Many people have long requested that Spotify be ported to the Samsung Gear S2 and Gear S3, and now it has finally happened, though some features may be missing for the smartwatch version of the popular music streaming app.
Spotify For Gear S2 And Gear S3
Owners of the aforementioned Tizen-based smartwatches from Samsung may now finally listen to music via Spotify on the dedicated smartwatch app, though this can only be done via Wi-Fi or LTE, with no offline playback available. Like the smartphone versions, only premium users can cherry-pick tracks, while free users can listen to playlists on shuffle mode.
Gear-Specific Features
Users can take advantage of the Gear S2 or Gear S3's rotating bezel to skip or repeat tracks. The app even minimizes the current song playing into a small tab at the bottom of the screen so users may easily switch between their libraries or go back to the song. It's simple, effective, and an impressive implementation given the Gear S2 and S3's tiny screens. The rotating bezel is an excellent user interface implementation, allowing users to skip tracks without even looking at the screen.
The Now Playing screen features an ellipsis that when tapped shows up a couple of options, enabling the user to toggle shuffle and repeat modes, save the track currently playing, or adjust the volume.
Users may also search for songs by using their voice, though barking at a smartwatch is probably a bizarre act to perform in public. However, the functionality is there, anyway.
Stream And Remote Mode
The Spotify app for Gear S2 and Gear S3 comes with two modes, "remote" and "stream." Remote mode pairs the app to the standard smartphone version while stream mode outputs music from Spotify's library directly to the devices, either through the built-in speakers of the Gear S2 (Cellular) and Gear S3, or through paired Bluetooth speakers.
The App can now be downloaded for free on the Galaxy Apps Store via the Gear Manager App. Speaking of apps, Tech Times has a handy guide on the best apps for the Gear S3.
Will you use Spotify on your Gear S2 or Gear S3? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
Spotify's arrival onto Samsung's wearable pair comes as good news for a market that is generally unenthusiastic for smartwatches, with the devices not selling well nowadays. There are a number of factors that might invigorate the dispiritedness toward smartwatches, and more well-implemented apps is chief among them. It remains to be seen if smartwatches claim ample traction going forward, but the arrival of apps such as Spotify will help propel it for sure.
