The latest Apple Watch update finally lets you stream music over LTE

The Apple Watch Series 3 will finally allow its wearers to stream music directly from the device, a long-promised functionality that was conspicuously absent at release of the LTE-powered smartwatch.

Apple's latest software update, watchOS 4.1, just dropped, giving LTE-enabled Series 3 watches the ability to stream tunes using the subscription-based Apple Music service or the free new Radio app. You won't be able to use other content services like Spotify or Pandora for now — this is strictly an Apple affair.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The Radio app offers Beats One and three live radio stations (CBS Radio, ESPN, and NPR), along with other Apple Radio music stations from the Music app.

The new software release also includes some updates to the GymKit feature to sync watch data with exercise machines and the ability to disconnect from Wi-Fi networks, another step to solve the glitchy LTE-Wi-Fi handoff problems that plagued some users immediately after the watch's release.

Apple also released some new battery life estimates for the streaming functionality. The company claims you'll be able to wring up to seven hours of streaming playlists over LTE, and five hours of radio time. If you take your watch outdoors and leave your phone behind, Apple says you'll get up to three hours of juice with streaming audio, GPS, LTE.

Apple's new LTE service hasn't exactly rolled out smoothly. The streaming functionality's addition comes over a month after the Series 3 was released in September, following another OS update that patched up the LTE-Wi-Fi issue. Now that Apple Watch owners can actually use their device to stream music, they're finally getting the device they paid for.