Photo: Cult of Mac
Spotify users can no longer control the volume of Spotify Connect devices using their iPhone’s volume button. Instead, they must use the workaround: an in-app volume slider.
The company is making this change because Apple discontinued the technology behind this feature.
iPhone’s volume button stops playing nice with Spotify Connect
Spotify Connect allows you to control the volume and media playback on other devices linked to your Spotify account. This includes smart TVs, speakers, game consoles, and more. On the iPhone, you can adjust the volume of such devices using the phone’s physical volume buttons. Going forward, though, this will no longer be possible.
Spotify updated the Spotify Connect page to reflect this change. The company says, “Apple has discontinued the technology that enables Spotify to control volume for connected devices using the volume buttons on the device.”
The streaming service claims it is working with Apple to find a solution. But until then, you have to rely on a workaround to adjust the volume of Spotify Connect devices.
If you heavily use Spotify Connect, you might find this change frustrating.
Use the virtual volume slider to control the volume
Press the volume button on your iPhone with the Spotify app open for quick access to this volume slider. It will appear at the bottom, which you can then use to adjust the volume of the Spotify Connect device. The volume panel is also accessible through the Connect Menu from the Now Playing screen in Spotify’s iPhone app.
Spotify revealed to The Verge that Apple told them apps must offer HomePod integration “to access the technology that controls volume on iPhones.”
Unlike other music streaming services, Spotify does not provide HomePod integration despite Apple providing the relevant APIs. Spotify is not the only casualty of this change; Sonos has also removed similar functionality from its iPhone app.