Use Now Playing on Apple Watch
Now Playing lets you control audio playback on Apple Watch, iPhone, and other devices.
Open Now Playing
You can open Now Playing in the following ways:
Open the Now Playing app
on your Apple Watch.Tap the Now Playing complication if you’ve added it to the watch face.
Now Playing launches automatically when you’re near a HomePod that’s playing audio, allowing you to control playback on it.
Control music, podcasts, or audiobooks on iPhone
Open the Music, Podcasts, or Books app on your iPhone, then start playing a song, podcast, or audiobook.
Open Now Playing on your Apple Watch and use its controls to play, pause, and more.
Turn the Digital Crown to adjust volume.
Use Now Playing with a different device
Open the Now Playing app
on your Apple Watch.If more than one device is available to play audio—an Apple Watch, iPhone, and HomePod for example—the device’s icon appears in the top-right corner.
Tap
to see a list of devices, tap one to control it, then choose the audio you want to play.
Play audio on iPhone
Open the Now Playing app
on your Apple Watch.Tap
to see a list of devices, scroll to iPhone, then tap it.Open an audio app such as Audiobooks, Music, or Podcasts, then choose audio to play.
Audio will play through your iPhone’s speaker or an audio device paired with it.
Switch to or add another AirPlay device
While controlling audio on an AirPlay device such as HomePod, you can switch to or add additional AirPlay devices. For example, if you’re listening to HomePod mini in your living room, you can add the HomePod speakers in the kitchen and bedroom.
Open the Now Playing app
on your Apple Watch.On the Now Playing screen, tap
.Tap AirPlay, then add devices by tapping them.
To stop playback on any device, tap it.
See music and podcast suggestions when near your HomePod
In watchOS 10.2, when you’re near a HomePod and nothing is playing on it or on your Apple Watch, suggestions from the Music and Podcast apps appear in a widget at the top of the Smart Stack. To display those suggestions, turn the Digital Crown to scroll up. Tap a suggestion to play it on HomePod.
Note: Music and podcast suggestions are available on Apple Watch and HomePod models with Ultra Wideband.
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