iOS SDK – Transfer Playback Issues After Token Authorization

NewTunes — Thu, 08 May 2025 14:00:40 GMT

Hi Spotify Developer Support,

I’m reaching out regarding an issue we’re experiencing in our iOS app, NewTunes, which integrates Spotify playback via the official iOS SDK.

We’ve implemented session management and transfer playback using the `player.connect()` and `PUT /me/player` APIs per Spotify’s documentation. However, even with valid tokens and successful transfer calls, Spotify frequently bounces the user out of our app and into the Spotify app. Playback often does not resume unless manually initiated again. Additionally, `player.connect()` does not always re-establish control properly after idle states.

We’ve reviewed the following open GitHub issues, which seem to describe this exact behavior:

1. On GitHub go to /spotify/ios-sdk/issues/374
2. On GitHub go to /spotify/ios-sdk/issues/51

We’ve verified:
- The token is valid at the time of failure
- We’re using the latest Spotify iOS SDK
- We’ve implemented the recommended reconnection and transfer logic
- The app’s session socket appears to drop, even after issuing the transfer API call

Our app is currently in public TestFlight beta, and this issue severely affects user experience. Can you provide guidance on:
- Whether this is a known issue with an ETA for fix
- If there’s a workaround for session persistence or preventing app switching
- Whether additional socket handling or flags are required for maintaining control

Thank you for your help and for continuing to support independent developers like us.

Best,
Collin
iOS Developer, NewTunes

Plan: Free

Country: USA

topic iOS SDK – Transfer Playback Issues After Token Authorization in Spotify for Developers

iOS SDK – Transfer Playback Issues After Token Authorization