Connecting to Chromecast from Windows Desktop Client

[EquinoxDK]

When I want to use spotify connect to connect to my chromecast, I need to use my android phone/tablet versionn of spotify to connect first, then take over that connect session from my desktop client. It's imposible to directly connect to the chromecast from my desktop client 

Steps to reproduce the issue:

1. Start Spotify on phone
2. Connect to my Chromecast
3. Start Spotify on my desktop. It automaticly connects to the connect session between my phone and Chromecast
4. Kill Spotify on phone
5. Use desktop client to control Chromecast

What steps you’ve tried already:

No devices are shown in the "choose device to play to" button on desktop client. Chromecast is found on phone

Your device and operating system (e.g. MacBook Air, 10.10 OSX)

Windows 10 I7 based computer / Samsung S6 android smartphone

Type of Spotify account you have (Free/ Premium):

Premium

The app version of Spotify you’re using:

1.0.15.133.gf21970bd 

Best regards 

Jan Skrubbeltrang

[tatwater]

I can't believe there's still no better implementation of this! I have the same problem on macOS and it's been over a year since you guys reported it...

[KarlXII]

Yes, it really sucks. 

I also find the total silence concerning this.from Spotify disturbing and ignorant, to be honest. 

Why have a forum, unless as an interface with customers? Right now it seems as a wastegate.

[KarlXII]

This thread has a checkmark "Solved" on it. 

Seems a tad premature, considering the fact it's created back in 2015 and is as far from solved as then. 

But perhaps the Spotify crew just tend to skip the Solved threads? 

[keydogg]

I've just changed from another streaming service to Spotify and was surprised and disappointed to find that the spotify app does not find my chromecasts without this stupid work-around.

How can this not be a thing yet? Looks like I'll be stopping my subscription and going back to where I was before! Frustrating...

[pi123]

Yes is frustrating... Is one year all people ask to Windows chromecast support and no fix from spotify. Everybody should stop paying it and cancel subscription

[durin]

There's nothing Spotify can do because Google Cast doesn't have Windows API or CEF API that Spotify could use to add Google Cast (previously Chromecast) capabilities to the desktop application.

https://developers.google.com/cast/docs/reference/

[vegasmassimo]

What.... ?
Let see if they just dumped the desktop app and had a web based
interface... (like slacker or pandora) it would just work

Spotify had to spend tens of thousands of dollars to build a **bleep** that no
one ever wanterd in the first place

[keydogg]

Web applications are great if you have an internet connection that is 100% solid. We have a very erratic connection in our workplace and need music on all the time for customers, it's a nightmare if/when the broadband goes down...

And no we can't improve the broadband without spending over £10,000 so it's out of the question.

[vegasmassimo]

Try Slacker.. everything Spotify does without the crappy app.. (works
offline and with chromecast)

http://evolver.fm/2012/02/24/why-slacker-has-offline-playback-and-pandora-doesnt/

[martinpayette77]

If the CCA doesn't support the Windows API, how is it possible to cast from the Chrome browser to the CCA but not from the Spotify application? (Windows 10 on Surface Pro 3)

Is there other application that allow casting to Chromcast from Windows 10 OS?

[vegasmassimo]

Because spotify is its own program that runs in a private web browser...

If it didnt use a proprietary web browser it would just work

[vegasmassimo]

Because spotify is its own program that runs in a private web browser...

If it didnt use a proprietary web browser it would just work

[durin]

---

@martinpayette77 wrote:

If the CCA doesn't support the Windows API, how is it possible to cast from the Chrome browser to the CCA but not from the Spotify application? (Windows 10 on Surface Pro 3)

Is there other application that allow casting to Chromcast from Windows 10 OS?

---

Chromecast has APIs for Chrome, Android and iOS.

"A sender application runs on the device the user is holding and manages the user's interaction with the content. For sender applications, Google Cast supports app development for the Android, iOS, and Chrome platforms"

There are some applications that run on Linux and propably on Windows that has CC support but that support is provided by 3rd party library and are not officially supported by Google.

[KarlXII]

Actually I am sure if Spotify really wanted to, they could find a way to make it work.

There is no doubt in my mind about it. 

Why they just don't fix it, is really weird. There has got to be a fairly large percentage of the users that would benefit from it. 

[flaxfrax]

This might provide a nicer workaround:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/23250502/how-to-programmatically-launch-a-chromecast-app-from-com...

Now I just need to find out the spotify chrome cast app id (should be simple enough sniffing the traffic) and launch a small script that activates Spotify on the chromecast (just like you do with your cell/mobile or the webplayer) and then it should (thoeretically) be visible in the desktop client 🙂 will test this when I get home today 🙂

[drfisheye]

I just bought a Chromecast Audio because it promised Spotify Connect. Not so apparently. I have two laptops from which I want to control Spotify on the Chromecast. This is not possible, I need Android or iOS to start a session. 

Casting the web player is no alternative:

• This doesn't give me control from the other laptop
• It doesn't give me a player independent from the laptops
• The web player doesn't have the features of the desktop app
• The web player just isn't very nice in general

Google and Spotify should be more clear on this. I now have a useless Chromecast.

[drfisheye]

Ok, so looking deeper in the issue: the cold hard truth is the Chromecast doesn't fully implement Spotify Connect the way it is meant to, even though it is advertised that way.

A real Spotify Connect device should always be discoverable by all Spotify clients; this is not the case with Chromecast. The Android and iOS Spotify apps use a workaround, especially created for Chromecast. Spotify doesn't need a workaround for all the other Spotify Connect devices, just for Chromecast. That's probably why it took so long to get Spotify on the Chromecast in the first place.

The lack of the Chromecast SDK for Windows isn't the problem. If Google would have implemented Spotify Connect on Chromecast the right way, the workaround wouldn't be needed.

Thing is, Chromecast and Spotify Connect are different animals and not directly compatible. Either Google could implement Spotify Connect fully, or Spotify could implement the workaround for Chromecast in the desktop app. And apparently, both parties don't want to play.

[hbenvel]

Not working anymore (used to work fine).

Spotify 4 desktop has lost ALL of my chromecasts (TV + Audio).

Why???

[Nik121]

Well, at this point it's an absolute joke this still doesn't work. If the desktop app can see my google home as a device once it's playing in the mobile app or web app then why can't it just appear all the time?

This needs to be fixed asap.

[tuk2008]

I'm wondering, though, how that works internally. Does it cast an entire video+audio stream of the Chrome tab to the Chromecast? Or is the url 'opened' on the Chromecast itself? This might not seem to make a big difference, but there actually is, in terms of quailty and for example network load.