Apple Watch workout notification keeps pausing music

Hello ChrisMeer,

Thank you for reaching out about using Spotify pausing during your workouts. For this particular issue, you would want to reach out to Spotify about the options avaiable to you with the steps in this link: How to contact an app developer

Cheers!

This is not really a solution- We WANT the notifications! That is one of the reasons I wear the watch while exercising, so it provides feedback on pace, etc.

Both my iPhone SE and watch are up to date. This is not limited to the watch. This morning I was streaming music from phone to Airpods, and whenever there was an audible update from the Workout app (“one mile completed, pace is…,”), or the Activity App (“ring has closed”), the music pauses. I then need to go to phone, what’s playing, and press play. I had to do it about 8 times during run this morning. If the source of the music is the iWatch, I need to press play from the iWatch screen.

On other apps where Siri interrupts, it seems like the music volume goes down, SirI speaks, then the music volume increases to where it was.

This seems to be a development oversight (software defect/bug), that should be addressed. If you are running or cycling, it can be unsafe to have to constantly push buttons on your watch/phone.

For me this only started happening with the most recent (November 2021) Apple Watch update. The music (Spotify, Sirius) pauses when there is a workout notification, phone call, etc and has to be restarted from my phone. It is extremely annoying. Does anyone have a fix?

Not trying to be a jerk here, but turning off the broken feature is not the same as fixing it- I prefer the callouts to see if I am falling behind in pace.

I have not found a fix. Since the latest update, the watch no longer announces ANY status updates through my Airbuds if I am streaming any music. They are announced on the watch itself…. Which you will not hear since you have Airbuds in.

I can confirm this with my new Apple Watch 7. It happens on any music playing, not just Spotify. After every status update, I need to manually press play to continue listening to the music that was paused.

Exactly. Broken feature. I just submitted feedback for a fix (https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html) Definitely not the way this feature is intended to work. Should announce as a voice over while continuing to hear the music in the background, and not pausing.

[Edited by Moderator]

As another data point:

I just went for another run with iWatch only (no phone, and my iWatch is GPS-only), while playing music stored on watch using standard music app. Announcements worked properly (reduced music volume, announced, turned music volume back up).

Perhaps this issue is only while streaming. (For me the issue occurs while streaming through Sirius/XMradio app)

I have exactly the same problem!!! Every time I get a fitness ring update, or notification on my workout my music stops playing while I’m in my workout. I am using Apple series 6 with AirPods with an iPhone XR while streaming music from Amazon Music in my phone. Every update notification and the music stops playing. It happens so much that I just stopped using it. Incredibly frustrating!!

I too have this issue but it seems a little more "severe" than yours which is unfortunate. I have an Apple Series 7 Cellular Watch and an iPhone 12 Pro.

When working out with my watch, phone, and headphones (Powerbeats Pro and AirPods Pro) and i hit a milestone (exercise ring close, movement ring closed, mile marker achieved, etc) the milestone will be announced on my phone and then my music service is TOTALLY unpaired from my phone. When i hit resume music, it comes through my phone and not my headphones. Imagine running outside and having to reconnect to bluetooth and then Spotify and then airplay to the right device.

So frustrating and i have no solutions but to stop using the watch when working out. Really hope Apple gets their **** in order because this is an expensive problem to have when all these pricey devices are not working with each other (even though they insist they always will).

That would be maddening. I've found that if you physically transfer music to your Series 7 watch and play it from the watch (no phone nearby), things work correctly. Also if you are playing music stored on your phone, things work correctly. But things do not work properly for any streaming service I've tried. I have Series 7 GPS (no cellular) and iPhone SE (new model).

Did anyone try turning off the 'Voice Feedback' mode?

https://macreports.com/sound-keeps-pausing-when-exercising-fix/

I feel like this announcement has something to do where it mutes my sound, and I hear an almost non-audible voice say something (probably Siri) but afterwards the music doesn't pick up again and I need to disconnect my AirPods and reconnect them again.

I had a similar issue. Working out playing from an apple music playlist on the apple watch 7 (gps) music kept pausing all the time. Not a single song would finish uninterrupted.

After one auto pause and press play again, I noticed music playing that was not on the watch so I realized it was connecting to my iPhone that was at least 50 feet away behind a concrete wall in the gym locker.

I turned bluetooth off on my iPhone and it has not happened since.

I don’t have spotify but I hope this helps!

I turned off the “Voice Feedback” setting on my watch workout setting and it fixed the issue. That setting has a bug that shuts music off when it activates. This is fine for me cause I don’t care for Siri to interrupt me when I’m in the zone on my work out