Photo credit: Spotify
Spotify has backtracked on removing AirPlay 2 support after a backlash from the community.
On Friday, a Spotify community thread requesting AirPlay 2 support for iOS exploded. The idea was first introduced in January 2019, with much discussion about AirPlay 2 support since then. A representative for Spotify responded to the thread saying:
“We have discussed this idea internally, and while we are working to properly support AirPlay2, we have decided to shut it down for now. The reason for this is that due to compatibility issues with the audio drivers, this looks like a bigger project that we won’t be able to complete in the foreseeable future. “
The original message says that Spotify is working to support AirPlay 2 in the future, but that it is not a priority due to ‘audio unit compatibility issues’. But by Saturday night, the post had circulated on Twitter, Reddit, and Facebook, drawing ire from music fans on social media. Spotify soon clarified its statement.
“To clarify, Spotify will support AirPlay 2,” the message reads. The application status changed from ‘case closed’ to ‘live idea’. Spotify has been hesitant to embrace any aspect of the Apple ecosystem.
Apple enabled third-party access to AirPlay 2 in 2018. Spotify turned down the assistance of Apple engineers in 2019 to make the feature work. Therefore, Spotify has backtracked to keep AirPlay 2 support as a ‘live idea’, but no timeline for support is offered.
At this point, AirPlay 2 is almost three years old and competitors like Sonos, Marshall, and even Roku have supported the technology for seamless music streaming. The backtracking statement just removes the reason for ‘audio driver compatibility issues’ not to focus on support.
However, an iOS developer blames Apple. “The Airplay APIs have always been a disaster. One of the reasons for Airplay 2 was supposed to be to eliminate some of the technical debt on an API that has been quietly redone at least four times now and where the developer documentation sucks even by Apple standards, “reads a comment on the dispute.
But Spotify is not yet compatible with HomePod or HomePod mini. Spotify subscribers with Apple devices have been requesting support for more than a year. Meanwhile, competitors like Deezer, Tidal, and iHeartRadio have embraced Apple’s home speakers. The decision may also be costing Spotify subscribers.
“I’m going to move to Apple Music if they don’t soon,” reads a comment about the lack of HomePod compatibility. AirPlay to HomePod works, but without voice control and is slower than Apple Music.
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