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Which music services work with Garmin smartwatches?
Garmin smartwatches are some of the most feature-packed wearables, but they didn’t gain music support until 2018. It’s not commonplace for the best smartwatches to feature music storage and streaming support, but only a handful of music streaming services are available on Garmin devices today. Below is a list of all the Garmin music services available and how to set each up.
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Three streaming music services are compatible with Garmin watches. These include Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more recently YouTube Music. iHeartRadio is no longer supported.
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Which music services work with your Garmin smartwatch?
Three music streaming services are compatible with Garmin watches, but their availability may be region-dependent.
- Spotify
- Amazon Music
- Deezer
- YouTube Music
While iHeartRadio was once supported on Garmin devices, the app is no longer listed on Connect IQ.
On all watches supporting these services, you can also upload your own music files to the watch’s storage for listening on the go. You’ll also need a pair of Bluetooth earbuds to connect to your Garmin watch.
How to sync Spotify with your Garmin device
Spotify is most people’s go-to music streaming app nowadays, and Garmin added support for it in October 2018.
Requirements: To get Spotify on your Garmin smartwatch, you’ll need a Spotify Premium account. If you’ve never tried Spotify, the streaming service offers a 30-day free trial for new users.
- Once your account is ready, download the Garmin Spotify app from Garmin’s Connect IQ store to your smartwatch.
- You’ll be prompted to sign in to your Spotify account from your smartphone.
- Once you’re signed in, switch to your watch, navigate to the music widget, and select the playlists and podcasts you’d like to sync to your Garmin.
How to sync Amazon Music with your Garmin device
Amazon Music is another popular music streaming app, especially for those who are already Amazon Prime subscribers. Garmin added Amazon Music support to its devices in August 2019.
Requirements: You’ll need an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription to use the service on your watch. A 30-day free trial is available for new users. Or, if you’re simply an Amazon Prime member and haven’t signed up for Music Unlimited separately, it should work for you just fine.
- Once signed up, download the Garmin Amazon Music app from Connect IQ to your Garmin smartwatch.
- Navigate to the music widget on your Garmin watch, select the overflow menu (three dots), and select the Amazon Music icon.
- You’ll be given a six-letter code, which you must type in at amazon.com/us/code. This can be done on your phone, computer, or wherever you can access the internet.
- Once authorized, hit the Browse button on your watch to see the playlists available on Amazon Music.
How to sync Deezer with your Garmin device
Deezer was one of the first music streaming services Garmin added to its watches.
Requirements: You’ll need a Deezer Premium subscription to sync your Deezer playlists with your Garmin. A one-month free trial is also available if you’re a new user.
- Download the Garmin Deezer app from Connect IQ to your Garmin watch to set it up.
- Then go back to the media widget on your watch and select Deezer as the provider.
- You’ll be prompted on your phone to sign in to your Deezer account via Garmin Connect.
- Sign in to your account, then head back to your watch to start syncing your Deezer playlists.
How to sync YouTube Music with your Garmin device
YouTube Music took a while to land on Garmin devices, but the platform was finally added to Connect IQ in June 2024.
Requirements: You’ll need a YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium subscription to sync your YouTube Music catalog with your Garmin watch. You’ll also need one of the supported Garmin devices. These wearables currently include newer Forerunner, Fenix, Epix, and Venu models, and the Enduro 2 and D2 Mach 1 Pro.
- Download the YouTube Music app from the Connect IQ store, then open it on your Garmin watch.
- Send the setup notification to your phone when prompted, then enter the code displayed on your Garmin device in the field of the setup screen on your phone.
- Select your account.
- Read through the terms and conditions, and agree. If you do not agree, you cannot use YouTube Music on the device.
- YouTube Music should now be accessible on your watch.
How to upload local music to your Garmin device
Not all-in on music streaming services? You can also upload local music files from your computer to your Garmin device. The process is pretty simple.
- First, you must download the Garmin Express app on your computer.
- After installing Garmin Express on your computer, select Get Started, then Add a Device.
- Plug your watch into your computer with the charging cable, select Add Device, and sign in to your Garmin account.
- Select the Music option on Garmin Express, click the folder icon to search for the music you’d like to transfer to your Garmin watch.
- Select the local music files or playlists you want to transfer, then click Send to Device.
Alternatively, you can transfer music to your Garmin if you have the Android File Transfer tool on your computer. Using this method, you can drag and drop the music files you’d like to transfer instead of searching for them through Garmin Express. However, Android File Transfer and Garmin Express can’t be used simultaneously. If you have Garmin Express open, it may prevent Android File Transfer from opening when your Garmin is plugged in. If this happens, simply close Garmin Express and plug your Garmin back in.
Note: Garmin devices support the following music files: .mp3, .m4a, .aac, .adts, .wav, .m3u, .m3u8, .wpl, .zpl, and .pls.
Garmin has been pretty aggressive in adding new music services to its lineup, but there are still a handful of big names that aren’t there yet. These streaming services aren’t yet available on Garmin: YouTube Music, Apple Music, Pandora, TIDAL, and SoundCloud.
Garmin smartwatches with music capabilities
Of course, you’ll need a Garmin smartwatch to use the music services listed above. Below is a list of the Garmin smartwatches with music capabilities available today.
- Garmin D2 series
- Garmin Fenix 5 Plus series
- Garmin Fenix 6 series
- Includes Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, 6S Pro, 6X Pro, 6 Pro Sapphire, 6S Pro Sapphire, 6X Pro Sapphire, and 6X Pro Solar
- Does not include standard Garmin Fenix 6 or Fenix 6S
- Garmin Fenix 7 series (incl. Fenix 7 Pro)
- Garmin Fenix 8 series
- Garmin Epix (Gen 2) (incl. Epix Pro)
- Garmin Forerunner 165 Music
- Garmin Forerunner 245 Music, 255 Music, and 265
- Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
- Garmin Forerunner 745
- Garmin Forerunner 945, 945 LTE, 955, 955 Solar, and 965
- Garmin Legacy Saga and Legacy Hero series
- Garmin Venu, Venu 2, Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, and Venu 3
- Garmin Venu Sq Music and Venu Sq 2 Music
- Garmin vivoactive 3 Music, vivoactive 3 Music (Verizon), vivoactive 4, and vivoactive 5
Garmin didn’t start adding music capabilities to its GPS watches until 2018’s vivoactive 3 Music, so all devices before that didn’t have music support. It’s crazy to think that high-end devices like the Fenix 5 and Forerunner 935 don’t support music storage.
FAQs
No, you won’t be able to use Apple Music on your Garmin device. However, if you have tracks you purchased through iTunes, you can use Garmin’s software to sync those files to your device.
Yes, Garmin devices support YouTube Music.
No. You’ll need to transfer music from your computer using Garmin’s software.
No. Once you’ve downloaded tracks from Amazon Music, Deezer, and Spotify, you needn’t have your phone around to play those files. They’re now stored on your watch.
Bluetooth headphones can be finicky, so there’s no golden bullet when it comes to a remedy. We tackle Bluetooth headphone issues and other common issues in our extensive Garmin problems and solutions guide.