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Mar 31, 2020 AirPlay Spotify from Mac menu bar AirPlay from Sound Preferences. If you do not have your Volume control button in your menu bar, follow these steps. Open System Preferences using the icon in your Dock or Apple icon System Preferences from the menu bar. Select Sound and pick the Output tab. Pick your HomePod in the list of output devices. Android users can use HomePod with Spotify (for music and podcasts). Makes HomePod inclusive as not every household is all in on Apple devices. IOS and Mac users can use Spotify Connect to listen to music on the HomePod, which is quicker and sounds better than airplay.
Spotify has filed a complaint against Apple with the European Commission over what it perceives to be anti-competitive practices, the music streaming service announced Wednesday. The company launched a website to outline its case, accusing Apple of hampering support for Spotify to give its own Apple Music service an advantage.
The website, TimeToPlayFair, claims that Apple is the reason why the HomePod smart speaker and Siri voice assistant do not offer full support for Spotify, unlike competitors like the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Sonos One:
Apple ignores users’ preferred choice of music service and instead steers them to use Apple Music exclusively. So can you ask Siri to play your favorite playlist from Spotify? No, not even if you actively want Spotify to be your default streaming service. Or can you listen to Spotify through your Apple HomePod? Sorry, no luck with that either. And by the way, Spotify is available on pretty much every other speaker device out there.
Note that it’s not strictly true that HomePod users cannot listen to Spotify at all. The company’s iPhone app can stream to the device using the AirPlay wireless protocol, and both iPhone and HomePod users can ask Siri to perform basic tasks like pausing the song and turning up the volume. It does mean HomePod users have to switch to another device to get the music started, though.
Apple Music does offer better functionality on these two devices. Users can ask Siri to put on a song, play the number one song from a certain era, or even play something to match a certain mood. It’s cool, it’s futuristic, and it’s the sort of thing Spotify can do with competing speakers.
Spotify’s complaint also covers Apple’s approach to the App Store. Spotify launched on the App Store the same year it debuted in 2008, but it’s since changed the rules to impose a 30 percent fee from subscription revenue. The company explained in its frequently asked questions page:
What Spotify has experienced with Apple has been a classic ‘bait and switch.’ When the Spotify app launched on Apple, it was a very different opportunity than it is today.
While initially refusing, Spotify later implemented the system by charging a higher price to its consumers, before opting out again in 2016. The company also claims that Apple regularly rejected its app updates for seemingly minor reasons, and only offered full offline support for its Apple Watch app in 2018.
The $349 HomePod has received praise for its high-quality sound and sleek design, but many criticize it for lacking any Bluetooth support or analogue audio input. While its restrictions on Spotify could help bring in Apple Music subscribers, it means the HomePod stands out as offering noticeably weaker support compared to the competition.
The HomePod has been on sale lately and even though I am a Sonos person; I impulse bought a beautiful black HomePod for my study as that's where I have been working from since March.
Even though I am a Spotify user I figured, I will airplay to the HomePod. Sadly, streaming Spotify to HomePod via airplay is not great and it's also difficult to get to from the Spotify app. It sounds terrible. This is probably because Spotify on iOS does not support Airplay 2. This is not an Airplay vs Spotify Connect article. For me, Spotify Connect is better.
Why do you need Spotify Connect on HomePod?
- Android users can use HomePod with Spotify (for music and podcasts). Makes HomePod inclusive as not every household is all in on Apple devices.
- iOS and Mac users can use Spotify Connect to listen to music on the HomePod, which is quicker and sounds better than airplay.
How do you get Spotify Connect on HomePod?
The following is required:
- Android phone
- HiFy android app [trial version linked - limited to 10 minutes]
- Spotify Premium [untested with free spotify accounts]
- HomePod
The HiFy app converts any airplay device into a Spotify Connect Device. In my case, I finally found a use for my old Samsung Galaxy S6 which now seats on a wireless charger and runs 24/7 to ensure my HomePod is available to connect via Spotify Connect.
![Homepod Homepod](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133947515/471606786.jpg)
Open Spotify on any device in the house and you will see the HomePod as a speaker you can connect to.
![Spotify mac homepod price Spotify mac homepod price](/uploads/1/3/3/9/133947515/484203433.jpg)
Below are screenshots of the app:
Connect Mac To Homepod
That's it. Enjoy Spotify ?
Spotify Download
Now that I have an android phone running all the time, I may seek other things it can do ?. This appeals to the geek in me because it's always nice to find use for an old phone. It's ironic, I needed a Samsung phone and a Google operating system to enable modern features on a device made by Apple. Who says they do not play nice with each other?