Spotify and Apple have long had a contentious relationship, Spotify having accused Apple of anti-competitive behavior in a 2019 complaint filed with the European Union. A primary concern in the complaint was Apple’s alleged refusal to allow native support for Spotify on HomePod and HomePod mini. Although Apple has since granted third-party streaming music services access to the speakers, Spotify has not implemented native support for HomePod and HomePod mini.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in a recent newsletter that Spotify had not taken action on the issue, despite Apple providing the necessary APIs.
A 2020 post on Spotify’s community website advocating for native HomePod support has received over 5,800 votes, but Spotify claims there hasn’t been a “significant volume” of complaints regarding the lack of HomePod support.
The absence of HomePod support for Spotify has frustrated users who rely on voice commands through Siri to control their music. This inability to control Spotify via Siri on HomePod forces users to switch to the Apple Music app for voice assistant functionality. Furthermore, Spotify has not fulfilled its promise to support AirPlay 2, which would enable users to stream Spotify music to the HomePod via their iPhone or iPad.
Although Spotify has repeatedly pledged to update its iPhone and iPad app with AirPlay 2 support, it has yet to do so. The company maintains its commitment to supporting AirPlay 2 in the future but has not provided a specific timeframe. This ongoing delay has exasperated subscribers awaiting Spotify’s AirPlay 2 support since at least 2021.
In summary, the lack of native HomePod and HomePod mini support continues to be a point of contention for Spotify users who prefer using voice commands through Siri. Despite Apple providing the required APIs, Spotify has not incorporated native support for HomePod and HomePod mini.
Additionally, delays in AirPlay 2 support have frustrated subscribers waiting for years for Spotify to integrate the feature. Without a clear timeline for resolution, Spotify users must continue to wait for smoother integration with their Apple devices.