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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

The Now Playing screen showing album art, song title, and artist name below. Play controls are in the middle. The More Options button is at the top right. A Back button is at the top left.

  1. Open the Music, Podcasts, or Books app on your iPhone, then start playing a song, podcast, or audiobook.

  2. Open Now Playing on your Apple Watch and use its controls to play, pause, and more.

  3. Turn the Digital Crown to adjust volume.

Use Now Playing with a different device

  1. 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.

  2. Tap the Back button to see a list of devices, tap one to control it, then choose the audio you want to play.

The Now Playing app showing a list of devices. Music playing on the Apple Watch is at the top of the list. An iPhone entry is below.

Play audio on iPhone

  1. Open the Now Playing app on your Apple Watch.

  2. Tap the Back button to see a list of devices, scroll to iPhone, then tap it.

  3. 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.

  1. Open the Now Playing app on your Apple Watch.

  2. On the Now Playing screen, tap the More Options button.

  3. Tap AirPlay, then add devices by tapping them.

  4. 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.

See alsoPlay music on Apple WatchPlay audiobooks on Apple WatchPlay podcasts on Apple Watch

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