Last week we reported on a new Spotify app for Google-powered smartwatches that gives users the option to listen offline when on the go. Today, the Apple Watch gets a new native music streaming app of its own – Tidal.
The new Tidal app for Apple Watch works without an iPhone nearby, so you can download all your favourite playlists and then listen without a wi-fi or cellular connection.
Spotify and Deezer have both announced similar offline listening features for the Apple Watch, giving you a fair amount of choice if you want to stream music when you head out for a run or hit the gym for a workout.
Tidal is known for its high-quality streams but they won’t be available through the Apple Watch app, with data rates being limited. Spotify has also confirmed that its audio streams will be limited to 96Kbps when listening via its wearable apps. It’s unclear whether Apple, which just announced plans to add lossless tracks to Apple Music from June, will follow that playbook.
Subscription to Tidal’s ad-free Premium plan costs from £9.99 ($9.99, AU$11.99) a month and includes access to 70 million songs, many of which are offered in lossless and high-resolution quality via the iPhone and other media streamers
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