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Garmin fitness watches can finally play music from Spotify

Listen to a popular service while you're at the gym.

Garmin's initial music support for its fitness watches has been limited to Deezer and iHeartRadio, which is odd to say the least -- most people don't use those services, and you weren't about to ditch a subscription to something else just so you could replace the gym's soundtrack with your own. Thankfully, Garmin is aware of your plight -- it's rolling out support for offline Spotify music on its wristwear, starting with the Fenix 5 Plus series. Download the relevant app in the Connect IQ store and you can save songs, albums and playlists to the watch using WiFi, giving you the chance to catch up on your Release Radar while away from your phone.

The app is available now, although there are catches. As is often the case, you'll need a Spotify Premium subscription to tune in. And Garmin's Fenix 5 Plus watches aren't cheap by any stretch -- you're looking at $700 minimum for a 42mm Fenix 5S Plus. You might have to wait a while before lower-cost models can handle your Spotify selections. It's a start, though, and it makes Garmin's devices much, much more compelling if you can't imagine exercising in silence.