The new direct streaming feature is similar to the one introduced to Apple Watch users back in November of last year. With this, you can independently stream Spotify content on your smartwatch without requiring a persistent connection with your phone – provided that it is connected to the internet, of course. In addition, you can have the Wear OS app directly download music or podcasts onto the device itself – this greatly differs from the recently released iOS and WatchOS version of the feature, where users are required to transfer downloaded Spotify content from their iPhones to the Apple Watch in order to enjoy offline listening. Not all of the new features are available to non-Premium users, Spotify noted. While direct downloads are fully accessible to free users, direct streaming can only be done in Shuffle Mode.
The platform says that the new features for the Wear OS version of its app will be rolling out “in the coming weeks.” And as mentioned earlier, this update will also be coming to older Wear OS 2.0 devices such as those from Fossil, Mobvoi, Suunto, Montblanc, and so on. (Source: Spotify [Official website])