YouTube Music gets simple Apple Watch app before Wear OS client

Abner Li | Oct 13 2020 - 12:08 pm PT

To follow a big Android TV update yesterday, Google has just released an Apple Watch app for YouTube Music. It provides basic playback controls and browsing of what’s on your phone.

The Apple Watch app is rolling out with version 3.88 of YouTube Music. Modeled after the default Apple Music experience, it starts with your 11 most recent playlists, albums, songs, and artists as cover art. Tapping starts playback on your phone immediately.

Scrolling all the way to the back will reveal two items: Now Playing and Library. There you can access Last played, Downloads, Playlists, Albums, Songs, Artists, and Subscriptions. Each item opens a dense list that’s easier to scroll through.

Now Playing uses album artwork as a background with controls for play/pause and move skip/repeat. You can also “thumbs up” and open a list of Cast devices, while the digital crown controls volume and there is a circular progress indicator at the center of the screen.

There is also complication support to provide quick access to Now Playing. Not all sizes/watch faces are available. The most basic one just shows a YT Music icon, while another displays the current song and artist name.

This app does not provide offline access to songs or streaming. Your iPhone must be near you for this remote controller to work

Version 3.88 of YouTube Music for Apple Watch is now available in the App Store. A paid YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium subscription is required with Apple Watch Series 3 running watchOS 6 (or newer) required.

It comes before an equivalent Wear OS client, though Google has promised one to replace Google Play Music and provided an update with this announcement: