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?

[coolmuse]

I find it troublesome that you would need to completely remove a feature I value, invested in, and have paid for in order to support something I have never asked for.

Why assume that I want dynamic grouping if I have more than one cast capable device?  This is a terrible assumption. 

I have three Google Home/Nest speaker devices with crappy speakers that I have throughout my home that I NEVER play Spotify on, and only one old Chromecast audio connected to a legacy analog device that I do.  I cannot disable chromecast on these. 

And I have three Spotify Connect devices in my home that I can no longer connect to without insane hackery and inconvenience.

I want to use Spotify Connect, and you promised that I could.  That promise is now broken, and by your own admission, deliberately!   It seems like you are going to force me to use cast even if I don't want to, rendering my investment in Spotify Connect useless.

This is very poor product management, indeed.  Surely there is some way to support dynamic grouping for those that want it without also explicitly preventing use of Spotify Connect?

[daleally]

But, does the change to allow dynamic grouping explain why the problem exists only in the android client, and not the apple, Windows, or Linux clients?

[daleally]

And, has dynamic grouping not been available for quite sometime via the Google Home app, and isn't required within Spotify itself.

[Ive]

I also cannot see my spotify connect devices from a Samsung tablet. There is no such issue from a apple device. Only available option is Google cast.

[joca]

Give us lossles via google cast, then everyone is going to be happy again.

[picht]

Why google cast only? Volume management is also in huge steps. Why on earth is google cast to only thing you can choose when you have more than one googlecast device in your house. Im lucky to have 2 naim setups in my home. Both support googlecast. So iCANT use spotify connect anymore??? Come on. Truly an AI pov. For now i still use an older spotify version. And i have disabled googlecast on one device. But the logical way is. Let the customer choose. I think google is paying spotify to have their (crappy)  cast being pushed.

[Gary818]

My KEF wireless speakers cannot show up in new version Spotify. It only show as a chromecast device in Spotify. Therefore, I cannot play lossless music. The new version 9.1.14.864 still cannot fixed the issue. Spotify don't care thier customers. We pay for use the service. The problem has been going on for several months but they don't do anything. It is very disappointing. It is not reasonable that you cannot use Spotify connect if you have google cast devices. Please fix the problem ASAP.

[Fantagon]

​I am also having issues with Spotify Connect. The Spotify app only shows Chromecast as a streaming option.

​I have followed all the troubleshooting steps advised above and tested this with several compatible devices (NAD C338, Teufel Motiv Home, and Google Home).

​Interestingly, I managed to get it to work when I placed the speaker directly next to the main router. However, it fails to work when connected via a mesh access point, despite having high download and upload speeds.

​Stranger still, I configured a Spotify Connect playlist as a preset while connected to the main router. This preset actually works on the mesh access point, and the Teufel Motiv Home shows a green light (indicating a Spotify Connect stream). However, the speaker still does not appear as a Spotify Connect device within the app.

​It feels as though Spotify may have changed its network performance requirements for devices to be discoverable.

[beto_player]

I am very frustrated with Spotify’s lack of action regarding this issue, which has been clearly identified for months.

I am using a Samsung A56 with Android 16 and a JBL Boombox 3 Wi-Fi, which has native Google Cast support.

In older versions of the Spotify Android app, I was able to manually choose between Spotify Connect and Google Cast using the device selection arrow or menu. This functionality no longer works in current versions of the Spotify Android app.

Here are the facts:

Spotify for Windows works perfectly with Google Cast.
Android version 9.0.76.1115 works perfectly when downgraded.
Current Spotify Android versions do not allow choosing between Google Cast and Spotify Connect.
The latest update released on January 6, 2026 did not fix the issue.

This clearly shows that the problem is not related to my device, the JBL speaker, Google Cast, or my network. It is a regression introduced in the Spotify Android app.

I have opened support tickets, sent screenshots, and explained everything in detail. We have been waiting since November 20, and this is unacceptable for a paid service.

I am a new subscriber, previously using YouTube Music, and I am seriously considering canceling my subscription due to how frustrating it is to see such a simple and well-documented issue ignored for months.

All I am asking for is the restoration of the original functionality: allowing Android users to choose between Google Cast and Spotify Connect, as it worked before.

I am attaching screenshots showing that version 9.0.76.1115 works correctly, while current versions do not.

Please fix this.

[tippietoes]

Plan

Premium

Device

Google Streamer, Sony Google TV

Operating System

Google TV 14

My Question or Issue

When using Spotify Connect, Spotify connect will not work on any Google TV device with the Spotify app installed UNLESS the TV or device is already turned on. This means the device has to be manually turned on for Connect to work. 
A work around for this is uninstalling the spotify app on the google tv, which forces Spotify Connect to use Google Cast. This will turn the device on and work as expected.

Why does Spotify Connect not use Google Cast when the app is installed on Google TVs? I have Pixel Tablet that still uses Google Cast even when the Spotify app is. installed.

This issue is a bit annoying as I like using Spotify Connect to cast to my TV and using the Spotify App directly on the TV app sometimes.

[tcugma]

The last comment from tippietoes was merged into this thread by a moderator. While I appreciate this thread being recognised, I don't understand this merge, it doesn't seem to be the same issue. Nobody talked about Google TV here before AFAIK.

[npack]

The issue is related  if you have the Spotify app installed on your Google TV, the Android Spotify app no longer gives you an option to select Google Cast vs Spotify connect. In this case you only get Spotify Connect. So 2 issues: 1. If your Google TV is off, casting via the only option, Spotify Connect doesn't do anything. 2. You cant use Google Cast as an alternative. First world problems 😄

[davidlee219]

same problem - I have KEF LSX LT IIs which are fully capable of lossless streaming. Now that chromecast is the only option on Spotify, lossless it no possible. When I reported this to the help team at Spotify they just kept saying my device was not compatible instead of acknowledging that the issue was in the removal of the spotify connect option

[RJF72]

I have the same issue with KEF LSX speakers - but only when using Spotify on devices running later versions on Android. I have two devices on Android 16 which have BOTH lost the SpotifyConnect function but the two deviced I have running Android 14 an 11 still have the SpotifyConnect option. 
This makes me think the issue isn't Spotify's and might be Android????

[hrjjans]

I have a Samsung tablet with Android 11 and haven't had Spotify Connect since September. So it's not an Android issue.

[Blobnl]

same issue for a while now and had been reading allong in the hope something would be fixed by the Spotify developers... dissapointing to see they keep us in the dark.

I used to have no problems to use Spotify connect with my KEF LS50 Wireless 2 speakers till a couple of months ago (like many here). The only way to still use is to switch of wireless on my phone (get off the local network) and start a stream from outside of the network - here i do have the option to use Spotify connect and stream lossless without problem. When on my network again it will typicially force the switch to googlecast, which annoying for many.... DOES NOT SUPPORT LOSSLESS! I don't really understand that something which was working before, but got broken during updates.. takes soo long to fix again. 

[josuej2311]

Spotify Connect - 2026 Reported Issue
After troubleshooting for hours by myself (using my speaker manufacturer documentation, Spotify documentation, internet forums, checking connectivity configuration and possible issues with my ISP) I reached Spotify Customer Service. They were very kind in trying to approach to and fix the issue, but the most they could do was to escalate the issue through a ticket. This isn't unusual, I understand some issues require escalation. Although, they didn't offer follow-up. Spotify is a paid service and as it, the lack of follow-up is an unfortunate act of lack of accountability.
That being said, all the troubleshooting steps related to my issue are pointing that Spotify Connect is acting funny in some devices. My guess is that something is happening in the protocols, mostly an update or change recently made (between Dec 2025 and Jan 2026) that is reflecting as playback issues - playback stops randomly, and also, the Now Playing interface not responding between devices ( i.e it shows different playing progress in two different devices of the same stream, delayed response to actions) -. 

[Soundchasr]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

Device

(iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy 9, Macbook Pro late 2016)

Android, Samsung Fold 7. 

Operating System

(iOS 10, Android Oreo, Windows 10,etc.)

Android

My Question or Issue

If I turn on Chromecast capability in the Wiim app, Spotify Connect goes away along with lossless and only Chromecast is available for Spotify.  Wiim support says it's a Spotify issue.  

[Soundchasr]

The problem doesn't happen when I use an iPad.......

[dagiles]

@Soundchasr - this is only an issue with the Android build of the Spotify app. It looks like the selection option present in the iOS version of the app has been removed from the Android build. From testing, I can see the option to switch between Spotify Connect and Google Cast on my iPad, but not on an Android device.

There is a Spotify Idea to re-establish the selection option.

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/Make-Android-endpoint-selection-the-same-as-the-iOS-vers...

I'm in the same situation as you - Wiim Pro Plus, iPad, Google Pixel phone. My temporary solution is to disable the Google Cast capability on the Wiim and use a ChromeCast Audio to my amp for those times when I need to use Google Cast. Not a permanent solution by any means - not everyone has or wants a ChromeCast Audio dangling off their amp (I'd rather be using the Cast capability of the Wiim), and many people with active speakers now can't do lossless streaming. Quite poor of Spotify to provide lossless, which many users have been waiting a long time for, then force a connection to Cast rather than Connect.