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Whats going on with Spotify and Sonos?

  • 9 September 2021
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Is it just my network or has the once seamless compatibility and UX interface between Sonos and the Spotify app recently collapsed?

I’m really not sure if its the Sonos app or the Spotify app that is at fault (or both) but a few months ago, I noticed that the “now playing” screen on the Spotify app started to resemble the Sonos app’s “now playing” screen. And that change seems to be the start of the problem.

Now it seems I can’t pause tracks, skip ahead (important for podcasts) or even change tracks whilst inside the Spotify app. If I do, the track playing on Sonos continues and instead another track begins to play from my phone speaker. It seems the only way to effect the music coming from Sonos system once I’ve linked via Spotify connect is to switch into the Sonos app. 

Its really quite frustrating. I want to be able to control my Sonos speakers from my Spotify app because the Sonos app doesn’t have the search functionality of Spotify. I like to explore and find new music, and you cannot do that within Sonos. 

My guess is that this problem is down to Spotify, as I think they recently updated their app and gave it a make-over (the big green play button, for instance). But its really bad. I’ve been considering switching over to Amazon Music but I have a long history with Spotify and I thought Spotify has superior UX… until now. 

Does anyone know if there is a way to go back to the old Spotify? The one that worked!

   

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Best answer by Ken_Griffiths 9 September 2021, 22:38

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3 replies

My first thoughts are, from the issues you describe, is that this might be a local network issue - I only use the free version of Spotify, but it plays fine to my Sonos speakers (stand-alone or grouped). I can skip tracks, adjust volume etc. 

I just tried it again on my iPad with an REM playlist to make sure there are no current issues and the Spotify App is working okay here.

Maybe take a closer look at your network and ensure the best WiFi channels and channel-width are being used by your devices. To give any suggestions however you might need to first describe your network in a little more detail. 

  • Type of router - WiFi channels and channel-width in use? …ISP bandwidth available.
  • Any other wireless access points, including power-line adapters/repeaters ?
  • If using SonosNet? Which device(s) are cabled and it’s channel.
  • Any switches and if they are managed/unmanaged?
  • Type/Amount of Sonos products and which ones are usually set as your group co-ordinator when playing from Spotify.

 

My first thought is, from the issues you describe, that this could be a local network issue - I only use the free version of Spotify, but it plays fine for my Sonos speakers (standalone). set up or group). I can skip tracks, adjust volume, and more.

My Spotify paid service continues to work fine with both Sonos and Echo, casting to whatever is selected in the Spotify app. The suggestions that Ken has made above is the way to systematically troubleshoot.