Comparison

Lyd vs WatchCloud

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Lyd

Control your Sonos system directly from your iPhone's Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Apple Watch. Enjoy instant playback control, volume adjustments, and speaker management without needing to open the main app or unlock your device.

Highlights
  • Home Screen widgets
  • Lock Screen widgets
  • Dynamic Island Live Activities
  • Apple Watch remote
  • Group/ungroup speakers
  • Sleep timers
  • Shortcuts and automation
Features
Read full description

Control Sonos from your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Apple Watch. No app to open, no unlock required — just tap and play. Lyd gives you instant widgets and Dynamic Island controls on iPhone, plus the gold-standard Watch remote trusted since 2019. And on iPad, a fully native, big-screen app — library and Now Playing side by side — the Sonos experience iPad users deserve. Fully compatible with Sonos S2 and even backwards compatible to Sonos S1. SCENES — YOUR WHOLE SETUP IN ONE TAP Save the perfect moment once, recreate it forever. A Scene remembers which speakers play together, how loud each one is, and what music starts — then makes it all happen the instant you tap. • "Morning Kitchen", "Dinner Party", "Movie Night" — a Scene for every moment • One tap groups your speakers, sets the volume, and starts your music • Smart suggestions build Scenes from the way you already listen • Custom icons and names make every Scene your own • Works on iPhone and Apple Watch, synced across both • Launch any Scene with Siri, Shortcuts, and automations INSTANT WIDGET CONTROL • Home Screen widgets in multiple sizes • Lock Screen widgets for one-tap access • Live Activities in Dynamic Island • Control playback without unlocking your phone GOLD-STANDARD APPLE WATCH REMOTE • Full playback control on your wrist • Rotate the Digital Crown to change volume • Add complications to any watch face • Control everything without touching your iPhone POWERFUL FEATURES • Works with Sonos S2 and S1 systems • Volume adjustments with iPhone volume keys • Group and ungroup speakers • Play any playlist or radio station • Send voice messages to any speaker • Sleep timers for automatic shutoff • Shortcuts and automation support • Guest mode for parties • Multiple Sonos households ONE-TIME PURCHASE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Pay once, use forever. Includes a 14-day free trial with full access to every feature. --- All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Sonos is a trademark of Sonos Inc. This is not an official Sonos app. Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

WatchCloud

Listen to your SoundCloud music directly on your Apple Watch, leaving your phone behind. Stream tracks, playlists, and artists over Wi-Fi or cellular. Control playback with intuitive watch gestures and customize your experience.

Highlights
  • Listen to liked tracks and playlists
  • Search for music
  • Explore artists
  • Playback controls
  • Digital Crown scrubbing
  • Watch face complications
Features
Read full description

Listen to SoundCloud on your Apple Watch. Leave your phone behind. Listen to your favorite tracks, playlists, and artists with WatchCloud. Stream directly over Wi-Fi or cellular, whether you’re out for a run, at the gym, or on your daily commute. YOUR MUSIC, WITH YOU • Listen to your liked tracks and playlists • Search for tracks, artists, and playlists • Explore artists and discover more music • Like tracks as you listen CONTROLS MADE FOR YOUR WATCH • Play, pause, skip, shuffle, and adjust playback speed • Turn the Digital Crown to jump to any moment in a track • Customize the double tap gesture to control playback on compatible watches • Open your liked tracks or search directly from watch face complications ONE PURCHASE. NO SUBSCRIPTION. Pay once for WatchCloud and enjoy ad-free playback with no WatchCloud subscription. WatchCloud grows with its community, with regular improvements inspired by listener feedback. REQUIREMENTS • A SoundCloud account • An internet connection over Wi-Fi or cellular • Apple Watch Series 4 or later, or Apple Watch SE, running watchOS 10 or later Need help? Open the About page in the iPhone app or follow the support link below. WatchCloud is an independent app that uses the official SoundCloud API in accordance with its Terms of Use.

Screenshots

Lyd4 screens
WatchCloud4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Lyd at Free against WatchCloud's $3.99. Lyd also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.7) and review sentiment (86% vs 57%). WatchCloud's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6). On ads, monetization model, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Lyd is free to download; WatchCloud costs $3.99 up front. Lyd sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. WatchCloud asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lyd holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Lyd has 355 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Lyd's written reviews are positive against 57% of WatchCloud's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Lyd ships an update every 10 days, WatchCloud every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Lyd versus WatchCloud: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLydWatchCloud
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating4.4 (355 ratings) — better3.7 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews85.9% of reviews — better56.8% of reviews
Number of ratings355 — better36
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS17.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size80 MB13 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperApp Lane OURyan Forsyth

Customer experience

Lyd

All ratings354 ratings
Positive85.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative13.6%
Written reviews270 reviews
Positive85.9%
Neutral2.2%
Negative11.9%

WatchCloud

All ratings34 ratings
Positive61.8%
Neutral14.7%
Negative23.5%
Written reviews95 reviews
Positive56.8%
Neutral8.4%
Negative34.7%

User reviews

Lyd

From 355 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless Sonos control
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🔒 Reliable and stable
  • 💡 Convenient Apple Watch integration
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional connectivity issues
  • 🔋 Drains Apple Watch battery
  • 🔒 Requires Sonos account login

WatchCloud

From 36 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy account linking and login (when working)
  • 🎵 Access SoundCloud library without phone
  • ⚡ Responsive developer support
  • 🎨 Clean and intuitive UI design
  • 💰 Free or affordable pricing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 🔋 Severe battery drain (100% to 0% in 15 minutes)
  • 🔐 Login issues with CAPTCHA not visible on watch
  • ⏸️ Music pauses or stops unexpectedly
  • 🔌 Requires constant connectivity

Bugs and requests

Lyd

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App sometimes loses connection to Sonos
  • Complication disappears after updates

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to control volume directly from the app
  • Support for more Sonos features like creating playlists
  • Interactive widgets for iPhone

WatchCloud

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • Shuffle feature crashes app
  • App closes unexpectedly during playback
  • CAPTCHA checkbox invisible on watch screen
  • Music stops after few minutes on long tracks
  • Loading spinner appears indefinitely
Show 11 more
  • Tracks longer than 2 hours not fetching properly
  • Some songs register as 30 seconds instead of full length
  • Music cuts out when watch screen turns off
  • Automatic sign-out from phone app
  • App won't launch on certain watch models
  • Facebook login web view frozen
  • Google login says browser cannot be used
  • Apple ID login missing password field
  • Battery indicator malfunction
  • App uninstallable on some devices
  • QR code appears when watch screen dims

Requested features

13 requests
  • Track scrubbing/seeking functionality
  • Autoplay for next song
  • Repeat/loop single track option
  • Shuffle mode improvements
  • Music download capability
Show 8 more
  • Waveform visualization for track seeking
  • Offline listening support
  • Search functionality for new tracks
  • Daily and weekly playlist visibility
  • Fast forward/rewind controls
  • Gesture controls (swipe to change songs)
  • Settings management from phone app
  • Sync button for playlist updates

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Lyd

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly tip$2.991 Year
One-time5
  • One-time tip$0.99
  • One-time support$1.99
  • One-time Support$4.99
Show 2 more
  • Lifetime Unlock$8.99
  • One-time Support$8.99
None

WatchCloud

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Lyd free?
Lyd is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is WatchCloud free?
WatchCloud costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Lyd or WatchCloud?
Lyd is rated higher. Lyd averages 4.4 out of 5 from 355 ratings, while WatchCloud averages 3.7 from 36 ratings.
Do Lyd or WatchCloud have ads?
Neither Lyd nor WatchCloud shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Lyd or WatchCloud?
Lyd ships an update every 10 days, and WatchCloud every 2 months. Most recently, Lyd was updated on November 2, 2026 and WatchCloud on November 4, 2026.

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