iOS: Apple Watch Won't Play Over Bluetooth

[GasolineRain]

I recently got an Apple Watch. I hooked up pandora and i could control and listen to it from my watch and my earbuds. Now all I can do from my watch with Pandora is play it from my iPhone speakers. I have uninstalled Pandora app and Bluetooth speakers and reinstalled.  Please if anyone could advise on this issue. Thanks

[AdamPandora]

@GasolineRain To clarify, are you only experiencing this issue with Pandora?

If so, let's try re-pairing the Bluetooth connection between your device and the phone.

To remove the pairing, please go into the Bluetooth settings menu on your phone, find the appropriate connection, and select "Forget this device."

Once you've done so, refer to the owner's manual for your device for how to reconnect to your phone.

Let me know how it goes.

[Fisherman0019]

On my Apple Watch pandora plays on my phone instead of my headphones

[sancheznova99]

I'm having the same issue!! I have my headphones paired with my Apple Watch Series 5. It plays music fine from the Apple Native app but when I try from the Pandora box it defaults to playing the music from my iPhone and NOT the headphones. I tried the steps above as well as rebooting the iPhone and Apple Watch and no luck. Same frustrating issue. So far there seems to be a resolution for this. I even contacted tech support and nothing. As a paying customer find this experience frustrating. At this rate might as well ditch Pandora altogether and just get a subscription with Apple Music streaming service then. 

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @sancheznova99. 👋

Looks like you've been in touch with our team, and are currently working with a specialist to troubleshoot. 

I'm happy to help via community, or collect more info to report to our engineering team. 

Let me know which option works best for you.

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @Fisherman0019. 👋

Sorry for the continued trouble.

Would you mind trying out these steps to pair your Apple Watch with your headphones. You can also refer to this helpful page too.

Let me know how it goes, and whether you still have trouble.

[Richardbun]

I'm having the same problem. It's unique to Pandora. Apple Music works perfectly. If you guys can't fix it I'm ready to ditch Pandora in favor of Apple Music and Radio, both of which work as they should.

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @Richardbun. 👋

Thanks for letting us know, and sorry for any trouble.

I completely understand your frustration.

If you haven't already, could you please try out the steps from my message here?

Let me know if you still run into issues.

[Richardbun]

After reinstalling the Watch app it worked one time, sending the music to my headphones. That was it. Now it always plays on the iPhone, remarkably even when the iPhone is out of Bluetooth range. If I open the Pandora app on the Watch it should NEVER play on the iPhone. If I want to play on the iPhone I'll use the iPhone app.

This is a serious bug. Please fix it!

[AlyssaPandora]

@Richardbun I would like to report this issue to our engineers.

Could you tell me more about your device(s)?

• Device (s) & Generation: (e.g. iPhone 5c, iPod 6th gen, iPad Air2, etc.)
• Carrier:
• iOS version: (Settings > General > About > Version)
• Pandora version: (Pandora > Profile tab > Settings gear & scroll to the bottom of the screen)

Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening?

Let me know.

[Richardbun]

Devices: Apple Watch series 5 Wi-Fi + cellular, iPhone Xs
Carrier: T-Mobile 
iOS version: Watch S 6.1.3, iOS 13.3.1
Pandora version: 2003.1-5-c2cabb10

It happens when connected to Wi-Fi always. When away from the iPhone and connected on cellular the Watch app gives an error message saying that the phone is out of range (duh?). If I persist by closing the app and reopening it, it will play on the Watch's Bluetooth, so that is a rather cumbersome bypass.

Thanks for your help!

[AlyssaPandora]

No problem at all, @Richardbun. Always happy to help!

Reporting this now to engineering on your behalf.

Thanks for your patience while they look into this! 

[LINGO]

I would like to be kept up to date on this solution. I’m having the same problems. 

[AlyssaPandora]

Hey there, @LINGO. 👋

Sorry that you're having trouble as well. I understand how frustrating this must be.

Could you provide the following details for me to share with engineering?

• Device(s) & Generation: (e.g. iPhone 5c, iPod 6th gen, iPad Air2, etc.)
• Carrier:
• iOS version: (Settings > General > About > Version)
• Pandora version: (Pandora > Profile tab > Settings gear & scroll to the bottom of the screen)

Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening?

Have you identified any other patterns or notable information?

Thanks for your help with this! 🎧

[rmandree]

Has a solution to this issue been given, because I am now having the same issue.  It is not a "pairing issue."  It appears to be a Pandora/Apple issue.

[AlyssaPandora]

Hi there, @rmandree. 👋

Sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. I've enabled a trace on your Pandora account in case we need to share this information with our engineering team. Let's try some troubleshooting steps to see if we can resolve this.

First, try restarting your iPhone and Apple Watch. Press and hold the side button to power it off, and then do the same to power it on again.

If you're still having trouble, try the following steps to uninstall and reinstall the Pandora app on your watch:

1. Go to the Watch app on iPhone.
2. Scroll down and find Pandora.
3. Tap Pandora then disable the Show App on Apple Watch toggle.
4. Finally, switch the toggle back on to begin reinstalling the app.

++

If you continue to have trouble, could you provide more details about your devices?

• Device(s) & Generation: (e.g. iPhone 5c, iPod 6th gen, iPad Air2, etc.)
• Carrier:
• iOS version: (Settings > General > About > Version)
• Pandora version: (Pandora > Profile tab > Settings gear & scroll to the bottom of the screen)

Are you connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data when this is happening?

Have you identified any other patterns or notable information?

Let me know how it goes. 🎧

[Colleenmboyle]

Was this ever resolved? I’m having the same issue and it previously worked without issue. I don’t want to stop my Pandora subscription, but I will have to if this isn’t resolved. 

[AlyssaPandora · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @Colleenmboyle. 👋

I just tried this from my Apple Watch using my AirPods. You should be able to listen to Pandora through your bluetooth device.

If you scroll all the way down looking at your collection, you should see an option where "Playing from..." If you switch to your Watch, and your headphones are connected - you should be able to stream directly from your Apple Watch to your connected headphones. 

If you continue to have trouble, I would recommend repairing your headphones and Apple Watch / iOS device and checking out my post about this here.

Should the troubleshooting not resolve the issue, please provide the requested information.

Let me know how it goes. 🎧

[MusicFan974]

The app on the watch is still broken. Tried all the steps here and can't get Pandora to play through the watch on paired Bluetooth headphones. But you can control your phone with your watch and it would work that way. Sadly, after a year and a half it appears Pandora has still not been able to or hasn't bothered to try to fix this issue. However, Spotify doesn't have this issue and works seamlessly with the Apple watch!

[AdamPandora]

@MusicFan974 Please check out @AlyssaPandora's message above - if you continue to experience issues, please follow up with the requested information.

Thanks for working with us on this. 🤝