topic Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience in iOS (iPhone, iPad)

Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

btz1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 12:01:42 GMT

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

iPhone 15 Pro, MacBook M3 Pro, AppleTV, HomePod OG 2th

Operating System

iOS / macOS

My Question or Issue

I'm writing to express my growing frustration with the lack of AirPlay 2 support in the Spotify iOS app. As a dedicated Spotify Premium user within the Apple ecosystem, this missing feature significantly detracts from my listening experience.

Currently, Spotify only utilizes the original AirPlay (AirPlay 1) for audio streaming. While functional, this outdated technology presents several limitations that directly impact our enjoyment:

- Interrupted Audio: A major pain point is the inability to smoothly handle audio from other apps, such as WhatsApp voice notes or system alerts, while streaming Spotify via AirPlay. The audio stream often cuts out or becomes disrupted, forcing us to manually reconnect or miss important sounds.

- Limited Bandwidth and Potential Quality Issues: AirPlay 1 has limitations in bandwidth compared to AirPlay 2. This can potentially impact audio quality, especially when also connected to Bluetooth devices simultaneously.

- Lack of Multi-Room Audio: One of the most significant advantages of AirPlay 2 is its multi-room audio capability. The absence of this feature in Spotify prevents us from seamlessly streaming our favorite music to multiple AirPlay 2-enabled speakers throughout our homes, a feature readily available with other music services.

It's important to remember that Apple introduced AirPlay 2 in iOS 2018 - you can quickly search this]. Despite this long availability, Spotify, a platform solely dedicated to music, has yet to implement this crucial update for its users within the Apple ecosystem.

Many of us suspect this lack of support stems from the ongoing commercial disagreements between Apple and Spotify. While we understand that business dynamics exist, it's ultimately the users who suffer. We are paying subscribers who deserve a seamless and high-quality listening experience, regardless of the platform we choose.

The inability to seamlessly integrate with the Apple ecosystem through AirPlay 2 feels like a significant oversight and demonstrates a lack of consideration for users who have invested in both Spotify and Apple devices.

We urge Spotify to prioritize the implementation of AirPlay 2 support. This update would resolve the frustrating audio interruptions, potentially improve audio quality, and unlock the much-desired multi-room audio functionality. It's time for Spotify to prioritize its users' experience over inter-company disputes and provide the level of integration we expect and deserve in today's audio streaming landscape.

Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. We look forward to a positive response and, more importantly, the implementation of AirPlay 2 support soon.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

ArtMooney — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 15:24:48 GMT

There are many threads on this already, some of them are huge and still after 7 years there is no support for this. We have already transitioned most of our devices to apple music now instead, not because we really thought we needed It at first, but since we just can't get it to play without stuttering and issues at home in several different speakers and systems. With Apple Music it just works. I don't get how Spotify thinks concerning this, like you say, they punish us, the customers, because they are grumpy for something whatever it is.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

btz1 — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:52:13 GMT

Exactly! I feel punished for wanting to use Spotify in the Apple ecosystem.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

Danz777 — Tue, 08 Apr 2025 17:00:00 GMT

I’m also considering moving to Apple Music just for the better integration with AirPlay

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

PepperRomilli — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 09:48:24 GMT

I feel you!

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

patmazorodze — Sun, 04 May 2025 03:00:45 GMT

I also transitioned to Apple Music because of this, I just check once in a while if they have implemented support for the feature.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

eppiblue — Mon, 05 May 2025 11:01:19 GMT

Same situation for me. Im really needing to use multi room and I have been a Mac & Spotify premium user for ever. I don't want to go to Apple Music but Im out of options. Just implement it already ... please!

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

Jamie_Chap01 — Mon, 12 May 2025 21:29:36 GMT

Couldn’t agree more, I’m tempted to go to Apple Music almost weekly. So jarring

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

martinstenrose — Thu, 22 May 2025 18:18:45 GMT

Me too. I switched to Apple Music almost a year ago - not because I really wanted to, but because it was crucial to be able to play music easily and smoothly in my home. I still check in from time to time to see if Spotify has added support for AirPlay 2 - if they do, I’m willing to give Spotify another try.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

cour10e22 — Mon, 26 May 2025 17:49:40 GMT

It looks like it's supported now, at least from iOS. See video screenshot: https://youtube.com/shorts/43kObCBgEPw?feature=share

When you go into speaker selection, choose "Bluetooth & Airplay"

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

tn2019 — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 03:12:33 GMT

also am extremely frustrated about the integrations between sonos and spotify when playing on my iphone or mac- am heavily considering switching away to apple music to avoid all of this.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

martinstenrose — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 05:09:12 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion, but I’m quite sure that’s AirPlay version 1. That means it streams directly from your phone, rather than between the speaker and Spotify.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

janhud — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 14:22:48 GMT

This is frustrating, 5 years and still nothing. I'm also thinking about switching to Apple Music or something that supports AirPlay 2...

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

AntBb — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 21:20:19 GMT

Do you think Airplay 2 streams 16/44?

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

Shayrin — Thu, 11 Sep 2025 10:27:35 GMT

I’ve been a Spotify Premium user for years, but I still face a frustrating issue with interrupted music playback when using AirPlay 1 to connect to my HomePod. After some research, I found that this interruption seems to be caused by Spotify’s lack of support for AirPlay 2, which has really affected my overall music-listening experience.

Many of my friends have recommended switching to Apple Music for better quality and a smoother listening experience. While I’m still trying to resist making the move, mainly because I genuinely love Spotify and have built my entire music library there over the years. However, this ongoing issue makes it harder to stay loyal to the platform.

I’m not sure why Spotify hasn’t added support for AirPlay 2 yet, but I truly hope they do. Adding this feature could significantly improve the experience and help users like me stay with Spotify instead of switching to alternatives like Apple Music. I wish someone could answer that.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

daniel_chehade — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 09:06:58 GMT

One major concern for people with Hi-Fi systems (like me) is that, thanks to the app utilizing AirPlay 1, we can enjoy lossless wireless streaming from our iOS devices, while still being able to use the multiroom audio feature.

I am not quite sure what the fuss is about, but this invalidates two of the major points lifted by OP: lack of bandwidth (as AirPlay 1 actually uses more bandwidth to stream lossless) and lack of multi-room audio, which does work today.

Gonna link to a thread about AirPlay quality as well from Audio Science Review, where they discuss this and other music streaming apps in a similar position. Also, see the spreadsheet below. "App" being Spotify, "Sender" being an iOS device (iPhone), and "Receiver" being the speakers, a stereo, or an AV receiver.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

ArtMooney — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 20:54:01 GMT

The AirPlay 2 protocol itself is not the bottleneck, the implementation is. At least that is what is said:

AirPlay 1, which is used by older devices like the AirPort Express v2, is limited to 16-bit/44.1kHz audio output. (The AirPort Express v2 can be firmware updated to Airplay 2.)
AirPlay 2, introduced later:

Can support up to 24-bit/48kHz lossless audio in certain scenarios.

However, when streaming from a device like an iPhone to an AirPlay speaker, the stream is still typically 16-bit/44.1kHz.

The issue many of us have with Spotify though, is that since the app is only supporting the old protocol, airplay 1, especially multiroom setups are jerky and does not play smoothly while a system with airplay 2 takes over the stream as a ”server” and syncs with the rest of the speakers in the connection to make sure all of them are in perfect sync.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

Schmool — Sat, 06 Dec 2025 11:35:12 GMT

It worked for me: I forced both my HomePod and my Devialet speaker to use the same Wi-Fi band — the 5 GHz network.

Now, in Spotify, I can select both of them through AirPlay.

If each speaker uses a different Wi-Fi band on the same network, it won’t work.

Re: Implement AirPlay 2 Support for a Seamless Listening Experience

thebrandon45 — Sat, 10 Jan 2026 18:27:00 GMT

So irritating that controlling the music in Spotify over Airplay has a 7-10 second delay and with Apple Music it’s instant.

There is no excuse for continuing to support a technology released in 2004 but refusing to implement it’s next irritation that came out 8 years ago.

Continued unwillingness to implement new standards and technologies like this will lead me to switching to another platform.