Support Google Cast for Audio

[Daniel]

Google announced Google cast for audio today. Any chance we'll see this api adopted so that speakers using this can play from Spotify? 

"today, we're announcing Google Cast for audio, which embeds the same technology behind Chromecast into speakers, sound bars, and A/V receivers. Just like Chromecast, simply tap the cast button in your favorite music or radio app on Android, iOS, or the web, and select a Google Cast Ready speaker to get the party started.

Google Cast Ready speakers pull content directly from the cloud, so you’ll get the best audio quality and can freely multi-task on your phone, tablet, or laptop, all without straining the battery. These speakers will work with a growing list of apps including Deezer, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio, NPR One, Pandora, Rdio, TuneIn, and many more."

http://chrome.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/introducing-google-cast-for-audio.html?m=1

[meahtenoha]

Updated: 2015-10-02

In collaboration with Google, we’re thrilled to announce Spotify on Chromecast and Chromecast Audio. Spotify and Chromecast Now Play Together.

While you cast, you can use your phone to answer a call, play a game, send a text, and even leave the room, all without interrupting what’s playing on the speakers or draining your battery.

[northforkinv]

I just picked up my two new chromecast audios and installed one in my old fashioned but terrific sounding stereo/surround sound system.  Very easy to do.  my droid spotify apps seem to be working very well with it but it's only been an hour.  I had been using the spotify connect feature from my desktop spotify app  to control a tablet slave connected to my stereo and its great to free up the device with a $35 chromecast audio device. 

But as at least one reviewer noted, the spotify connect feature on the desktop app doesn't pick up the chromecast audio (or any chromecast) device.  At least not before one uses a droid app to connect to the chromecast audio device. (Once connected your desktop app will pick up on the chromecast and allow you to control it but once disconnected you can't get back in without a droid app connecting first.)

I know its early and I'm being entitled, but as an aging baby boomer I don't have that many years left and I would urge spotify to make the laptop app chromecast connect feature work seamlessly and just as well as the droid app. Let me know if I should use similar pressure tactics on google.  After all I am pretty sure I am the one who first suggested that they needed to build a chromecast device for old people's stereos and similar speaker systems.

[murenrb]

Repeating and expanding on what northforkinv said, I've had my chromecast audio for a week now and really like it. But there are a few things that could be improved:

1. Desktop app does not automatically see the chromecast audio until a iphone or android app tells spotify to switch. Once it is switched the desktop app does work to control the chromecast.

2. Desktop app has no audio control over the chromecast. The iphone app can control the volume and it would be great if the spotify slider in the desktop app controlled the chromecast volume.

3. Volume begins at 100%. I have not quite figured out when this happens. I think it is after a certain amount of time. If I dont cast any music for 2 hours, the volume starts where I left it. But every morning when I start work the volume is at 100% and I have to rush to get it set to something lower.

Overall these are not critical updates. The chromecast works really well with spotify. But they do seem pretty easy things to add so hopefully they will get rolled into an update.

Thanks spotify! 

[northforkinv]

Much better said murenrb. And you picked up on a few small flaws that I
hadn't discovered yet. Also I want to thank spotify for collaborating with
google on this product launch. I note how Apple Music has not and given
their botched product launch maybe they should be re- thinking that.

[murenrb]

Followup to my previous post:

4. This one is pretty minor, so I forgot to include it. But when you hit the Previous button when playing on a non-chromecast speaker (IE, from the desktop) it goes to the beggining of the song you are currently at like normal. Then if you hit it again it goes to the previous song in the que. However, for some reason when playing from a chromecast, the Previous button always goes to the previous song. There is not way to start the song you are currently on again using just that button.

Like I said, pretty minor, but also probably a trivial fix.  

[meahtenoha]

Updated: 2015-10-22

In collaboration with Google, we’re thrilled to announce Spotify on Chromecast and Chromecast Audio. Spotify and Chromecast Now Play Together.

While you cast, you can use your phone to answer a call, play a game, send a text, and even leave the room, all without interrupting what’s playing on the speakers or draining your battery.

To learn more about how you can listen at home, head over to www.spotify.com/at-home.

[murenrb]

Just to be clear, the compatibility with chromecast has been implemented. The issues highlighted above have not been addressed. They are not show stoppers. Its not like I will stop using spotify because I have to control my magic wireless music from my phone, but it just seemed like a few things that were overlooked in the implamentation. 

[murenrb]

Just following up on this. It woudl appear Spotify developers have no intention of wrapping up chromecast implementation. I would say the development is only 80% compelte with clear holes in the product. They are simple things, so I can only guess that Spotify is focusing on other things. 

[zevans]

What about through the Desktop app?

[murenrb]

Zevans,

What do you mean? This post is exclusively about the Desktop app as specified above.