A group session took over my speaker

[kmc2340]

Plan

Free/Premium premium 

Country Australia 

Device iPhone 10

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

Operating System: IOS

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

My Question or Issue

I was listening to Spotify through my google home speaker this afternoon - having initiated the session on my iPhone.  I had been listening to one of my Library lists for a couple of hours when suddenly the song that was playing stopped half way through and a completely unknown song (not from my list) started playing. I had not touched my phone or said anything to the google speaker.  So I picked up my phone to see what was going on. It said I had joined a group session with someone named Andrew something. (I don’t remember his last name and I did not recognise his name. He is not connected to me in any way - on Spotify or through any other social media account.). I have never heard of group sessions before so I didn’t know what was happening.  I selected the song I had been playing before from my list but it only played for about 5 seconds before another song unknown to me came on. I tried to play my song again. And then I got a message to say that Andrew had left the group session.  

So tell me. How did someone I don’t know start playing music on my Inhome speaker WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? How did he add me to a group session WITHOUT MY PERMISSION? And more importantly - how do I stop this from happening again?? 

THIS SEEMS LIKE A SERIOUS BREACH OF BOTH SECURITY AND PRIVACY TO ME. I would appreciate an early response.  

[music_max]

i too am able to join a random persons session who is on the same wifi as me. how can i check that no one is able to join my session without my consent?

[Faru2]

Devices:
Google Pixel 6a / Laptop / Listening with Google Buds A-Series

Versions:
Android 13 - App version 8.7.82.94 / Windows 11, desktop app version 1.1.98.691.gf759311c

Plan: Premium Duo

Still experiencing this issue. I've stopped using Spotify on my phone at work altogether, at least until this gets resolved in some way. I've noticed that the pop-ups do not occur if I listen exclusively on my laptop using the desktop app, even if the laptop is on the same public/"guest" network as my phone. So, I've been listening to Spotify on just my laptop using my Google Buds. 
It happens almost every time I open Spotify on my phone at work, even if the primary device I'm listening on is my laptop. My workplace is quite large and heavily services the public, so sometimes I even get multiple prompts at once to join an unknown user's session from my phone. Everything is kept up-to-date.

[Faru2]

To Spotify:

I can't think of a single legitimate reason for why anyone would ever want this "join session" feature enabled for their own phone & listening devices. Spotify should realize that most people these days listen to their music/podcasts with headphones and earbuds to keep their listening private, to-themselves, and in their own control. 
This "join session" feature that opens access to our devices to strangers is a nuisance at best and a terrible security and privacy vulnerability at worst. 
Even when people use Bluetooth speaker devices like a Google Home to listen to their music, it's in the comfort of their own home, on their own network, and again- expected to remain in their control. What if a child is listening on Spotify through a home speaker or their Bluetooth headphones, and some stranger joins that session and starts playing explicit-rated music or just content that the parents don't want their child exposed to?

Permission to use and equally have some level of control over our listening devices can be given (by us) to friends, family, and familiar users by using settings for the speaker and other settings already in Spotify. The "private listening sessions" already exist; I can already start a group session and privately invite specific people that I know  (and want) to authorize control over my devices.

What I can't do is secure my own devices so that strangers can't access them and just take over what content is playing at their own will. This needs to change. 

[Plambey]

This is happening to me too. Randomly other people are playing music through my Alexa, despite no one else being on my network. Please revert this feature in its current state as it is very concerning. 

[RaineDragon]

Phone:
Android 13 / Samsung Galaxy 21
Location:
USA
Account Type:
Premium (Account was created in Aug 2011, so it predates facebook connection being a requirement)


On my phone, I keep getting popups that strangers I don't know are listening on [device name] and asking me to join the session while I'm at work in a public setting. I'm not on wifi, I've blocked Spotify from Bluetooth, I don't have my account connected to a facebook account... I can't figure out who these people are or why I'm being given the option to join them but I'm super creeped out by it and want it to stop. How do I turn this off?

[MillspawP]

Also having this exact problem; it is inconceivably unwise to come up with what seems designed to be a digital "pass the aux cord" feature and implement it like this. 

-There is no way to turn this off in any of the app settings
- Changing passwords does not solve this
- Uninstall/Reinstall does not solve this

Who asked for this? Seriously? You cannot convince me a normal actual human being said "Hey let's make it so every person listening to spotify on any given wifi- private/public/home designated, doesnt matter- is told about every other device on that wifi. Wait I'm not finished. We also make it so the app pesters you CONSTANTLY to join the listening session of a, in all likelihood, complete stranger, and even when you say no, it asks you again, repeatedly, anyway." I'll be charitable and say that not being able to turn it off could very well be an oversight, but the fundamental idea here is so baffling that I'm more fascinated by the thought process that created it than mad at this point. 

[RaineDragon]

1. I'm running spotify version 8.7.92.521  (no updates available in play store)
2. I am running Android version 13, build TP1A.220624.014.G996USQU5DVK9.
Android security patch level October 1, 2022
Samsung Galaxy S21 on AT&T
3. My spotify app ONLY has microphone and Notification permissions.
It does NOT have Nearby devices / Bluetooth permissions granted.

I connected to the wifi at work today and I'm getting invites to customer's speakers popping up. I want to turn this off. 

[AndyL]

I'm Andrew . I also heard someone talk ..whisper .they even helped me get the correct song ?

[AndyL]

I'm Andrew. I did not take control of your speaker , any more than whoever I am hearing on my speaker took control . 

I do not know what is going on. 

I'm in Ontario Canada 

[AndyL]

Hi . I'm Andrew in Ontario Canada. 

I have had same thing occur . 

I've even hand people whisper ,cry in the background.

..or audibly whisper a song to play ?

Very creepy 

[Jeff_L]

I can go one step further. Sometimes when I get in my car, I expect Spotify to start playing over the car stereo via Bluetooth. It does not start, so I open the Spotify app on my phone. I immediately get a popup that says "[my username] is listening on Pixel 6a. JOIN SESSION or Take over device."

Just to be clear - I am in MY CAR with NO WiFi and nobody else in the car, driving down the road. My phone says it is ME - my own username - controlling my phone. And it gives ME the option to join or take over my own device. 

WHAT is happening????

[AndyL]

Hi Jeff.
I believe you lol.
I can't explain it , anymore than I can explain what I've experienced.
To make it stranger ,..Ill say that the song choices ,mixes and sometimes
song switches abruptly ..are catered to me The topics , lyrics and
scenarios in the songs . The odds of identical occurences in my life and
specific persons and places is uncanny .....!?
It's like someone out there has tapped into my soul...wild .
More of a Scooby Doo mystery than anything .

Hope you get answers .

Cheers
A.

[ChiefOfEvil]

Absolutely insane that anyone can just join my "session" that I never even created.

Get rid of this horrid feature. I have every setting off for it. App udpated. Phone restarted and yet I get coworkers asking me about what and why Im listening to what I do. what is even the point of such a horrid feature. if I wanted to put what i was listening to on blast for all to hear then i'd blast speakers.

[jessikalyn]

I have been having this pop up and think I have discovered the bug. If you both have speakers with the same name - say UE Boom then it shows as connected and gives you the option to listen, even though you aren't on the same network and dont have public settings.

I have just had the popup to group with someone and am currently in my workplace, it's suggesting I join a person who i dont recoginse and I am on a private secure network. When I look at how my spotify is playing I see my headphones, and other speakers I have connected but is showing a UE Boom, which isnt mine (though I have one that does connect with my spotify) so I believe the issue is when connected devices have the same names for different people, regardless of networks

[jenadpantano]

That doesn't solve it, since I don't use speakers and get people on other
networks still.

[Faru2]

@jessikalyn wrote:

I have been having this pop up and think I have discovered the bug. If you both have speakers with the same name - say UE Boom then it shows as connected and gives you the option to listen, even though you aren't on the same network and dont have public settings. [...]...so I believe the issue is when connected devices have the same names for different people, regardless of networks

I appreciate the thought and effort of your suggestion, and while it's possible, I don't think the name/type of the device is the main reason for the "join session" pop... It's happened to me numerous times now and the popup has shown a wide variety of devices and some of them seem custom-named, even. None of them have been devices I own or ones that my phone has ever been connected to. 

[LB74]

I am also having this problem whenever I listen to spotify at my school. Same person pops up and spotify asks if I want to join their listening session and they show up in my device list! Very strange and definitely needs to be fixed

[teaton86sc]

Someone was able to take over my listening session, I assume from the same wifi network. I don't want this to be able to happen, and I don't want to be offered to listen to someone else's music, either. How do I disable this?

[user-removed]

I agree!!!!! so much!!! This is INSANE that this is an actual FEATURE????? wth????? and this has been going on for monnnnnnths!! This is not a feature! Spotify fix it or I am literally going to cancel my account of 10+ years!!!!!! This is outrageous to get a notification from other people in my household over and over again to join their session? wth? Allow it to at least be turned off for god sake???? Seriously!!!! What the actual F***

[kanaikid619]

This is not the issue! It's not just that other people can control a speaker, they can start listening to your music!!! And it exposes your username to people around you!!