If you already use Apple devices, you may have noticed how easily they work together. Apple Music is a great example of this. With an Apple Watch, you do not always need to take out your iPhone to play your favorite songs. You can use your watch to access your music wherever you go.
Apple Music on Apple Watch lets you stream millions of songs or download music for offline listening. Whether you are working out, going for a walk, or heading out without your phone, you can keep your music with you. As long as your Apple Watch has Wi-Fi or cellular service, or your songs are downloaded in advance, you can listen even when your iPhone is not nearby.
So, how do you play Apple Music on Apple Watch without an iPhone? In this guide, we will show you how to set up and use Apple Music on your Apple Watch step by step.
Part 1. How to Set Up Apple Music on Apple Watch
Before using Apple Music on your Apple Watch, install the Music app and make sure you have:
- Apple Watch Series 3 or later
- watchOS 2.2 or later and iOS 10.0 or later (watchOS 6.1 or later is required for streaming over LTE or Wi-Fi without your iPhone nearby)
- An iPhone paired with your Apple Watch
- The same Apple Account signed in on both devices
- An active Apple Music subscription
- Sync Library turned on
1.1Install the Music App Directly on Apple Watch
If your Apple Watch supports standalone app downloads, open the App Store on your watch, search for Music, and tap Get or Download. After installation, open the app and sign in with your Apple Account if needed.
01Press the Digital Crown to open the Home screen, then tap App Store.
02Tap Search, enter Music, and select the Music app.
03Tap Get to download and install the app on your Apple Watch.
04Open the Music app and sign in with the Apple Account linked to your Apple Music subscription if prompted.
1.2Install the Music App from iPhone
You can also install Apple Music through your paired iPhone. Open the Watch app, go to My Watch, find Music in the Available Apps section, and tap Install.
01Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch.
02Scroll down to the Available Apps section.
03Find Music and tap Install.
04Wait for the app to appear on your Apple Watch.
Part 2. How to Sync Apple Music to Apple Watch
After setting up Apple Music, you can sync songs, albums, and playlists to your Apple Watch. You can add music directly from your watch or manage synced content through the Watch app on your iPhone.
Make sure your watch is paired with your iPhone, both devices use the same Apple Account, and Sync Library is enabled. Apple Watch supports up to 2 GB of synced music, which is about 250 songs.
2.1Add Music Manually
Add Apple Music Directly from Your Apple Watch
Open the Music app on your Apple Watch, find a song, album, or playlist, tap the More (•••) button, and select Add to Library.
01Press the Digital Crown to open the Home screen, then tap the Music app.
02Browse Library, check Listen Now, or tap Search to find the songs, albums, or playlists you want.
03Tap an album or playlist, tap the More (•••) button, and select Add to Library.
Add Apple Music from iPhone
Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to My Watch > Music > Playlists & Albums, tap Add Music, and select the content you want to sync.
01Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch.
02Scroll down and tap Music, then tap Add Music under Playlists & Albums.
03Browse your library and tap the Add (+) button next to each album or playlist you want to sync.
04Keep your Apple Watch near your iPhone while syncing. You can check the progress in the Music app on your watch.
2.2Add Music Automatically
01Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch > Music.
02Turn on Automatically Add Music under Playlists & Albums.
03Your Apple Watch will automatically update these selections. Newly added items appear in Library > Recently Added on your watch.
Part 3. How to Stream Apple Music on Apple Watch
Apple Music can be streamed directly from your Apple Watch without having your iPhone nearby. Open the Music app, choose a song, album, playlist, or station, and tap Play.
On supported models, your watch can stream music through Wi-Fi or cellular data, giving you access to the Apple Music catalog without storing songs locally.
Since streaming requires an internet connection, playback may be affected by weak signals or limited data. If you often listen offline, downloading songs is a better option.
01Press the Digital Crown to open the Home screen, then tap the Music app.
02Browse Listen Now or Library, or tap Search to find the music you want.
03Tap a song, album, or playlist to start playback.
04Use the controls to pause, skip songs, or adjust the volume.
Part 4. How to Download Apple Music Songs to Apple Watch for Offline Listening
You can download Apple Music songs to your Apple Watch for offline listening during workouts, travel, or other situations without internet access.
Songs can be downloaded through the official Music app or saved as regular audio files with a music converter. However, Apple Music downloads are protected by FairPlay DRM, so they can only be played within Apple Music and cannot be used with other apps or devices.
4.1Download Apple Music Songs with the Apple Music App
To listen offline, download songs to your Apple Watch first. Open the Music app on your watch or use the Watch app on your iPhone. Find a song, album, or playlist, tap the More (…) button, and choose the download option.
This method works well for offline listening on Apple Watch, but the downloads remain limited to Apple Music because of DRM restrictions.
Download Apple Music Directly on Apple Watch
01Open the Music app on your Apple Watch.
02Browse to the album or playlist you want, tap the More (•••) button, and select Download.
03Download full albums or playlists instead of individual tracks for easier management.
Download Apple Music from iPhone
01Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch > Music.
02Add music to your Apple Watch.
03Music will download automatically when your watch is charging and near your iPhone.
04Check the download progress in the Music app on your watch.
4.2Download Apple Music Songs with a Music Converter
Apple Watch also supports local music files, including purchased songs, imported tracks, and other audio files you own. Unlike Apple Music downloads, local files are not tied to a subscription or DRM restrictions.
A music converter like ViWizard Apple Music Converter can save Apple Music tracks as regular audio files, such as MP3 or FLAC. After conversion, you can add the files to your music library and sync compatible tracks to your Apple Watch. This option gives you more control over your collection and is useful for backups, organization, and listening across more devices.
Key Features of ViWizard Apple Music Converter
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- Convert Apple Music songs, albums, playlists, and artists into MP3 for easy access
- Preserve lossless audio, high-resolution lossless, and Dolby Atmos quality
- Strip DRM from Apple Music for unrestricted offline listening
- Save converted audio files while retaining full ID3 tag details
Part 5. How to Remove Apple Music from Apple Watch
Adding music to your Apple Watch is simple, and there are a few ways to do it. You can add music manually if you want certain songs or playlists, or let your watch automatically sync recently played music from your iPhone.
5.1Remove Specific Albums or Playlists Manually
Remove Downloads Directly on the Watch
01Open Music app > Library > Downloaded.
02Tap a playlist or album, scroll down to the three-dot (•••) menu, and select Remove. Avoid tapping Delete from Library unless you want it removed from all devices linked to your Apple ID.
Remove Specific Albums or Playlists via iPhone Watch App
01Open Watch app > My Watch > Music.
02Tap Edit in the upper-right corner. Tap the red Minus (–) button next to the albums or playlists you want to remove, then confirm deletion.
5.2Remove Automatically Added Music
In Music settings, scroll to Automatically Add and turn off the toggle for Recent Music. This stops future music from being added automatically.
5.3Remove All Downloaded Music at Once
To delete all music at once, unpair and reset your Apple Watch via Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
Part 6. How to Control Apple Music on Apple Watch from iPhone
When your iPhone is nearby, you can use your Apple Watch as a remote control for Apple Music. Open the Music app on your watch to control playback while your iPhone handles the music. You can play, pause, skip songs, and adjust the volume from your wrist without taking out your phone.
01Open the Music app on your Apple Watch.
02Tap the Now Playing screen.
03Use the controls to play, pause, skip songs, or adjust the volume.
04Turn the Digital Crown to change the volume.
Part 7. How to Control Apple Music on Apple Watch with Siri
Siri lets you control Apple Music on your Apple Watch with voice commands. Activate Siri with "Hey Siri," the Digital Crown, or the raise-to-speak feature on supported models. Ask Siri to play songs, artists, albums, playlists, or radio stations, or use it to pause music, skip tracks, and adjust the volume.
Part 8. How to Check Apple Watch Storage
It's helpful to see how much storage your music is using. Go to Settings > General > Storage on your Apple Watch to view a breakdown of space used by music and other apps.
8.1Check Apple Watch Storage Directly on Apple Watch
01Press the Digital Crown and open Settings > General > Storage.
02Check how much storage is used by music, apps, and other data.
8.2Check Apple Watch Storage from iPhone
01Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch > General > Storage.
02Check the storage breakdown, including music, apps, and system data.
Part 9. Conclusion
Apple Music is easy to use on Apple Watch once you set up the Music app, sync your songs, and choose how you want to listen. However, Apple Music downloads are protected by DRM and can only be played within the Apple Music app. If you want to play your songs on more devices, ViWizard Apple Music Converter can help convert them to common formats like MP3 and FLAC for offline listening anytime, anywhere.
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Adam Gorden, the digital media specialist at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing the best solutions for digital media management, including audio and video conversion, file optimization, and media workflow enhancements.
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