Garmin Fenix 9 owners finally get YouTube Music after nearly two months

You’d think Garmin’s latest flagship watch would support the same music apps as its predecessor. Apparently not, because Fenix 9 owners have spent nearly two months waiting for YouTube Music compatibility, and that now appears to be changing.

Reports started appearing today, that Google’s music app is finally available for the Fenix 9 and Fenix 9 Pro. It’s a small update, admittedly, but a welcome one for anyone who uses YouTube Music as their main listening service.

The news surfaced in a discussion among Garmin owners, where one user confirmed that the app could now be installed on the Fenix 9. They subsequently clarified that support had also been added for the Fenix 9 Pro, which previously wasn’t compatible.

The funny thing is, YouTube Music has been available on Garmin watches since June 2024. So people with older models like the Fenix 7 and Epix have been happily using it for over two years, while those who splashed out on Garmin’s latest and most expensive watches were left waiting. Nothing quite like spending a small fortune on a new watch only to find out your mate’s three-year-old Garmin can do something yours can’t!

What Fenix 9 owners can now do

The YouTube Music app allows users to download playlists and podcasts directly to their watch over Wi-Fi. Once downloaded, they can listen through Bluetooth headphones without carrying their phone.

You’ll need a YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium subscription for music downloads. And this is offline playback rather than streaming, so you’ll need to download your favourite tracks before heading out.

Garmin doubled internal storage to 64GB with this latest generation. That provides plenty of room for maps and music, with Garmin quoting capacity for around 7,000 songs.

Not everyone appears to have access just yet. One owner in Germany reports that the app still isn’t appearing in Connect IQ, so availability might not be identical across all regions and watch configurations.

What’s particularly annoying is that this isn’t the first time. YouTube Music support was also late arriving on the Fenix 8 and Fenix 8 Pro. Google seems to have made a habit of playing catch-up whenever Garmin releases a new flagship watch, which isn’t exactly ideal for people upgrading on launch day.

And the delay has had some real consequences. In earlier discussions, several Fenix 9 buyers said they’d temporarily signed up for Spotify Premium just to get music onto their watches. One owner even reported returning their Fenix 9 and going back to an older Epix. That’s quite a price to pay for something as basic as app compatibility!