Garmin today announced a new partnership that will delight Spotify fans. Garmin Fenix 5 Plus owners can download the new Spotify app from the Garmin connect IQ app store starting today. The new app allows users to download entire playlists for offline playback.
The Fenix 5 Plus is Garmin's latest series and is one of the brand's most expensive wearables, starting at $549. Music storage and playback were possible on these devices before today's deal, but users were limited to iHeartRadio and Deezerif they had premium subscriptions activated.
Now Spotify has its own app for the Fenix 5 Plus. Once installed and connected to WIFI, premium users can download their playlists so they can listen to them even when they are not near their phone. Unlike other smartwatches such as the Apple Watch 4, the Fenix 5 Plus does not have built-in LTE. So there is no streaming capability, but if the tracks have been downloaded beforehand, they can be played on wireless Bluetooth headphones, directly from the Fenix.
Spotify dominates the music streaming industry, with 83 million premium users as of June. But even those users didn't have many options for listening to their music (on wearables) outside of some Samsung models, which was why they stood out.
Currently, the Spotify is only available for the Fenix 5 Plus, but we hope it will be released for other models in the near future.
