Access to Now Playing App

You can add a Now Playing complication to certain watch faces, but only certain complications will allow it. For instance, the little square boxes do not support the Now Playing app, but the long horizontal boxes at the bottom of the watch do.

Also, if you want to use the Now Playing app on the Apple Watch and it isn't already the primary app that pops up when you move your wrist, pause the music/video that is playing and the Apple Watch will default to the Now Playing app when you wake the watch. Maybe a workaround...

As I hoped to explain in my previous reply, if you would like to request that Apple makes the Now Playing app available via a watch face complication, then you can request that here:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

You are not talking to Apple here - this is a user-based technical support community.

There should be a dedicated complication that jumps to the Now Playing app. Currently the only way this can be accessed is by pressing the dock button, scrolling to the Now Playing app, then tapping to open it. There should be an easier and faster way to do this. A watchface complication would accomplish this nicely.

Unfortunately your suggestion isn't a resolution to this issue since it only works if what you want to control is the Music app.

I am currently having this issue too. It started after updating to iOS 11 on my phone. I have a Series 2 running 3.2.3. It is seriously annoying whenever I am playing music and tap "Music" and tap "Now Playing" at the top of the list and it displays absolutely no song information whatsoever! The two complications should definitely be connected. Or how about this idea... Make it one seamless complication. Heaven forbid we have something simple for the user.

Hi Alan

There are two features called Now Playing on Apple Watch:

Within the Music app on Apple Watch, "Now Playing" controls music playback from the app.

• It can be used to control music from the Music app on your iPhone and from the synced playlist on your watch.
• The Music app can be added as a watch face complication.
• When launched, this opens to the Now Playing controls, but the complication is named Music.

Separately from the Music app, a Now Playing app may also be shown in the Dock on your watch.

• This is similar to, but different from, the feature of the same name within the Music app.
• The Now Playing app also controls playback of other audio and video on your iPhone including, for example:
  • A music track in a third-party app on your iPhone (such as Amazon Music).
  • A video that is being played in Safari on your iPhone.
  • A video that is being played in a third-party app on your iPhone (such as the YouTube app).
• It also enables you to control music that is being played via the Music app.
• To indicate the source of content that is being controlled at any given time, the Now Playing app shows a small app icon at the upper-left of the screen.
• This app cannot presently be added to the watch face as a complication.
• If you would like to request that Apple makes the Now Playing app available via watch face complications, you can request that here:
  • https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch.html

thanks! done

You're welcome! 🙂