Sonos steals my music when I'm on the road

  • 18 June 2023
  • 66 replies
  • 1164 views
A
Badge +1
  • Acuff
  • Trending Lyricist I
  • 28 replies

I play Spotify from my iPhone 14 on my Sonos 5 and ERA 100 at home.  Then I leave and play Spotify through a bluetooth headset (Sena 30K0 on my motorcycle.  I’m happily riding along and the tunes stop.  When I can check the phone, I find that Spotify has switched to Sonos.  I switch back, but a few minutes later it happens again.

 

I’ve made sure I have the latest update of the Sonos and Spotify apps, closed the apps, and powered off the phone, but it still happens.  Any idea what is going on and how I can stop it?

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

66 replies

W
Userlevel 5
Badge +6

I’m not convinced this is a SONOS issue.  My wife has the same Spotify behavior between her work computer and car, neither of which is connected in any way to SONOS.  

jgatie

Another option is to choose a speaker that works correctly.

 

Good luck finding one.  As stated above, this is a Spotify thing, not a Sonos thing.  And as to Sonos having “a LOT MORE WEIGHT”?  Sonos has NO WEIGHT.  They neither pay Spotify, nor does Spotify pay them, for their service.  You pay Spotify, so the WEIGHT is all yours. 

A
Badge +1

@Acuff

The Airplay and Bluetooth methods of connection are in the same areas of the iOS Spotify App or of course you can use the Sonos App to start a direct WiFi audio playback from the in-built Spotify service… none of these methods will affect (steal) your playback when outside/away from your home using your Spotify App, unless someone at home (or elsewhere) starts playback using your Spotify account, that is.

Now that is a solution.  Not ideal since it takes more clicks, but it should work to avoid the root problem without having a big burden of having to perform a complex operation every time I leave home.

P

I’m with the OP as struggling with the same situation and while appreciative of the detailed and thoughtful fixes, find them overwhelming and confusing considering the jump to the speakers seems totally random. Driving in my car enjoying music and suddenly it goes quiet and I can see it’s playing on my devices far away back at home. And no one else is home to be causing the interference. 

Ken_Griffiths

I’m with the OP as struggling with the same situation and while appreciative of the detailed and thoughtful fixes, find them overwhelming and confusing considering the jump to the speakers seems totally random. Driving in my car enjoying music and suddenly it goes quiet and I can see it’s playing on my devices far away back at home. And no one else is home to be causing the interference. 

Well the answer to stop it happening is clearly detailed in the various posts here - you just need to ‘end the Spotify session’ on your home device(s). The various ways to do that, in many instances, are discussed and explained… you can even end the Spotify session by playing a different audio source to the room/speaker(s). 

buzz

Is it possible that someone at home is using Spotify?

buzz

As a test, make sure that something other than Spotify is selected on your home players as you leave the house.

Overall this will be difficult to diagnose because you are away from your system. If this happens regularly, I suggest that you submit a diagnostic as you leave home and log the confirmation number. If there is an event while you are out, submit again when you return home. Then contact SONOS phone support. Maybe something will show in the diagnostics.

Possible fringe case: If you allow guests to play Spotify on your system using their phone/pad, their Spotify client will remain attached to your system unless you select another source on your system. Users have reported departed guests remotely starting Spotify play on a system. I don’t recall any reports similar to yours, but I wouldn’t be shocked if your Spotify client and their Spotify client remain “entangled”.

Ken_Griffiths

It’s actually a Spotify issue anyway and by all accounts, it’s the way their 3rd-party (direct) API ‘connect’ feature works. The session doesn’t time-out, or end, until the user ends it manually, or replaces the (direct) connection by using a different audio stream on the speaker or group. Whenever I use it, I just tap to ‘end the session’ on the ‘Now Playing’ screen, which Sonos have kindly provided in their App to stop the problem. Some users set an alarm to ‘end/replace their Spotify session’, so they don’t have to do anything before leaving their home in the mornings etc.

Anyhow, you really need to take up the matter with Spotify. Sonos Staff have explained this already in this thread and elsewhere in the community.

I personally don’t use the feature very much …and more-often just use Airplay instead via iOS as that does not suffer the same ‘lingering’ issue, but sadly that type of audio plays ‘through’ the controller device, rather it being a direct connection, so that too can present issues, albeit entirely different ones and I wish Apple would allow the Airplay stream to go direct to the speaker, but clearly that’s not going to happen as Apple like to stay in control.

buzz

Aren’t these speakers too expensive to have to remember to change them to something other than Spotify every time I leave the house???

If this is the case, it is a Spotify “feature”.

Another fringe possibility is an alarm triggering.

J

At home, are you playing Spotify from the Spotify app or the Sonos app?  Spotify Connect (i.e. using the Spotify app) has a well documented “feature” by which it makes a cloud connection between the Spotify app and a speaker on WiFi that persists after the controller leaves the network.  This is entirely a Spotify issue and would happen with any networked speaker that is Spotify Connect enabled, not just Sonos.

This Spotify “feature” can cause no end of problems, such as guests who have left a friend’s house accidentally blasting music into their friend’s house when trying to play music on their phone.

This id entirely a Spotify issue and so please can we stop this absolute nonsense about “Sonos steals my music”.

J

@Acuff .  Here is a CNET article referring to this feature:

https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/spotify-connect-what-is-and-how-it-works/

Note the comment:

Keep in mind that all compatible devices on the network, plus ones you have previously logged into around the world, will appear in the list. This means if you really want to mess with your pets when you're away from home, you can.

The Sonos speakers are networked speakers and the cloud connection between Spotify app and speaker can only be created when the two devices are on the same network.  Without the connection, no switch back to home speakers, whether deliberate or accidental, could take place.

Ken_Griffiths

Jaime,

Thanks, but this does not explain the problem I have.  I have told Spotify to play to my bluetooth, which clearly means I don’t want to play to Sonos any longer.  Something about the interaction between Sonos and Spotify makes the connection change back to Sonos when that is clearly not the right thing to do.  This is an error and should be fixed.  It isn’t clear if the problem is with Sonos or Spotify, but they should work together to fix it.  Telling me how to work around the error is kind of you, but it should be fixed.  However, note that the setting I found in Spotify (described in my comment above) is a better work around.

There’s nothing to fix here…your mobile device is what switches it’s output from the phones internal speaker connection, to output the playing audio to the paired Bluetooth speaker (the Sena 30K0 headset), but you are ‘still’ leaving your Spotify App defaulting to its last connected Sonos speaker (API connection).

So you need to disconnect the Spotify App output, so it plays back to your mobile speakers …and in-turn, the mobile will auto-divert that audio to the ’paired/connected’ Bluetooth device.

I think you are just misunderstanding how the mobile BT pairing works, which really is not Spotify related, as any App on the mobile will use the BT pairing to output audio…  The BT audio-out is independent to the Spotify ‘Connect’ API connection.

You just need to break the ‘Connect’ API connection. The options are mentioned above. So there’s nothing that needs fixing here - it’s more about understanding how the different connections work.

1 Attachment
Ken_Griffiths

Well, I didn’t come across those “features” (work arounds) while I was struggling with this problem, and I’m no tech novice, so maybe it isn’t as obvious as you think.  To you, “It’s just that simple!”.  Note that the actual fix was the setting in Spotify that I mentioned above as I haven’t seen the problem since doing that.

All I can add is, it’s a Spotify feature and the Staff here have explained that to ‘end the direct control session’ you need to do one of these things…

To break connection and stop the source of your Spotify direct-control playback, in the Sonos App, you can either…

  1. Start playback from another music service or source, such as Local Library, Toslink, Apple Music, Sonos Radio, etc.
  2. Group a player registered with Spotify Connect with another speaker.
  3. Trigger an alarm on the player registered with Spotify Connect.
  4. Select END SESSION from the Sonos Controller in that player's Queue.
  5. The session will also be ended if the player registered with Spotify Connect loses cloud connection or is rebooted

I mostly use 1 and 4 above when in the Sonos App, otherwise in the Spotify App I revert its audio output back to the mobile device internal speaker before playing to another source and Bluetooth playback to a BT paired device requires that on a mobile in any case.

There are plenty of ways to end the ‘direct control’ session and hopefully you’re issue should be solved as long as you do opt to disconnect before starting a (different) bluetooth connection - if you’re looking for something further, then that’s certainly a feature request you would need to submit direct to Spotify.

Ken_Griffiths

Break the Spotify connection at home before leaving. Play any other stream that is not Spotify. 

Having something to remember to do EVERY TIME I leave home is not what I expected when I paid a LOT of money for some speakers.  This behavior is not correct, and it would nice to hear that acknowledged and to know that Sonos wants to fix it, even if the problem is with Spotify.

Sonos have already fixed it by adding an ‘end session’ button to the Sonos Apps, so the user can end the session from the ‘now playing’ screen .. if you don’t want to use that option, then just set an alarm to play ‘anything’ (silence) etc. to the room at a chosen schedule, as that will end a Spotify ’direct’ session too. 

Ken_Griffiths

That is not a fix at all.  It is just another way to terminate the session that will have to be done by me EVERY TIME I leave home, or else my music will get repeatedly stolen from me while I’m on the road, with no way to fix it while I’m on the road.

Setting alarms is also not a fix.  It is just introducing a nuisance to me, since I don’t know when I will leave home.

So, again, as I said above, this is an ERROR in the function of the system, and all parties to the system should work to correct it.

Yes, I guess it’s a bit like having to press STOP/PAUSE to halt the music when you leave home too, except the ‘end session’ button is located in a different place. It must be a real bind for you.

jgatie

I connect via Bluetooth to a Sonos one and to house-wide Sonos system from there, listening to Spotify but have Sonos app running to control volumes etc. Later, I switch to AirPods via Bluetooth. And the Sonos keeps hijacking the signal. The AirPods stop playing. I close all apps, reboot the iPhone, and it still does it. This is a big problem for me. 

 

Sonos One has no Bluetooth capability.  You must be connecting some other way.  

Ken_Griffiths

Other speakers tend to use more standardized connection methods, which makes them more reliable.  I guess that is why Sonos is slowly adding those methods to their products.

Not actually relevant to using/ending a Spotify ‘direct’ connection to a speaker, as Sonos’ primary connection has always been via their App (remote) and WiFi playback from the audio source to their speakers.

Airplay2 had been there since its launch by Apple and Bluetooth audio added in more recent times. Just Google Casting is not onboard, but there are ways to achieve that in some instances, but these things are irrelevant to the Spotify ‘direct’ connection and ending its session. Other brands of speakers will still continue to have the same issue if you adopt that direct method of playback, at least until Spotify resolves it for their customers. I suspect there are technical reasons for not doing so, but it’s still helpful that Sonos have added the option to ‘End the Session’. I’m grateful for that feature, at least.

A
Badge +1

Other speakers tend to use more standardized connection methods, which makes them more reliable.  I guess that is why Sonos is slowly adding those methods to their products.

Not actually relevant to using/ending a Spotify ‘direct’ connection to a speaker, as Sonos’ primary connection has always been via their App (remote) and WiFi playback from the audio source to their speakers.

Airplay2 had been there since its launch by Apple and Bluetooth audio added in more recent times. Just Google Casting is not onboard, but there are ways to achieve that in some instances, but these things are irrelevant to the Spotify ‘direct’ connection and ending its session. Other brands of speakers will still continue to have the same issue if you adopt that direct method of playback, at least until Spotify resolves it for their customers. I suspect there are technical reasons for not doing so, but it’s still helpful that Sonos have added the option to ‘End the Session’. I’m grateful for that feature, at least.

Airplay (all versions), Bluetooth, and line-in are all methods other speakers have had for a while, and it is good that Sonos is getting around to adding them.  The first Sonos speaker I bought I had to send back because it wouldn’t work with Spotify at all.  I got these new ones because they claimed to work with Spotify.  Turns out they only SORT OF work with Spotify, as noted above.

So, no one has spoken of the real solution; how do I get Spotify to use Airplay instead of the broken direct connect?

“End Session” is kind of a no-op given that playing another source does the same thing, but I’m glad you like it.

Ken_Griffiths

@Acuff

The Airplay and Bluetooth methods of connection are in the same areas of the iOS Spotify App or of course you can use the Sonos App to start a direct WiFi audio playback from the in-built Spotify service… none of these methods will affect (steal) your playback when outside/away from your home using your Spotify App, unless someone at home (or elsewhere) starts playback using your Spotify account, that is.

1 Attachment
A
Badge +1

I connect via Bluetooth to a Sonos one and to house-wide Sonos system from there, listening to Spotify but have Sonos app running to control volumes etc. Later, I switch to AirPods via Bluetooth. And the Sonos keeps hijacking the signal. The AirPods stop playing. I close all apps, reboot the iPhone, and it still does it. This is a big problem for me. 

I suspect you aren’t connecting via Bluetooth, but via the “Connect” path that caused the same problem you describe for me.  Try using “Airplay” instead of just selecting the speaker from the list that pops up when you hit but speakers button in Spotify, then select the speaker.  That way, it will connect via Airplay and not have the problem.

If you are having the problem, the only way to fix it is to go into the Sonos app and select another source or “End Session” from there, but you have to do that at home, so if you are away you are screwed.  Supposedly this is a Spotify problem so you should complain to them, and ask Sonos to support your complaint.

A
Badge +1

I’m with the OP as struggling with the same situation and while appreciative of the detailed and thoughtful fixes, find them overwhelming and confusing considering the jump to the speakers seems totally random. Driving in my car enjoying music and suddenly it goes quiet and I can see it’s playing on my devices far away back at home. And no one else is home to be causing the interference. 

Well the answer to stop it happening is clearly detailed in the various posts here - you just need to ‘end the Spotify session’ on your home device(s). The various ways to do that, in many instances, are discussed and explained… you can even end the Spotify session by playing a different audio source to the room/speaker(s). 

Yes, Ken, the complicated, messy options for keeping this thing that shouldn’t happen at all from happening have been explained, and, as long as the poor user remembers to jump through these hoops BEFORE he leaves home EVERY TIME he leaves home, he’ll be just dandy (assuming he can figure one of them out).  Of course, he could also choose a brand of speaker that cares more about the user experience...

A
Badge +1

BTW, there is NO REASONABLE SCENARIO under which a rational user would select a speaker and then, while miles away from another speaker, want that other speaker to spontaneously take over playing.  It just doesn’t make any sense.  It’s a bug that should be fixed.  If it’s a bug with Spotify, Sonos should be talking to Spotify about it, telling them that users of their product have problem.  Instead, Sonos is telling us that there isn’t a problem.

P

Appreciate that the current solution has been highlighted - genuinely appreciate that as at least I’m armed with a bit more knowledge. The reality is when you are leaving home it’s probably the last thing thought of, especially as the last time it happened there wasn’t music playing when I left anyway so it wouldn’t have occurred to me to stop, open the app, end session etc. 
 

I think perhaps we are fixated on it feeling like a bug is because of the abrupt jump when we have already started enjoying music elsewhere. In my experience it wasn’t disconnecting after a few seconds - I had been listening for several songs and then all of a sudden it stopped.

 

will say the last bit of frustration exacerbating is that it happened while driving so trying to remedy is near impossible without a passenger as limited through CarPlay  

 

A
Badge +1

Is it possible that someone at home is using Spotify?

No, nobody is home.

A
Badge +1

As a test, make sure that something other than Spotify is selected on your home players as you leave the house.

Overall this will be difficult to diagnose because you are away from your system. If this happens regularly, I suggest that you submit a diagnostic as you leave home and log the confirmation number. If there is an event while you are out, submit again when you return home. Then contact SONOS phone support. Maybe something will show in the diagnostics.

Possible fringe case: If you allow guests to play Spotify on your system using their phone/pad, their Spotify client will remain attached to your system unless you select another source on your system. Users have reported departed guests remotely starting Spotify play on a system. I don’t recall any reports similar to yours, but I wouldn’t be shocked if your Spotify client and their Spotify client remain “entangled”.

Only I am using the Sonos speakers from the one iPhone, so I don’t think there is entanglement.

Aren’t these speakers too expensive to have to remember to change them to something other than Spotify every time I leave the house???

 

 

Terms & ConditionsCookie settings