Does Wear OS have Amazon Music?
Wear OS is Google’s smartwatch operating system that runs on watches from various manufacturers like Fossil, Mobvoi, and Samsung. It allows users to access apps and notifications on their wrists and provides features like Google Assistant integration, activity tracking, and music playback. Wear OS watches connect to and work in conjunction with Android smartphones.
Amazon Music is Amazon’s music streaming service that provides access to a catalog of millions of songs, playlists, radio stations, and more. It offers subscriptions like Amazon Music Unlimited for on-demand access and Amazon Music Prime with a more limited catalog for Amazon Prime members. Amazon Music also has an app that can be installed on smartphones to allow users to stream and download music.
In terms of compatibility, there is no official Amazon Music app available to install natively on Wear OS. However, there are some workarounds that allow Wear OS users to access and control Amazon Music playback from their watches. The limitations and options around using Amazon Music on Wear OS will be explored in the sections below.
What is Wear OS?
Wear OS is Google’s smartwatch operating system designed for wearable devices like smartwatches. It was originally called Android Wear when it launched in 2014 before being rebranded to Wear OS in 2018 [1]. Wear OS works across smartwatches from various brands like Fossil, Mobvoi, and Samsung, providing a consistent software experience.
Wear OS aims to provide quick access to notifications, apps, and information right from the wrist. Key features and capabilities include:
- Viewing notifications from the paired Android or iOS smartphone
- Fitness tracking with Google Fit
- Media controls for music/podcasts
- Contactless payments with Google Pay
- Voice assistance with Google Assistant built-in
- Thousands of apps optimized for the wrist from the Play Store
- Custom watch faces to personalize the experience
With its focus on notifications and Google service integration, Wear OS delivers core smartwatch functionality powered by Android.
What is Amazon Music?
Amazon Music is Amazon’s music streaming service that gives users access to a library of over 100 million songs to stream or download for offline listening (Aboutamazon.com, 2023). It offers several subscription options:
Amazon Music Unlimited is the premium subscription that provides access to the full song catalog in HD and Ultra HD quality. Pricing starts at $7.99/month for an individual plan or $14.99/month for a family plan for up to 6 users (Amazon.com, n.d.).
Amazon Music Prime is included with an Amazon Prime membership, which provides access to 2 million songs for streaming or downloading. This is a pared down version of the full Music Unlimited catalog (PCMag.com, 2022).
Amazon Music is available across a wide range of platforms including iOS, Android, Fire TV, Echo devices, and web browsers. The service competes with other major streaming providers like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music (Aboutamazon.com, 2023).
Does Wear OS have an official Amazon Music app?
No, there is currently no native Amazon Music app available for Wear OS smartwatches. Wear OS is Google’s smartwatch operating system, while Amazon Music is Amazon’s music streaming service. The two companies are competitors in some areas, which likely contributes to the lack of an official app.
However, while there’s no dedicated Wear OS app from Amazon, there are some workarounds that allow you to access Amazon Music on your smartwatch. You can either link to the Amazon Music app on your paired Android phone, or use third-party apps and Google Assistant voice commands as alternatives.
Using third-party apps as a workaround
Since there is no official Amazon Music app for Wear OS, some users have turned to third-party apps as a workaround to access Amazon Music on their smartwatches. Two popular options are Wear Player and NavMusic.
These third-party apps allow you to link your Amazon Music account and download songs and playlists for offline listening. Once downloaded, you can access your Amazon Music library directly on your Wear OS watch when not connected to WiFi or your phone. The apps also include basic playback controls like play, pause, skip track, etc.
However, reviews of these third-party apps indicate there are some limitations. The download and syncing process can be slow and finicky at times. The apps may lack some features available on the official Amazon Music mobile app like lyrics view, artist bios, personalized recommendations, etc. Some users report bugs and stability issues.
Overall, third-party apps provide a functional workaround for using Amazon Music on Wear OS. But the experience is not as smooth, intuitive or feature-rich compared to an official app. These apps can fill the gap in the meantime, but an official Amazon Music Wear OS app would likely be preferable for many users.
Linking to Phone’s Amazon Music App
One workaround to get Amazon Music on Wear OS is to link to and control playback from the Amazon Music app installed on your paired Android phone. You can use your Wear OS watch to remotely start/stop playback, skip tracks, adjust volume, and more from the music app on your phone.
While this allows basic remote control, there are some limitations. You won’t get a full native Amazon Music app experience on the watch itself. Features like browsing music libraries, viewing album art, creating playlists, or downloading songs for offline listening will need to be done on the phone app. The watch can only control what’s actively playing on the phone.
Overall, linking to your phone’s Amazon Music app gives Wear OS owners a way to access their music library and remotely control playback. But the experience isn’t as seamless as having a dedicated app optimized for the watchOS.
[Cite a source talking about linking phone Amazon Music app]
Voice commands with Google Assistant
One convenient way to control Amazon Music playback on Wear OS is by using voice commands with the Google Assistant. You can simply ask your smartwatch “Hey Google, play [song name/artist/album/playlist] on Amazon Music” to start playback hands-free.
This allows you to quickly queue up music without needing to touch the screen or navigate through apps. It’s especially useful when exercising, driving, or doing other activities where accessing the screen is difficult.
However, the voice control capabilities are somewhat limited. You can’t browse Amazon Music by voice or add songs to playlists. And the ability to identify songs, artists, and playlists by voice is dependent on Google’s speech recognition and integration with Amazon Music.
According to users on Reddit (source), voice commands don’t always work perfectly. But when they do, it provides a convenient hands-free way to control music playback.
Future Outlook
While Amazon Music does not currently have an official app available for Wear OS, there is optimism that this could change in the future.
Some Reddit users speculate that Amazon may eventually release a native Amazon Music app for Wear OS, especially now that Wear OS 3 is available on the latest smartwatches [1]. However, Amazon has not made any official announcements to confirm this.
Until then, the available workarounds for accessing Amazon Music on Wear OS are likely to improve over time. Third-party developers may enhance their apps with additional Amazon Music features. Google Assistant’s integration with Amazon Music is also likely to expand. And with ongoing Wear OS updates, linking to the phone’s Amazon Music app may become more seamless.
So while Amazon Music support on Wear OS is limited today, the outlook is hopeful that solutions will progress to provide a better experience in the future.
Summary
As we’ve explored, there currently isn’t native support for Amazon Music on Wear OS devices. However, that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck if you want to listen to music from Amazon’s streaming service on your smartwatch.
While there isn’t an official app available, there are some workarounds using third party apps or voice commands with Google Assistant. You can link your watch to your phone’s Amazon Music app to control playback remotely. Or use an app like Wear Player to stream from Amazon Music on your watch over WiFi or LTE.
Looking ahead, there’s a possibility official support could come to Wear OS eventually. Amazon Music is available on other wearable platforms like Apple Watch and Fitbit, so there’s precedent. But for now, lack of native support remains a drawback for listeners who rely on Amazon Music and want full smartwatch integration.
In summary, Wear OS unfortunately doesn’t offer direct Amazon Music capabilities out of the box. But with some additional apps and workarounds, you can achieve some level of Amazon Music functionality on your Wear OS smartwatch.
Conclusion
While Wear OS currently lacks native support for the Amazon Music app, workarounds do exist for listeners who want music streaming on their smartwatches. Using voice commands with Google Assistant provides one hands-free option to control playback. Third-party apps like Wear Music and NavExplorer for Wear OS also connect the watch to your phone’s Amazon Music library. However, the experience isn’t as seamless as having an official Wear OS app.
As Amazon Music continues expanding its user base, the company may eventually release a Wear OS version of the app. First-party support would allow quick access to Amazon’s music catalog and Prime playlists directly on Wear OS watches. Until then, users have some functional alternatives to get Amazon Music streaming on wearable devices, even if the setup requires some extra steps.