Choose between Google Cast and Spotify Connect

[misio1]

Plan

Premium

Country

Poland

Device

Pixel 7 Pro / Samsung S22

Operating System

Android 16

My Question or Issue

I've been using spotify to stream to my NAD C338 via spotify connect for couple of years now.

Recently it stopped working - only google cast option is currently available on the newest spotify app.

As a part of troubleshooting I downloaded older spotify APKs and installed on my android phone to see if it helps - it did! The latest version of spotify app which shows spotify connect option to my NAD is 9.0.78.1116, starting from version 9.0.82.1008 the spotify connect is not available, just google cast.

Can the app be fixed so that I have spotify connect option back available on my NAD C338 please?

[mebln]

I am using Spotify on my Samsung s23 with Android 15 and streaming to a argon audio sa2. Spotify is version 9.0.86.1358

The argon sa2 plays lossless via Spotify connect. But apparently it offers both Spotify connect and Google cast, which only allows lossy streaming.

My problem is that after every restart of the sa2 I get either the option to use Google cast or Spotify connect in the Spotify app at random. Since I want to stream lossless I would like to switch to Spotify connect.

[MusicIsMyGirlfriend]

My iPhone 16 Pro also doesn't show me the option for 'Spotify connect' on several of my speakers (Google Home Mini, Google Nest Hub, Polk Soundbar MagniFi Max AX), and just 'defaults' to Google Cast, which it has always been until I noticed I got lossless option on my last Spotify app update, so I'm trying to listen! So I don't know that the option has ever been there for those devices. I tried to 'log out' of the Polk Soundbar (which is Spotify Connect compatible, according to their specs anyway), but it just pops back up as an option with 'google cast'. I also tried to logout, then power cycle the soundbar, and still only shows Google Cast right under when it pops up as an option in the device connect menu.

Oddly enough, when I switch to AirPlay and connect to the Polk Soundbar THEN I have the ability to play lossless. So obviously it's NOT the phone or the soundbar that's preventing me from playing lossless; I think it's just NOT showing me the Spotify Connect option instead of Google Cast.

[Mits1]

Same thing that I can power off my avr device and turn it back on and I have then a small window of time where it can connect via Spotify connect as opposed to Google connect and it transmits lossless audio.

But then if I disconnect and try to reconnect without power cycling it defaults to Google cast.

Feels like a purposeful method to restrict the rollout of lossless

[MusicIsMyGirlfriend]

I'm not actually restricted from using lossless. I just can't tell a device to use 'Spotify Connect' instead of 'Google Cast' on my phone or laptop in Spotify App, regardless of the quality I were to choose once I connected to 'Spotify Connect'. Plus they ALREADY restricted the rollout, as stated in the press release, which is why I didn't get it until maybe a week ago when some premium subscribers got it a month ago, so this seems like a bug to me. And I'm in the USA, so I'm sure there are plenty of users out there still restricted from lossless as communicated directly from Spotify.

Also this is why I don't have social media anymore, I like to argue too much! So I resonate with your frustration regardless of whether it's intentional, and hopefully we can get some guidance soon from Spotify tech support.

EDIT TO SAY: now I’m even more confused, I just switched to Beats Fit Pro via bluetooth, and it still says my iPhone is playing lossless, but OBVI Bluetooth can’t support it, so why even say it’s lossless?? It doesn’t let me pick that option for Cast devices, so why bluetooth…?

[Hoopster1990]

I've been having the same issue for the past couple of weeks, starting a few days after my U.S. account was enabled for lossless playback. I only see the issue on Android - on my Windows laptop I can as expected choose between Google Cast and Spotify Connect for my devices that support both, but on my Android 16 phone, only Google Cast is showing, with no option to select Spotify Connect.

If I initiate lossless playback (Spotify Connect) via the laptop on a supported device and then open Spotify on my phone, it'll show lossless playback is occuring on that device, but with no option to, say, switch to Google Cast. On the laptop I do see the option to switch.

I have reported all this and more to Spotify and they are (I think) actively investigating.

@MusicIsMyGirlfriend, I believe you see lossless for both Bluetooth and for Airplay because in both cases your phone itself is the playback device that's retrieving the stream directly from Spotify's servers and you set it to retrieve the lossless stream. Even though the downstream connection (Bluetooth or Airplay) is lossy, the app will still indicate lossless because that's what's coming into the phone.

[S95R]

None of the 

Plan

Premium

Country

New Zealand

Device

Harman Kardon Citation 200

Operating System

Android

My Question or Issue

Playing natively from my phone speakers works with lossless, connecting to an Alexa dot plays in lossless, connecting to my Citation 200 however does not. Despite it supporting FLAC it tells me the highest it can support is very high.

I suspect this is because it's "defaulting" to chromecasting to the Citation 200 instead of a direct wifi connection? If that is the case, is there a way to "disable" the chromecast and have it directly connect on the wifi?

[slivain]

I have the same problem, and I just noticed that if I disconnect my smartphone from WLAN, I can immediately see my device with Spotify Connect

[misio1]

I just noticed I also experience a problem with lossless option. When connecting to the NAD either via google cast ( android app 9.0.78.1116 or latest) on spotify connect (via android app 9.0.78.1116) and setting audio quality to lossless I get no audio at all, when I select back to auto or very high audio plays again. The app shows that song is playing however there is no audio coming from speakers. I have no idea whether it is something that my NAD doesn't support or bug in spotify, however I'd imagine that if NAD doesn't support lossless then this option shouldn't be available in spotify settings.

[MusicIsMyGirlfriend]

I can see the logic behind that @Hoopster1990, however I"m using the Spotify App to tell my phone to use bluetooth or Airplay (which I should have assumed is lossless ONLY for Apple apps) to facilitate playback FROM my phone,,,so the app is aware I just chose a non-lossless 'endpoint' playback device. Thus logic tells me if the Spotify app is aware of it, then it can react accordingly. If that rule is included in the code of course. Furthermore the phone ITSELF presumably isn't capable of reproducing lossless sound on it's tiny speakers, just receiving the data feed, it would still need to select an endpoint capable of reproducing the sound IE wired connection to headphones/stereo or Spotify Connect. I would forgive Spotify for not being able to know if you have a wired connection to your iPhone, as I'm not sure that is reflected in the App, but if I make the selection IN THE APP, then it should know.

[luborj]

I have no option for lossless via Google Cast on my Pioneer AVR. I guess they need to update the firmware - the ball is on their side. My lossless works via Spotify Connect but I can only use it with either older version of Spotify App on Android or with my Spotify Windows app.

[gobo]

I guess Spotify didn't have long to get the Lossless roll-out right.  Only 4.5 years since they announced it...

I have the same issue.  What annoys me most is that the company reps who reply on threads like this apparently don't have any ability to test the clear reported problem for themselves, and immediately experience it, or maybe not. Even if they didn't, it would be helpful to know that early on for users with the issue. Instead, the bitty and largely irrelevant push-back to their paying customers is beyond annoying and as such a huge negative for the brand.

[Hoopster1990]

I hear you, @MusicIsMyGirlfriend, your expectations are very logical and I think how the app should ideally work - it should be aware of the playback endpoint's capabilities no matter what and indicate accordingly. I think in actuality, that is only the case when using either Google Cast or Spotify Connect. I don't know why.

[MusicIsMyGirlfriend]

@luborj Where did you see that Google Cast was capable of lossless via Spotify? All their press releases on the feature have stated you HAVE TO use either wired or Spotify Connect. Not bluetooth, not GoogleCast or Airplay, despite both of those supporting lossless in their respective ecosystem.

[JanPl1]

Hi, same problem, Spotify connect disappeared both from my phone (S24) and tablet (Tab S7). Only Google cast available for Cambridge Audio CXNv2. When I disconnect the phone from wifi, however,  Spotify connect suddenly works fine, even when reconnected to wifi. And shows also on the tablet app. But when I turn the device off, no Spotify connect again.

[MusicIsMyGirlfriend]

@JanPI1 I’m not sure I’m following, when I turn my phone’s WiFi off, I can’t see ANY devices in Spotify,,,because it’s no longer connected to a WiFi network with playback devices also on that WiFi network. Am I missing something?

[Mits1]

Inconvenient solution but this works for me...great find!

[RoyTrenneman]

Experiencing same issue with Spotify Android app and Naim Uniti Star amp. Have no issues to run lossless Spotify via Windows Desktop App, but with Android one I can only select Google Cast which is limited to 320kbps only. Already opened support ticket in Naim but looks like it's more Spotify issue. Will try to downgrade the app (although I'm not happy to install apps outside genuine Google Play Store as it exposes me to security risks.

[Hoopster1990]

@RoyTrenneman, I have a Naim Uniti Atom and my workaround is to initiate Spotify playback using the Focal & Naim app first (select the Spotify input, then tap Resume playback) and from there use the Android phone's Spotify app for the remainder of your listening session. If your previous session on the Naim was lossless, this method should resume lossless. Relatively easy though not ideal.

[luborj]

@MusicIsMyGirlfriend I didn't but I hope that it will be enabled eventually because it's not very convenient to use Spotify Connect for users with smart home speakers. What I want (and I am sure I am not alone) is to say "Hey Google, play Spotify" and having the device play music in lossless quality. I actually don't want to use Spotify Connect which requires me to cast the music manually. I think this needs to be addressed not only by Spotify but probably also by the manufacturer of the device. I understand that vast majority of Spotify users don't care about this but technically, it's not that problematic. Google Cast supports high-resolution audio. It's just that manufacturers probably need to make the feature available via a firmware update. I don't know if Spotify needs to do anything about it. In any case, this is exactly the type of feature that should be resolved after the launch of lossless quality, because no one can tell the difference between lossless and 320 kbps on regular Bluetooth headphones anyway. Lossless makes sense mainly for listeners who have hi-fi equipment.

[slivain]

@luborj Before the lossless update I used to have both options with my amplifier : Cast AND connect.
If it didn't change I could have lossless with spotifi Connect, and still say "Hey Google, play Spotify" and cast... At the moment only one of those is possible and it's not the one I'd have chosen.
Anyway, having lossless with Cast would be great too.