YouTube Music for Wear OS makes a very brief Play Store appearance

Abner Li | Jul 22 2021 - 4:02 pm PT

At the start of this week, Google made the Material You redesign of the Wear OS Play Store official. Alongside that, Google Play on Android phones was also updated with easier install and search filters. Thanks to the Play Store, along with the latest app update, we get a very quick and minor peek at YouTube Music for Wear OS.

Searching the phone Play Store now shows filters for “Watch” and “Watch faces” to find wearable applications that can then be remotely installed to your watch.

Looking up “YouTube Music” in Play today and selecting the Wear OS filter will show the Google streaming service. The listing itself, however, does not have any more information (like screenshots) about the watch experience, nor do you get the ability to install. Meanwhile, searching directly on your watch will not surface the app (as seen below).

The appearance today could be a sign that Google is already testing YouTube Music for Wear OS internally.

Meanwhile, version 4.37.53 of YouTube Music contains a lone string detailing how downloading songs on Wear OS will require the watch to be charging. This is par for the course and helps prevent battery drain while you’re actively using the device.

<string name=”wear_downloads_put_on_charger”>Put watch on charger to download</string>

We’ve seen very little of the app so far, but there will be a “Downloads” view that shows your Offline Mixtape and Your Likes. Visually, these pill-shaped cards feature artwork to make each line distinct. Smart downloads will automatically sync your favorite and recent tunes, though this requires a Premium subscription.

YouTube Music for Wear OS is officially coming “later this year.”