watchOS 9 update reportedly breaks Spotify Apple Watch app

If you’re a Spotify user thinking about updating to watchOS 9, you might want to wait a few weeks.

As first reported by MacRumors, Spotify has sent out an email to subscribers warning them that watchOS 9 causes the music streaming service’s app to stop working. Spotify’s Apple Watch app allows you to control tracks and also download songs to Apple’s wearable.

The email reads as follows:

“Apple WatchOS 9 introduced a bug that causes Spotify streaming on the Apple Watch to stop working. We urge Spotify Apple Watch users not to install the WatchOS 9 update until Apple has implemented a fix for the issue. Users who are already affected can instead download their content to their Apple Watch and listen offline or stream from their phones.”

Users affected by the issue say that the Spotify app stops working within roughly one minute even though the track continues to look like it’s playing visually. The issue occurs over Wi-Fi and cellular. However, if you download the songs directly to your Apple Watch, the problem doesn’t occur, according to reports.

Given how swift Apple typically is when it comes to responding to issues like this, a fix is likely coming soon. On the other hand, Spotify and Apple are still engaged in a cold war surrounding the cut the App Store takes from subscription fees, so there’s a possibility the tech giant could delay resolving this problem.

For what it’s worth, I haven’t yet encountered this issue with Spotify running on the Apple Watch Series 8. There’s a possibility the problem doesn’t affect the latest version of Apple’s smartwatch.

watchOS 9 includes features like ‘Low Power Mode,’ ‘Car Crash Detection,’ ‘Sleep Stages,’ medication tracking, more detailed workout metrics and more, alongside additional Watch Faces like ‘Playtime,’ ‘Lunar,’ ‘Metropolitan’ and ‘Modular.’

Source: Spotify Forums Via: MacRumors