This new accessory can turn your Apple Watch into a throwback iPod, complete with a click wheel

A tinyPod against a blue background
(Image credit: tinyPod)

Remember the click wheel? The revolutionary scrolling button on the front of the most iconic iPods is back but this time for… Apple Watch?

Introducing tinyPod, a case for the Apple Watch that adds the iconic iPod click wheel to the Apple Watch Series 4 and above. There’s even a size for the best Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Ultra 2.

The case allows you to scroll through watchOS without touching the screen and your Apple Watch will still work with magnetic charging and NameDrop. Because the tinyPod disables wrist detection, the company is claiming multi-day battery life for your smartwatch inside the case.

If you’ve been looking for a standalone music player for a while, the tinyPod could be about to change the game. There’s also a cheaper “lite” that removes the click wheel effectively making the Apple Watch a touchscreen iPod Nano. 

The regular tinyPod retails for $79.99 ($89.99 for the Ultra), and the tinyPod lite for $29.99 ($39.99 for the Ultra). Units are available to buy right now from the tinyPod website and will start shipping later this Fall.

The return of the iPod?

It might be my nostalgia speaking but let’s face it, the iPod ruled. Yes, your iPhone just like Steve Jobs once said is an “iPod, a phone, and an internet communicator” but what if you want to disconnect from the world and have a dedicated music-playing device? To this day people use iPods and the tinyPod gives a new opportunity for standalone music player lovers to modernize their iPod experience.

Most Apple Watches come with 32GB storage, perfect for all your favorite tunes and podcasts. However, let’s not forget that even an older Apple Watch Series 4 will set you back at least $100 on the second-hand market so this could quickly become a pricy MP3 player. With a Fall release date, tinyPod could become the perfect use case for your old Apple Watch when you upgrade to the rumored Apple Watch X.

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John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.