Spotify now works with Siri on the Apple Watch

Apple Watch users can now ask Siri to play music through Spotify. With an update to Spotify’s app today, spotted by 9to5Mac, you can now ask Siri to play music through Spotify by ending a music request with “on Spotify.” The example Spotify gives is something as simple as “Hey Siri, play music on Spotify.”

It’s a small update, but it’s an overdue one for the Apple Watch. Apple only started allowing third-party music apps to integrate with Siri last year with the launch of iOS 13 and watchOS 6. Spotify immediately began supporting the feature on iPhones, but it’s taken until now to expand to the Apple Watch.

By default, Siri serves music requests through Apple Music. The integration has offered an advantage of Apple Music since it’s the easiest service to reach by voice. While there’s still a slight hurdle in having to specify “on Spotify” — Android, for instance, lets users set their preferred streaming service and automatically uses that for future voice requests — it’s a meaningful step forward. That’s particularly true on the Apple Watch, where you may need to stay hands-free while changing what you’re listening to.

Spotify has criticized Apple in the past over anti-competitive behavior. While Spotify’s main focus has been the App Store, where Apple subjects nearly all other companies to a 30 percent cut of sale (or 15 percent on ongoing subscriptions), it’s also mentioned being locked out of Siri. Today’s update shows how Apple is starting to ease up, though still not quite as much as it could.