[iOS] Implement Native HomePod Support

[robotoman22]

Details

Just this week at WWDC (June 22, 2020), Apple announced support for third party music services on the HomePod.  I'm requesting that Spotify implement native support for the HomePod such that one or even multiple HomePods will appear in the "Connect to a device" menu on any Apple device WITHOUT having to connect through Airplay.  This will also allow users to ask Siri to play songs from Spotify on their HomePod(s). 

Apple is opening up the HomePod, and I know there are many other HomePod users that would love to have native Spotify support on their speaker. 

Resources

• WWDC 2020 video and further resources about this topic: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10061
• More details on this site: https://developer.apple.com/siri/
• Form to request music service integration from Apple: https://developer.apple.com/contact/request/sirikit-media-intent-for-homepod

Please upvote this idea to garner attention for it.  Thank you Spotify and the Spotify community.  Let's get this implemented so it's ready for general iOS 14 release this September!

[BristolMusic]

What an embarrassment. They’ve created a monster. 

[kenron]

+1 to Spotify willfully ignoring this thread. My Apple Music free trial ends in a couple months and I’ll be dropping my Spotify subscription at least until they add Airplay 2 support, not to mention the HomePod. This is ridiculous.

[daveThe0nly]

From some insider knowledge, this won't get implemented in the near future maybe ever...

Simply put, HomePod requires direct access to Spotify Cloud for playback and this would pose a great engineering challenge for them AFAICT.

Why? My guess is on security and how Spotify Connect works...

[tryingtothink]

Oh heck. Would be nice if they would explain. One wonders why they were so
keen for Apple to give access, and how Pandora can do it. And I believe
they got it working on the Apple Watch--?

[ZJack]

@daveTheOnly can you elaborate on the insider knowledge, and why you then use "AFAICT" and "My guess is (...)" as it seems that insider knowledge wouldn't put you in a position of needing to guess? 

It absolutely wouldn't surprise me if they weren't up to the programming challenge to integrate with HomePod's service. 

What does surprise me is that we can't at least get a response telling us that it won't be possible, or even just buying themselves more time by acknowledging this idea and saying it's under consideration or something. 

My prediction for their eventual response:
"Despite what Apple may want you to think about integration on the HomePod being made available, in reality they have offered an option that they know is completely incompatible with our service so that it would make us look bad. So many other speaker manufacturers have adopted the Spotify Connect standard without any issues and Apple's refusal to do so is only hurting their own customers."

[abricko]

RE: daveThe0nly

From some insider knowledge, this won't get implemented in the near future maybe ever...

Simply put, HomePod requires direct access to Spotify Cloud for playback and this would pose a great engineering challenge for them AFAICT.

Why? My guess is on security and how Spotify Connect works...

I call hard BS on that... how come a $35 Taiwanese made "dongle" works perfectly with spotify connect and then my $1200+ KEF LSX speakers also work with Spotify Connect... it boils down to Political BS between the two companies.  Have you seen the latest beta of Mac OS Music app?  They now will continue to play music after you're album is done, one of the killer features of Spotify IMHO.  Look, I still feel Apple Music is an inferior product but if that's the only way we can get reliable multi room audio on the home pods... I guess it's what we have to do.

Spotify will lose in the long run if they keep the BS politics up.

[ZJack]

Great points @abricko, also I laughed when I dyslexically misread your KEF LSX speakers as "$1200+ KEK FLEX" because that is a real flex haha. 

Also @daveTheOnly I can't imagine they have serious security concerns with Apple... I can't imagine either company will half-ass anything that will open them up to breaches in security. 

[daveThe0nly]

@tryingtothink you have an app directly running on AW hardware, which implements the Spotify connect protocol, there is nothing running on the HomePod it self, it is just streaming content.

@ZJACK all I know is also some vague info like "they won't do it" nothing specific. What I posted is based on my knowledge of developing apps (FE and BE) and going thru the docs and how HomePod does 3rd party streaming.
Why would they give us a response, the "not knowing" is keeping a lot of users in false hope that one day this might be implemented and they won't have to switch to AM...

@abricko To the dongle, my guess is Spotify connect is implemented right in the dongle with Spotify's libraries the same goes for other smart speakers, they are basically running a version of Spotify ON THE speaker. Apple does not want to do that, they would have to do that for other companies.

I understand that "from insider knowledge" is trustworthy as sh!t 😄 but hey, it is stirring up a conversation here! Maybe, just MAYBE somebody notices 🙂

[Chicago_fan]

@daveTheOnly - even if your proposal is true (which I hope it's not), it doesn't excuse Spotify's terrible customer support on the issue.

[daveThe0nly]

@Chicago_fan I don't want to defend spotify on this issue, but its their product... This is not a customer care issue...