In October, just a few weeks before Google closed Google Play Music for all remaining users, the company announced that it was launching a new YouTube Music app for smartwatches. Unfortunately, the watches that received the new app did not run Android and were, instead, the Apple Watch. As for Wear OS, well, Google could only tell us to “stay tuned” for news there.
Less than two months later, Google shut down Google Play Music, but Wear OS users had yet to hear anything about YouTube Music coming to save the day on the music front. We are now 4 months old without Google Play Music (and even more for the Wear OS app) and yes, the same applies – there is no YouTube Music app for Wear OS.
You may be wondering why this is so important. On the one hand, a standalone YouTube Music app would give Wear OS users access to their music collections from the wrist, allow them to control playback, and potentially add streaming controls. That’s what the Apple Watch version can do, at least.
For Wear OS users today, the only option for controlling melodies is through the system’s media controls, which allow you to control the pause / playback of the volume or skip tracks. But this functionality is quite limited. Again, the Apple Watch app offers access to the library and broadcast controls without the need to pull out the phone.
We still think Google is making a YouTube Music app for Wear OS, because they didn’t say they aren’t. They told us in August last year that there were plans for YouTube Music and wearables, although they did not specifically say that an app was coming. However, in October, the message “stay tuned” referred to the fact that we are looking for “additional updates on the availability of YouTube Music on Wear OS”. It looks like an app, right?
Anyway, it’s April and YouTube Music replaced Google Play Music months and months and months ago, without a replacement app suitable for Google’s wearable operating system. This is bad.
- TO UPDATE: A YouTube spokesman told us that they are “actively working to bring a robust YouTube Music experience to Wear OS” and that “they will share more information as quickly as possible”.