If you’re talking about true streaming WITHOUT your phone present the watch itself will need to have a cellular chip. The only watch that has that that I’m aware of is the Apple Watch 3 or 4. With it your can stream Apple Music but not sure about the other services.

There are other watches out there that you can download music to and then play without having your phone with you but sounds like you’re not interested in those.

The best option is to find some songs you like and download them to mp3. From there, you can load onto a watch (The garmin 645 supports 1000+ local MP3s). If you don't want to do that and use spotify, you will need to have LTE on a watch (like the Apple Watch) which requires a data plan from your cell provider.

Interestingly enough, I had this same desire but recently bought a 935 for racing which doesn't have music. I picked up a amazfit watch (either stratos or pace) for running with music and have been very happy with it. They're cheap, in the mid-$100 range. HR and GPS are fairly accurate, though garmin is certainly a step above in terms of accuracy.

Not that I would use it as my running watch.. . but fitbit ionic , I believe is the first to have an integration with pandora... it wlil take several hours of your pandora stations of choice and download it (similar to offline mode)

Not a watch, but Mighty : https://bemighty.com/products/mighty can handle spotify playlists

If you check some of comments/review on Amazon it mentions a way to do it. One extra step be doable. There is no technical reason this can't be done so it is just Garmin collecting some dollars from their music service partner albeit not one that is super popular.

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+1

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"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

Not only did you not answer the question asked, you gave wrong information to the question-not-asked. Good job.

Yea to me having to download songs from a computer is no better than just continuing to use an iPod Shuffle. So Pandora (my preferred service) has an Apple Watch app but can it not stream on a cellular Apple Watch without a phone? If it can’t, then what’s the point of a cellular watch?

I hear ya but that's a question for the Apple folks. There's probably not a technical reason why Spotify/Pandora wouldn't work but my guess is Apple has limited that functionality to it's own music service.

Just to be clear, I don't have an Apple Watch (my wife does) but I do try to keep up with Apple tech issues. I prefer my Garmin 645 (non-music) and don't mind carrying my phone with me (always have, always will).

My only “solution” has been to wear my Garmin run watch on one wrist and my Apple Watch with cellular on the other. It looks super cool (pink) but it does save me from having to carry my phone for music and emergency calls. My phone screen is usually disabled by sweat 30 minutes into my run, so the Apple Watch has at least solved that issue.

you're looking for an intersection of two classes of device. you're looking for "capable running watch," which a lot of smartwatches are not. you're also looking for "cellular-enabled," which a lot of sport watches are not.

the best intersection of those two is probably the apple watch (which you suggest). some of the android watches are LTE-enabled but I don't think they're as good as sport watches.

caveat emptor: you can expect poor battery life if you're using any of these devices with GPS (running), LTE (streaming), and BT (headphones) all at the same time.

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Eliot
blog thing - strava thing

Yea. This is def a first world problem I’m just holding out on a new watch until this functionality is out there. And I think it will be soon. Ideally the garmin 645 music would add pandora and Spotify. Then you could listen to your pandora channels offline on the watch while running. Without having to upload songs from a computer. I’ll just keep waiting. Not super interested in the Apple watch from a pure running perspective.

My opinion is get the best running watch you can independent of music, and deal with music separately. I just checked apple's site and I'm not sure they sell the Nano anymore. This is what I use for music and is way better than the Apple Watch (had one, hated it). The Nano is tiny, fits in my shorts/jersey/etc, supports bluetooth headphones, holds many many hours of music and podcasts.

Some of Apple's old products were/are awesome. The nano. The ipod classic. I'll keep using them for years and years.

I have a tomtom that does HR GPS and music!

https://www.runnersneed.com/...paign=RedBrain%20Ltd

Garmin 645m will carry mp3 playlists downloaded from your music app, IHeartRadio (the playlists are long and extensive, you only need to sync them at home before heading out, no phone necessary) and it just added Weezer playlists, which I’m not familiar with, but plan to check out. I’m very happy with my Garmin 645m. A bit of a learning curve figuring out how to syng and use the iHeartRadio, but once that was worked out, very satisfied with it. Also, it charges via USB very fast, does all the cool running diganostics, tracks runs, walks, treadmill, bike, bike trainer, pool swim laps and many other sports. Not open water swims, yet, though.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

The nano was life. I just run to podcasts now...music doesn't do it for me and I also don't have time to watch a lot of news. So I have a news podcast that goes with what print news I read.

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Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

Yea this watch is def the one that interests me most. Mainly because I want a true running watch more than a music player. I guess I could just start using iHeart radio.

Looks like you have to load songs from your music library? If so there are several options like that on the market. I just don’t ever buy music so I need to be able to use a streaming service on the watch.

The OP only thinks you can't get your Spotify playlists but seems to indicate a preference for Garmin. If you read the reviews there is a 3rd-party tool to make this doable. I was actually going to suggest just writing a script myself, but figured someone already had a way to do it and sure enough they do. Maybe the OP isn't interested still. Ok fine, but maybe someone else is interested in the device but was turned off by the no Spotify and would appreciate it. We as a community are much more DIY orientated than the average joe. Some of us like the challenge of making things work even when they are only advertised/supported to work a certain way.

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My Apple Watch 3 cellular lasted exactly 45 min with Spotify steaming into a pair of AirPods with the running app (GPS). Not exactly a practical solution for any kind of workout. I am not going to wear two watches; might as well take the phone with me.

You can’t stream Spotify on an Apple Watch.

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--Chris

I am intrigued by the number of casual fitness users wearing the Apple watch but battery life in general seems to be an issue. Are you making it thru a full day in general with your Apple watch assuming you aren't using it for streaming music? Regardless this is going to be a tough problem to solve without great leaps in either battery technology and/or efficiency in LED panels, processors, communication chips etc.

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+1 on the mighty. For now I think the Garmin + mighty is the best option. I’m with you, I’d pay pretty much anything to stream pandora or Spotify from my watch but you really can’t yet. You can stream Apple Music, but I don’t particularly like Apple Music nor do I think the Apple Watch does a very good job compared to my Garmin. I do love my Apple Watch, just not for workouts.

I clip the mighty to my hat if I’m wearing it or to my watch band if not. Never know it’s there. It’s great.

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--Chris

Download an mp3 audio recorder and play pandora on a computer for a few days straight. A good, free mp3 audio recorder will split tracks properly and figure out the name/artist somehow. Load all that crap into a watch that can play mp3 and you're good to go for quite awhile before feeling the need to refresh the music.

Misspoken... not Spotify but Apple Music.