Spotify is beta-testing an app for the Apple Watch—the first of its kind, in the hopes that it will give the music streaming service an edge with Apple users.
Previously, Spotify had no official application for the Apple Watch, leaving its more than 190 million users with little choice but to pull their phone out if they wanted to skip a track. This gave Apple Music, with over 50 million users, a strong hold on Apple Watch owners.
Now, with Spotify’s beta application, users can shuffle music, choose from recently played tunes, control what’s playing, and access Spotify Connect, which chooses the playing device. The application does not have offline support, however, according to a user who shared their experience on Reddit.
Before this beta, Apple Watch users came close to getting Spotify access through a third-party app called Snowy, created when developer Andrew Chang got tired of waiting for Spotify to release their own official app. Snowy was going to allow Spotify users to sync their playlists with their watch and allow offline music, but Spotify teamed up with Chang in April last year, taking his project in-house.
It’s uncertain when Spotify will release the official app, but the company is currently recruiting beta testers who will get early access.