remains feature-rich.