Friday, Pandora released an update to its official iOS app that includes a redesigned Apple Watch companion with offline playback support, a much-requested feature among the music streaming service’s users.
Offline playback via the Apple Watch app is currently restricted to Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers. The monthly costs for Plus and Premium are $4.99 and $9.99, respectively.
With support for offline playback and an active subscription to one of the two paid tiers, users can create playlists and download music for later playback without the need for Wi-Fi or cellular connections.
The new watchOS experience enables users to “thumbs up” their favorite songs directly from the Now Playing screen. Additionally included are remote playback controls.
To stream music over cellular, Pandora, like other watchOS apps, requires a paired iPhone. Only Apple Music can stream content over the cellular connection of the Apple Watch.
