How to Add, Remove, and Manage Music on Your Apple Watch

Part 1. How to Add Music to 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.

Method 1: Add Music Manually

Add Music Directly from Your Apple Watch

Step 1 Press the Digital Crown to go to the Home screen, then tap the Music app.

Step 2 Browse your Library, check Listen Now, or tap the Search icon at the bottom to find the songs, albums, or playlists you want.

Step 3 Tap an album or playlist, scroll down, and tap the three-dot (•••) menu. Tap Add to Library to save it to your Apple ID library.

Step 4 To listen offline, open the three-dot menu again and select Download. A cloud icon with a downward arrow shows the download progress.

Add Music via the iPhone Watch App

Step 1 Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch at the bottom.

Step 2 Scroll down and tap Music, then under Playlists & Albums, tap Add Music.

Step 3 Browse your library and tap the Add (+) button next to each album or playlist you want to sync.

Step 4 Keep your Apple Watch near your iPhone while syncing. You can check progress directly in the Music app on your watch.

Method 2: Add Music Automatically

Step 1 In the Watch app, go to My Watch > Music.

Step 2 Under Playlists & Albums, turn on Automatically Add Music.

Step 3 Your watch will now keep these selections updated without needing to add new music manually. Newly added items appear in Library > Recently Added on your watch.

Part 2. How to Download Music to Apple Watch for Offline Listening

Offline music is great when you don't have your iPhone nearby. Keep in mind that songs take up space—one song is small, but playlists can use a lot of storage. I usually download only the playlists I need for workouts or travel and avoid downloading individual tracks.

Method 1: Official Downloads

Download Music via iPhone Watch App

Step 1 Open the Watch app on your iPhone.

Step 2 Add music to your Apple Watch using the steps in Part 1.

Step 3 Music will download automatically when your watch is charging and near your iPhone.

Step 4 You can check download progress in the Music app on your watch.

Download Music Directly on the Watch

Step 1 Open the Music app on your watch.

Step 2 Browse to the album or playlist you want, tap the three-dot (•••) menu, and select Download.

Step 3 Download full albums or playlists rather than individual tracks for easier management.

Method 2: ViWizard Apple Music Converter

For more flexibility and full control of offline listening on Apple Watch, ViWizard Apple Music Converter allows you to convert your favorite tracks to MP3. Once downloaded, you can sync them to your iPhone, access them in the Downloaded section, and transfer them to your watch.

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

Step 1 Download and install a trusted Apple Music converter on your computer. When you open it, sign in with the same Apple ID you use for Apple Music to access your library, including playlists and albums.

Step 2 Go to the settings and choose MP3 as the output format. You can also adjust bitrate or sample rate for higher-quality audio.

Step 3 Browse your library in the converter and select the songs, albums, or playlists you want to save. Add them to the conversion list, then click Convert to create DRM-free MP3 files.

Step 4 After conversion, open the output folder on your computer. Launch iTunes (or the Music app on Mac) and import the MP3 files. Connect your iPhone via USB and sync the tracks.

Step 5 Once synced, check the Downloaded section on your iPhone. Your music is ready for offline listening and can also sync to your Apple Watch for workouts or travel.

Part 3. How to Play Music on Apple Watch

Playing music on your Apple Watch is easy. Open the Music or Spotify app and find your playlists or albums. You can play, pause, skip songs, or adjust the volume right from your wrist. I often use Bluetooth headphones or a speaker at home. Controlling music from your watch makes listening convenient without touching your iPhone.

Step 1 Pair Bluetooth headphones by opening Settings > Bluetooth on your watch, then select your device.

Step 2 Open the Music app, go to Library > Downloaded, or browse Albums / Playlists and tap a song or playlist to start playing.

Step 3 Use the on-screen controls: Play/Pause, skip forward/backward, or rotate the Digital Crown to adjust volume. Swipe left for additional options like Shuffle or Repeat.

Part 4. How to Remove Music from Apple Watch

If you need to free up space, you can remove music. You can delete specific items manually, remove automatically synced music, or erase all downloaded songs at once. Removing music via your iPhone only deletes the tracks from your watch, not your iPhone. Once removed, you'll have more space for new tracks or apps.

Method 1: Remove Specific Albums or Playlists Manually

Remove Downloads Directly on the Watch

Step 1 Open Music app > Library > Downloaded.

Step 2 Tap 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

Step 1 Open Watch app > My Watch > Music.

Step 2 Tap Edit in the upper-right corner. Tap the red Minus (–) button next to the albums or playlists you want to remove, then confirm deletion.

Method 2: Remove 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.

Method 3: Remove 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 5. How to Check Apple Watch Storage After Removing Music

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. I often check this before adding new music so I know I have enough room.

Check Storage Directly on the Watch

Step 1 Press the Digital Crown > Settings > General > Storage.

Step 2 Here, you can see how much storage is used by music, apps, and other data.

Check Storage via iPhone Watch App

Step 1 Open Watch app > My Watch > General > Storage.

Step 2 You'll see a breakdown of storage usage, including music, apps, and system data.