Spotify struggles to cast to speaker groups

[the-only-me-is-me]

Plan

Premium

Country

U.S.A.

Device

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G - 2024

Operating System

Android 15

My Question or Issue

I'm a simple girl. I like to open Spotify, pick a speaker group, and listen to podcasts while I do chores. Unfortunately, for many weeks (months?) now, Spotify has decided that's too much to ask.

The fun begins when I move to select a speaker group. Will my speakers and speaker groups even appear in the list of devices? Place your bets! On a good day - which are few and far between - they will, which means I am ready for the next obstacle: Will Spotify connect to the device? If I'm having a great day - even rarer - it will, and in under a minute. Incredible! We're home free, right? Wrong! Every time my phone wakes to display something (typically a ringing alarm), Spotify disconnects from the speaker or speaker group and plays through my phone speakers, which means I am booted back to step one.

Don't even get me started on using voice commands to try to do any of this. I don't know whether this is on Google or Spotify, but for roughly the same period of time, I have had no luck convincing Spotify to play anything of mine on a speaker group by asking out loud. EVERY request that includes a speaker group nets me a "please enable personal results on this device" from my Google Home speakers. I've had personal results enabled for years, and toggling the setting changes nothing. Hard rebooting a Home device might fix the issue for the next one or two requests - possibly pointing to Google rather than Spotify - but it's weird that both issues seem to revolve around speaker groups.

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Some more (potentially related) issues, for SEO:

• Stuttering while casting podcasts to speaker groups
  • It'll get stuck replaying the same 0.5 - 2 seconds, sometimes for almost a minute, sometimes longer (and I usually break and disconnect from the speaker group before I hulk out).
• Difficulty scrubbing to any particular spot in a podcast
  • Similar to the stuttering, if I try to skip to a specific point in a podcast episode while casting, it won't register any of my attempts until after a huge delay, if at all.
• Occasional progress resets
  • This also appears to be specific to casting: Sometimes, Spotify decides to completely reset me to the beginning of a podcast episode.

[the-only-me-is-me]

I'm currently on step 1, where most of my devices aren't appearing in the list.

[Joan]

Hi there @the-only-me-is-me,

Thanks for reaching out. We'll be happy to help you enjoy your speakers to the fullest.

Since there's multiple different issues at play here, let's cover our bases and narrow down what could be causing these. Try performing a clean reinstall of the Spotify app, this will clear any damaged cache and should hopefully get the app working fully again. If you use the Google Cast app, consider reinstalling that too. We also recommend restarting your router to ensure the connection is working properly.

Also keep consider checking out this thread. The behaviour isn't the same, but it pertains to playing podcasts via Google Cast, and while the original post is about iOS, many Android users have reported the same too. So if this is something you encounter, keep an eye on that thread, as we're already investigating that issue on our end.

Let us know how it goes.

[the-only-me-is-me]

I forgot to mention the stuttering issue while playing podcasts. That one has also been plaguing me for a while. I'll check out that thread later.

I'm not sure what the Google Cast app is, I'm just selecting devices to cast to from within Spotify. Clean reinstallations of Spotify haven't helped yet.

I can restart my router, but I'm not having any other connectivity issues,so I'm skeptical it will help. I have another music app that supports casting with a similar UX to Spotify, and I'm not experiencing these issues in that one.

[Eni]

Hey there @the-only-me-is-me, 

Thanks for getting back to us. 

We understand that you don't have any other network issues, but it'd be helpful if you could try restarting your router (by unplugging it from power for a few minutes, then plugging it back) or even giving a different network a go so we can rule out any connection issues with the app. 

On another note, would you mind sending us a short video of the issue happening so we can take a closer look? You can attach it to your next response by using the Insert Video option in the post editor. You can also upload it to Google Drive and share the link with us (make sure the video has the permissions for anyone to see it).

Lastly, we'd recommend checking if the firmware of your devices has any pending updates. 

We'll be on the lookout for your reply. 

[the-only-me-is-me]

I've just power cycled my router, so we'll see whether that changes anything.

I'll try to remember to record a video the next time the issue occurs.

Do you mean my phone's firmware or the Google Home devices' firmware? 

[Maria]

Hey there @the-only-me-is-me,

Thanks for following up!

It would be great to know the firmware/OS version on both devices, should the issue persist. As a heads-up, however, as this only seem to happen with podcasts and specifically with a speaker group, it's worth noting that some content might not be supported on external devices and on certain setups.

Another thing which comes to mind is checking if re-linking the devices makes any difference, to make sure we cover all bases. Also, keep in mind that if you're multiple Spotify users in one household using the same speakers, it's possible that the connect gets interfered, so make sure that your account is the one that's currently linked to the speakers 🙂

Cheers! 

[the-only-me-is-me]

Google Nest Mini firmware:

• System firmware version: 505077
• Cast firmware: 3.77.505077

Google Home Mini firmware:

• System firmware version: 500695
• Cast firmware: 3.77.500695

I can't find any firmware information on my phone.

When the issue recurs, I'll try to get a recording, then I'll try re-linking my Spotify app to my Google Home devices.

[the-only-me-is-me]

Attached is a video of Spotify failing to connect to a speaker group. I'm playing from the podcast's feed, not from a playlist. The full recording this is cut from is 30 seconds long, and Spotify does not successfully connect to the speaker group for the full duration.

Eventually, Spotify stops trying to connect. This is after I power cycled my router by unplugging it.

[AlejaR]

Hey @the-only-me-is-me,
 

Thanks for your reply.

We’ve mentioned earlier that it might be helpful for us to narrow this behavior if you try a different network. If you haven’t yet, and if possible, you can create a hotspot in your mobile device and connect your speakers to see if you notice any difference.

On another note, we think it might be helpful if you change the group name. You can follow the steps in this article to do it. You'll need to download the Google Home app to proceed.

Additionally, we’d like to gather some additional details:

• Is Spotify the default player for your Google devices? If it isn’t, you can follow these steps to set it.
• The exact Spotify version you’re running.
• Have you tried re-linking the devices as mentioned above by @Maria?
• Does this happen when trying to control the playback from a different device? If possible, you can use another of your devices (such as a computer) to cast podcasts and see if this behavior persists.

We’ll be around, so let us know how it goes. 

[armilam]

For what it's worth, I have been having the exact same problems for a few months now. This affects me on my Android and my wife on her iPhone.

I have found that if I cast Spotify to a single speaker, then tell that speaker "hey Google, play this on main floor", it successfully switches to that speaker group and plays fine for that session.

But if I tell the Spotify app to connect directly to a speaker group, I have all the issues described in this thread and sometimes the Spotify app stops responding for a moment when I select a song to play. Then it proceeds to stutter and buffer on the speakers.

[the-only-me-is-me]

Attached is a recording of part of the issue recurring on my phone: Most of the devices (as seen in my previous recording) aren't in the list. The recording itself is a little uhhhh red because I have an app that filters blue light late at night.

I opened Spotify for Windows (64 bit, version 1.2.75.510.g8f748905) on my computer (Windows 11 Pro - version 10.0.26100 Build 26100) and did not experience the issue at all. All of my devices were present in the device list, and I was able to connect to my usual speaker group ("Entire apartment") in under three seconds and cast my podcast playlist with no stuttering or other connectivity issues.

I opened the mobile app again while testing this and saw that the issue was still occurring in the mobile app - only a handful of my devices appeared in the list, though my desktop PC had appeared now that Spotify was open on it.

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I have attempted to gather and address the remaining unresolved feedback below:

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Another thing which comes to mind is checking if re-linking the devices makes any difference, to make sure we cover all bases.

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I'll try this next and report back when the issue recurs.

Also, keep in mind that if you're multiple Spotify users in one household using the same speakers, it's possible that the connect gets interfered, so make sure that your account is the one that's currently linked to the speakers. 

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I am the only Spotify user in my household (unless my cats are up to something?) and the only one linked in my Google Home.

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We’ve mentioned earlier that it might be helpful for us to narrow this behavior if you try a different network. If you haven’t yet, and if possible, you can create a hotspot in your mobile device and connect your speakers to see if you notice any difference.

---

Connecting all of my speakers to my phone's hotspot network is a low priority troubleshooting measure for me for various reasons, one of them being that I've experienced this issue repeatedly over the years and it has periodically resolved itself without any need for such an inconvenient measure. I'll consider returning to this troubleshooting step if/when all other measures fail.

On another note, we think it might be helpful if you change the group name. You can follow the steps in this article to do it. You'll need to download the Google Home app to proceed.

---

I have renamed the speaker group in the past to no avail.

Additionally, we’d like to gather some additional details:

• Is Spotify the default player for your Google devices? If it isn’t, you can follow these steps to set it.
• The exact Spotify version you’re running.
• Have you tried re-linking the devices as mentioned above by @Maria?
• Does this happen when trying to control the playback from a different device? If possible, you can use another of your devices (such as a computer) to cast podcasts and see if this behavior persists.

---

In order:

• Yes, Spotify is (and always has been) the default player for my Google devices.
• Spotify version 9.0.94.274 on Android 15.
• I will try re-linking my Spotify account to my Google Home momentarily.
• I rarely use Spotify on other devices, but off the top of my head:
  • I haven't experienced this issue on my Windows 11 desktop PC, but I practically never use Spotify on there, so that might not mean much.
  • I have occasionally run into this issue while attempting to cast to other devices from the desktop version of Spotify running on my 13-year-old ThinkPad (on Windows 10, if you can believe that).

[the-only-me-is-me]

A few moments ago, I did the following:

1. Unlinked my Spotify account within the Google Home mobile app.
2. Force stopped the Google Home mobile app and cleared its cache.
3. Re-linked my Spotify account within the Google Home mobile app.
4. Opened the Spotify mobile app to see, much to my dismay, that the issue was still present - I was staring at the same list of devices as I was while I was typing the above reply (i.e. the list seen in the recording + my desktop PC).

As a side note, Spotify is and has always been the only music app linked in the Google Home app.

[Maria]

Hey there,

Kudos for all the info you've included @the-only-me-is-me and for your collaboration on this - we appreciate it!

One thing which comes to mind, instead of trying with a mobile hotspot, is checking if resetting the current network settings makes any difference. If you're using any VPN, make sure to switch it off as well, as it may interfere with the app performance.

It's also worth changing the quality settings for podcasts, just to see if the issue persists. You can find the steps under Change audio quality on this page. For example, if you're currently on Very High, you can give Normal a shot.

Keep us posted on how it goes!

[the-only-me-is-me]

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One thing which comes to mind, instead of trying with a mobile hotspot, is checking if resetting the current network settings makes any difference. If you're using any VPN, make sure to switch it off as well, as it may interfere with the app performance.

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What level of reset are we talking? I've got port forwarding and other things set up that I'd rather not redo.

I do not use a VPN, so no worries there. I do have a pi-hole, though.

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It's also worth changing the quality settings for podcasts, just to see if the issue persists. You can find the steps under Change audio quality on this page. For example, if you're currently on Very High, you can give Normal a shot.

---

If memory serves, I only recently switched to Lossless, when it became available. Previously, I believe I was using either High or Normal. I am typically playing downloaded podcasts, though, so does this troubleshooting advice still apply when I'm not actively streaming the podcast from Spotify servers?

[the-only-me-is-me]

Do me a favor and hit "ME TOO" on my post, if you haven't already! That's the best way to get more eyes on this and to communicate to tech support how widespread the issue is.

[momabo]

I can second this behavior - when selecting the Google Cast group from Spotify it never works. However selecting any of the grouped speakers individually works fine. Like for armilam, manually adding the other speakers as "secondary output devices" via the Google Home app works fine as well... But the process getting there is just too cumbersome...

[momabo]

Couldn't find a dedicated "me too" button but I encounter the very same behavior (replied to another message above). 

[the-only-me-is-me]

I didn't realize there wasn't a "ME TOO" button on my post...a like on the original post will work just as well, though. Generally, activity such as likes and comments draws attention.

[Eni]

Hey folks,

@the-only-me-is-me, thanks for keeping us in the loop. By resetting the network settings, we meant the network settings on your phone, not a full router reset, so you wouldn't lose any custom configurations like port forwarding. This can be done from Settings > System > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi and Bluetooth settings. 

Since you mainly listen to downloaded podcasts, the audio quality settings might not have a big impact. However, if some of your podcasts are streamed or partially cached, lowering the quality temporarily might help us see if the issue is related to audio or connection handling. 

Also, you mentioned using a Pi-hole, it could be worth checking whether it's blocking any Spotify or Google Cast domains. You can try disabling it briefly to see if your full device list appears again. Keep us posted on how it goes. 

@momabo, thanks for getting in touch about this here in the Community. Could you let us know if you've tried the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this thread? If not, make sure to try them and let us know how it goes. 

Cheers!