Garmin Vivoactive is a fantastic smartwatch that goes beyond just telling you the time and date. This digital watch is partly a GPS sports watch and partly an activity tracker. Moreover, it also alerts you when you have an incoming call, email, text message, etc. Another thing that Garmin Vivoactive 6/5/4/3 can do is play songs. But many runners and cyclists want to enjoy music without carrying their phones.
So, in this post, we will focus on how to connect and play Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive 6/5/4/3. We will walk you through the official method for Spotify Premium users, the best solution without a Premium subscription, and how to troubleshoot common errors while using Spotify with Vivoactive.
Part 1. How to Connect Spotify to Garmin Vivoactive 5/6/4/3 Music with Premium
Is Spotify Compatible with Garmin Vivoactive 6/5/4/3
Yes. If you have bought a Garmin Vivoactive 6/5/4/3 Spotify smartwatch, your device is compatible with Spotify. You can check the details at the list below.
Garmin Vivoactive 6: Best Experience. Fully Compatible (8GB Storage / ~2,000 songs).
Garmin Vivoactive 5: Fully Compatible (4GB Storage / ~1,000 songs).
Garmin Vivoactive 4/4S: Fully Compatible (3.5GB Storage / ~500 songs).
Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music: Fully Compatible.
Garmin Vivoactive 3 (Standard): Not Compatible. The standard Vivoactive 3 does not have built-in storage for music files.
If your device is compatible with Spotify, you can go ahead with the setup process and start playing Spotify songs directly from your Garmin Vivoactive.
How to Install Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music
Ensure that you have a Spotify Premium subscription before following the steps for how to set up Spotify on Vivoactive 3 music/4/5/6. Also, you will need the Garmin Connect app, a Wi-Fi connection (2.4 GHz is better), and your watch must have at least 50% battery.
If you don't have a Spotify Premium plan, you can skip to Part 3 to listen to Spotify music on Garmin Vivoactive series offline.
Step 1. Open the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone or Android device.
Step 2. Tap your device icon at the top of the screen. Or, navigate to More > Garmin Devices.
Step 3. You will see Music or Music Providers and tap the option.
Step 4. Choose the Get Music Apps or Connect IQ Store option. Then type Spotify in the search box and find it.
Step 5. Once found the Spotify app, tap Download or Install.
Step 6. Once installed, log in to your Spotify Premium account to start streaming music.
How to Download Music from Spotify to Garmin Vivoactive 4/5/6/3 Music
Step 1. Power on your Garmin Vivoactive smartwatch.
For Vivoactive 6/5: Swipe to the Music widget or press and hold the bottom button.
For Vivoactive 4: Press and hold the bottom button (Back).
For Vivoactive 3 Music: Swipe to the Music widget.
Step 2. Choose Spotify in the prompt.
Step 3. Tap the Add music & podcasts option.
Step 4. Browse your Spotify music library on the watch screen.
Step 5. Choose the playlist you want to download and start downloading.
How to Control Spotify from Garmin Vivoactive 3/4/5/6
To control Spotify from Garmin Vivoactive devices, just click on the library option, which will open the Spotify library. In addition, you have play/pause, play next, and other options. Use these features to control your Spotify songs directly from the watch.
To change the volume, select the three dots that you can see on the song playing screen. By clicking on that, you will see the volume icon. Click it and control the volume. The watch also lets you put your songs on shuffle and repeat mode. You will see these controls by clicking on the three dots on the song playing screen.
Part 2. Troubleshooting Common Spotify Garmin Vivoactive Issues
Even with a Spotify Premium account, the Garmin Vivoactive Spotify integration is known for being temperamental. Here are the specific solutions to the most common errors users face.
Issue 1: 'Content Expired' or 'Update Downloads' of Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive
Spotify requires you to verify your subscription status periodically. If you haven't connected your watch to the internet in a while, your offline licenses will expire.
Solution: You do not need to delete and re-add music to your Spotify music library. Simply open the music player on your watch, select Spotify, and tap "Update Downloads". Also, ensure you are within range of your WiFi network. By following these steps, you will refresh the license tokens for another 30 days.
Issue 2: Garmin Vivoactive Not Syncing with Spotify
Solution: First, check your watch's charge. If you drop below 50%, the WiFi radio often turns off to save power. Also, move your watch closer to the router. Garmin internal WiFi antennas are small and weaker than your phone's. What's more, try to sync smaller playlists. Syncing a "Liked Songs" playlist with 500 tracks often causes the processor to time out. Break it into chunks of 50-100 songs.
Issue 3: 'No WiFi Connection' Error on Garmin Vivoactive Spotify
Solution: Remove the WiFi network from the Garmin Connect app on your phone and re-add it manually. Ensure the password is correct and that you are not trying to connect to a "Captive Portal" network (like a hotel or Starbucks WiFi that requires a web page login), as Garmin watches cannot load those pages.
Part 3. How to Play Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive Offline without Premium/Phone
Garmin Vivoactive requires a Spotify Premium account to start playing Spotify songs. Plus, the whole process of syncing and downloading the Spotify playlists on the smartwatch takes time and consumes the battery of the watch. So, if you want to use Garmin Vivoactive 3/4/5/6 and play Spotify music offline, that can be done too. Garmin Vivoactive watches (including the new Vivoactive 6) allow you to store your own local music files (MP3s) and play them offline. Therefore, the workaround is to convert your Spotify music into MP3 files and transfer them to the watch manually.
To do that, the recommended tool to use is AudFree Spotify Music Converter. It is a professional Spotify converter and downloader and it works proficiently. This tool is trusted by thousands of people from across the globe.
You can download as many Spotify songs as you want and convert Spotify to MP3 and other audio formats with even a Spotify Free account. Moreover, the songs get downloaded at 13X speed, meaning you will not have to wait long to start listening to the songs. In addition, all the songs can be played on Garmin Vivoactive 3 and multiple other devices for offline listening without mobile phone. And you won't get 'Content Expired' errors.
AudFree Spotify Music Converter for Garmin Vivoactive
How to Download Spotify Music for Garmin Vivoactive Offline Playback
Before we share the steps that you need to follow to use AudFree Spotify Music Converter, please download and install the tool on your computer first.
- Step 1. Launch AudFree Spotify Music Converter and upload Spotify songs
- Launch AudFree Spotify Music Converter on your computer. Now, log in to your Spotify account within the built-in Spotify web player. Then find the Spotify song, tap the big + icon and press 'Add to list' to load files into AudFree tool.
- Step 2. Customize the audio parameter for Spotify music on Vivoactive
- Go to the Menu > Preferences > Conversion option, and there change the output format. You can choose from MP3, AIFF, M4A, FLAC, WAV, and M4B. AudFree Spotify Music Converter also lets you select the sample rate, channel, bit rate, and the output destination for the songs where you want them to be downloaded.
- Step 3. Convert and download Spotify songs for Vivoactive
- After the settings, click the Convert button to start the conversion process. The Spotify songs will be downloaded in the local folder that you have chosen.
If you use multiple streaming music services, you can use AudFree Streaming Audio Recorder to help you play music on your Vivoactive watch offline. This tool supports to download music from Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, SoundCloud and so on. Just give it a try to enjoy all the music you want.
How to Put Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive for Offline Playback
Now, let's see how to transfer and add Spotify music to Garmin Vivoactive smartwatches for playback.
Step 1. Connect your Garmin Vivoactive 3, 4, 5, or 6 to your computer using the charging cable.
Step 2. Launch Garmin Express app on your computer. (If you don't have it, download and install it from the official Garmin website.)
Step 3. Click on your device in Garmin Express, then click on Music.
Step 4. Locate the folder where you saved the converted Spotify music files. Then select the checkboxes next to the songs or playlists you want to transfer. Next, click "Send to Device" to sync Spotify playlist to Garmin Vivoactive.
How to Listen to Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive Offline
Step 1. On your Vivoactive watch, open the Music widget.
Step 2. Hold the button (or tap the 3 dots) to enter Music Providers.
Step 3. Select "My Music" (Do not select Spotify).
Step 4. Go to Playlists or Songs. You will see all your converted Spotify tracks listed there. Then choose the track you want to play offline without Spotify Premium and Spotify app.
Part 4. FAQs about Spotify on Garmin Vivoactive
Can I Listen Spotify Music on Garmin Vivoactive 6 without Headphones?
Yes, the Vivoactive 6 and Vivoactive 5 have built-in speakers. But the quality is optimized for voice alerts and calls. For the best music experience during workouts, pairing Bluetooth headphones is still highly recommended.
Why Is My Garmin Vivoactive Not Finding My Bluetooth Headphones to Play Spotify Music?
You can try to put your headphones in 'Pairing Mode' first. Next, on the watch, go to Settings > Sensors & Accessories > Add New > Headphones. Keep the headphones within 1 inch of the watch during pairing. If it fails, restart the watch and try again.
Why Can't I Sign In to Spotify on Garmin Connect?
This is often due to a Bluetooth timeout or app permission issue. Ensure your watch is connected to your phone via Bluetooth, restart the Garmin Connect app, and try to log in to it with your Spotify account again.
Part 5. Conclusion
So, now you know how to add Spotify music to Garmin Vivoactive 3/4/5/6 with both the official way and the offline way. If you don't have a Spotify Premium account or want to avoid 'Content Expired' errors on your watch, we recommend using the offline way. You can use AudFree Spotify Music Converter to convert and download Spotify songs locally for offline playback anytime. So, go on and download AudFree Spotify Music Converter today on your Mac or Windows computer and grab all the Spotify songs that you want to play on your Garmin Vivoactive watch.
Charles Davis
Chief Editor
