Google has officially confirmed the next version of Wear OS for smartwatches: Wear OS 5.1, based on Android 15. As per Android developer release notes spotted by Mishaal Rahman, Google is testing the ability to stream music directly through the smartwatch’s built-in speaker. This means you could soon listen to podcasts or music directly from your watch without needing earbuds!
Wear OS currently powers several smartwatches, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch and the entire lineup of Pixel Watches. Recent models from these manufacturers are currently running Wear OS 5, based on Android 14. As these watches get updated to Wear OS 5.1, they’ll let you play audio through their built-in speakers.
In the release notes, Google mentions the watch speaker playback function: “On devices that support media playback through the watch speaker, users can select this speaker as their preferred media output option if your app integrates with the Wear Output Switcher.”
This means you could stream YouTube Music or Spotify directly through the watch’s speaker, provided the app supports the functionality. Currently, you can play music through Bluetooth earphones connected to the watch, but not through the watch speaker.
Alternatively, you can install third-party Wear OS apps like Samsung Internet or sideload apps like YouTube on your Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, and other Wear OS smartwatches. These apps let you directly watch videos and listen to music through the watch’s speaker, but the experience is not smooth and consistent.
While the feature is promising, users will have to wait a bit longer to try it. The Wear OS 5.1 Preview is currently available to developers who can download and test it on their smartwatches that target API Level 35.
The stable release could arrive on Pixel Watches sometime around March 2025. Samsung Galaxy watches, on the other hand, could get the One UI 6.5 Watch update based on Wear OS 5.1.
