Garmin watches are getting a new music app – and I can't wait

By Cat Ellis
published

I'll finally be able to sync my YouTube Music running playlists for phone-free workouts

Woman stretching during workout while wearing headphones and sports watch
(Image credit: Getty)

There's a new music app coming for Garmin watches, which will let you sync playlists from YouTube Music directly on your wrist. That sounds pretty sweet to me.

The news comes from 9to5Google, who have it on good authority that Google is planning a raft of new YT Music apps for third-party devices including smart speakers and your trusty GPS watch. Just connect your running headphones via Bluetooth, sync your playlists, and off you run.

Garmin's Connect IQ store already hosts apps for several music streaming services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and iHeartRadio. The lack of Apple Music support is no surprise considering Apple would rather you buy an Apple Watch Ultra than a Garmin Epix Pro, but YouTube Music has been conspicuous by its absence.

Music to my ears

If I was choosing a music streaming service today, YouTube Music might not be top of my list. It costs the same as all the other options, but it's not as widely supported, and unless you want to host regular karaoke evenings (which is fun, I'll admit), the addition of videos pulled from YouTube isn't really a game-changer.

However, YouTube Music still has a lot of users thanks to its history. Google's first stab at a music streaming platform Google Play Music – a service with a desktop app that made it super easy to upload your own music from your hard drive, or rip it directly from CDs. You could also stream music, or easily buy it to support your favorite artists.

When Google decided to ditch Play Music in 2020, existing subscribers were automatically switched over to YouTube Music with the option to take their music libraries along with them, and that's where I've stayed.

There's no word yet on when the YouTube Music app might come to the Garmin Connect IQ store, or what it might look like, but I've got my headphones ready in anticipation.

Cat Ellis
Cat Ellis
Editor

Cat is the editor of Advnture, She’s been a journalist for 15 years, and was fitness and wellbeing editor on TechRadar before joining the Advnture team in 2022. She’s a UK Athletics qualified run leader, and in her spare time enjoys nothing more than lacing up her shoes and hitting the roads and trails (the muddier, the better), usually wearing at least two sports watches.