Spotify’s complicated relationship with Apple is facing another challenge. In the latest dispute, Spotify claims that Apple has eliminated Spotify Connect’s functionality in one important way: controlling volume with the volume buttons.
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Changing the volume key may constitute a DMA violation
The behavior of the volume button may seem like a minor thing that’s probably not even worth discussing, but when you’re building an audio app, it’s pretty important. And according to Spotify, a recent change from Apple’s side has caused this feature to no longer work for the Spotify Connect feature. “When streaming to connected devices via Spotify Connect on iOS, users were previously able to use the physical buttons on the side of their iPhone to adjust the volume. Due to this change, it will no longer work. Sarah Perez reported for TechCrunch. To get around this issue, Spotify iOS users are instead instructed to use the volume slider in the Spotify Connect menu in the app to control volume on connected devices.
Spotify says it is making the move again to Apple in breach of the EU Digital Markets Regulation (DMA). The specific part of the DMA is Article 6(7) which states that “Gateway operators must allow service providers … to enable effective interoperability and access for interoperability purposes, free of charge, using the same hardware and software features as are available for the services or hardware provided by the gateway operator.” Spotify claims to own the HomePod and Apple television company has a unique way of integrating Apple with the iPhone. Until recently, Spotify Connect allowed users to use the iPhone’s volume buttons to control the volume on these devices. However, due to a recent change, this feature no longer worked. Recognizing this negative impact on users, Spotify has integrated a new feature into its iOS app. When using Spotify Connect, it detects the volume button press and then sends a notification that directs you to the volume controls in the app.
