How to listen to Spotify without smartphone


Do you want to listen to Spotify without a smartphone? Do you also want to listen to Spotify offline without a smartphone? There are a few ways to do this. Here, we have listed devices that support Spotify but aren’t smartphones. Those devices are smartwatches, basic phones with a keyboard and standalone music players. There are many reasons why people would want these devices. Some just don’t want to carry a smartphone with them all the time, some want to use their smartphone less in general and some don’t want to own a smartphone at all.

Introduction

There are few important things to consider about the devices listed in the article:

  1. Most of the recommended devices here support streaming Spotify offline. This means that you download songs from Spotify to the device and then listen to them from that device. Also note, that some devices listed here also support streaming Spotify online. 
  2. Almost all devices require Spotify Premium for either syncing the music to the device, or for offline listening. Spotify Premium is a paid version of Spotify.
  3. Also, when getting a device, always make sure to check whether it needs a smartphone or computer to configure it. This is important if you want to avoid using a smartphone for the device to work. Check whether you can use a computer to configure a device. Check whether the device even needs another one to configure it.
  4. If you like some of the devices here, make sure to check out online reviews about the product from real users. This is to make sure whether the device satisfies your needs before paying for it. And make sure to check how easy it is to use Spotify on the device. The number of devices, that support offline Spotify without needing a smartphone nearby, is very limited. And the experience of using Spotify may not be the as smooth as on the smartphone. Also, the battery life may be way shorter than on a smartphone when using Spotify.
  5. If you get some other device, make sure whether this device needs smartphone nearby to be able to play Spotify. This is especially common for some smartwatches.

Let’s check out the list of recommended smartwatches, basic phones and standalone music players that support Spotify without needing a smartphone nearby:

Smartwatches

Garmin Smartwatches

Garmin is a brand famous for making great advanced smartwatches. They make watches suitable for anyone who needs a powerful device on their wrist. Anyone, from military to athletes. Their watches also have many features – tracking workouts for all kinds of sports, navigation and more.

You can also use a Garmin smartwatch to listen to Spotify offline. For that, you need to download Spotify playlists to your Garmin watch via Spotify Connect IQ app installed on your phone or computer. And the most practical way to listen to the Spotify music is with wireless headphones. As music is stored on the watch, you can also be offline and not have a smartphone nearby to listen to music.

To find out which Garmin watches support the Spotify Connect IQ app for offline listening, check the Spotify Connect IQ app and click on tab Compatible Devices.

Apple Watches

From Apple Watch Series 3 and later, you can download Spotify songs on your watch to listen to them offline. But you will need to use your iPhone to do that. Apple Watch generally comes with two versions – GPS version and GPS+Cellular version.

The Apple Watch GPS+Cellular version is great as it can connect to the Internet without having Wi-Fi or iPhone nearby. The GPS version doesn’t have that possibility. Therefore, it is actually possible to stream Spotify directly to your Apple Watch GPS+Cellular, without iPhone or any Internet connection nearby. You can leave your iPhone behind at home and still receive calls/texts/notifications. And you can also stream Spotify.

Samsung Watches

For some Samsung smartwatches, it is possible to download songs to the device and listen to them offline. You can check in this article to find out which Samsung smartwatches and wearables support Spotify offline. You can then go and do any activity without having the phone nearby. But you will need a smartphone to set up a Samsung watch. Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and later models do not support iPhone to configure the watch. You will need an Android smartphone to do this.

WearOS Watches

This is an operating system made by Google for smartwatches. It also supports Spotify offline. Some of the recommended watches to get are the aforementioned Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, 5, 5 Pro, and also Google Pixel Watch, Fossil Gen 5 and 6, TicWatch S2 and E2.

Basic phones

There are some basic phones that also support Spotify. There are two phones that do it the best, as they require the least effort to set up Spotify.

Cat S22 Flip

Cat S22 Flip is technically a smartphone since it runs Android, but it doesn’t look like a typical smartphone. It is a rugged flip phone with a keyboard and a touchscreen. You can also get Spotify from the Play Store.

AGM M7

Another recommendation is AGM M7. It is another classic-looking phone with a keyboard. But it runs a simplified Android and has a touchscreen, so it has some smartphone features. You can’t install Spotify via the Play Store but you can download the apk file and install it.

Both Cat S22 Flip and AGM M7 are classic-looking phones with keyboards but also have smartphone features. Their touchscreens are small so you probably won’t use them for fun activities much. But they are still usable enough for basic smartphone functionalities like Spotify. This is great if you think you spend too much time on your smartphone, yet you still need some basic smartphone features. To find out more about these phones, and check them out in article Best basic phones with Spotify: a guide.

Standalone music players

Mighty Vibe

Mighty Vibe is a small music player that plays Spotify and Amazon Music offline. It has no screen so you use buttons to play audio. Also, you need to download a special Mighty app on your smartphone, and use the app to download Spotify or Amazon Music playlists to your player. The battery will only last a few hours of music listening, so this player is suitable for people who listen to audio an hour, maybe two every day.

You also use both wireless and wired headphones with it. You can also clutch the small player to your clothes, and have your hands free for other things. This small music player is great for people who can’t have Spotify on their phone. And it’s small size is great as it won’t feel heavy when attaching it to your clothes.

Sony Walkman NW-A105 and NW-ZX507

Sony Walkman NW-A105 and Sony Walkman NW-ZX507 are two Android based music players, so they support Spotify. They have Wi-Fi which you use to connect to the Internet. They, of course, also support playing audio that you put on the player by yourself.

To get Spotify on those two music players, you connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi, open up the Play Store and install Spotify from there. Then you can also stream Spotify over Wi-Fi or create offline playlists. If you use them for streaming, the battery won’t last long. But if you play music offline, the battery can last quite a few hours.

Those two devices provide excellent sound quality, but the battery will last only a few hours when using Wi-Fi. You won’t get the same battery life that you expect when streaming music from a smartphone. Nevertheless, these are one of rare music players that support streaming apps, and for some people that’s all they need.