How to Control Your Music with Android Wear

BY GreenBot Staff

Published 2 Oct 2014

I’m figuring out how to style the Moto 360 with my outfits. I enjoy controlling the phone from my wrist as it’s buried in my bag, especially music. I have a habit of shuffling through constantly. Most of the music or podcast apps installed on our Android device are compatible with Android Wear. Here’s how it works.

Start Listening

Control cardkicker tracks with Android Wear’s integrated playback feature.

Fire up any of your favorite music or podcast apps on your device tethered to your Android Wear watch. It could be SpotifyDigitally Imported, or TuneIn Radio. When you play a song or podcast on your phone. You can look at your wrist to see what you’re listening to. Tap the mini-notification card to pause or play the current track. Or swipe it to the left to get the next or previous track controls. Most apps will even display the album art on your watch. Android Wear music playback is essential but valuable. Remember that music will stop playing if you engage Android Wear’s voice control or get a phone call. It will start back up when done. Some music streaming apps offer their own custom Android Wear support. Also, a user may see more than just the simple playback options provided on the watch after a playlist.

Other Playback Alternatives

Not all music apps play nice with Android Wear. If users find this situation, check out the Wear Music Controller, which offers better playback controls for music and podcast apps.

It’s easy to set up. Download Wear Music Controller from the Play Store, then sync it to your device with the Android Wear app. Check that it’s installed by tapping on the watch device’s screen to the voice control option. Wear Music Controller is an alternative for controlling playback on your Android Wear watch. Wear Music Controller will only work for a trial period of four days. Then prompted to purchase the full license for $1.89. The app’s Play Store page also features a thorough listing of which music podcast apps are compatible. So that you don’t end up paying for an app you can’t even use.