More of your favorite songs just became wearable. Soundcloud recently updated its iOS app to include Apple Watch compatibility, marking the seven year old streaming service’s first entry into wearable technology.
After pairing an iPhone with an Apple Watch, you can swipe up to check which song is currently playing on your iPhone. To start or stop a song, simply tap the watch lightly. Taking advantage of the Apple Watch’s impressive tactile responses, you can add songs to their collection with a “firmer tap.” The user interface for the “Now Playing” section is an economic version of the mobile app, displaying the song title, artwork, and artist name.
Soundcloud becomes the latest entrant in a relatively slow migration of the music streaming industry to the Apple Watch. A few other major streaming services Pandora and iHeartRadio app have updated to include Apple Watch compatibility within weeks of the watch’s release. Spotify, Google Play Music, and Rdio are a few of the music streaming heavyweights still with no Apple Watch support yet.
Placing Soundcloud on the Apple Watch is the latest attempt by the company to spread the service’s availability as it preps its upcoming subscription service launch for later this year. Besides inking a licensing deal with Warner Music Group in late November, Soundcloud has not reached any other deals with the other two major labels, Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. Sony has even started removing songs off of Soundcloud from artists such as Adele and Kelly Clarkson due to “a lack of monetization opportunities,” according to Billboard. While Universal Music Group has not mass removed specific artist songs, Soundcloud revealed to a user that Universal Music Group had the power to directly remove songs from Soundcloud.
The Soundcloud iOS app can be downloaded in the Apple App Store.
