It’s no news that Apple loves to keep its users within its dedicated operating system and Siri ecosystem. From its laptops to smartphones, users are forced to stay within its OS and ecosystem to take advantage of all the integration features Apple has to offer across its devices. Unfortunately, the same could be said for Apple’s smart speaker, the Apple HomePod, especially when it comes to integrating with third-party music streaming platforms like Spotify.
- AirPlay Spotify to HomePod. Open Spotify on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV and navigate to the song, station, podcast, or playlist you want to listen to. Then do the following depending on your device. Note: In the screenshots below, our HomePod is named Kitchen. AirPlay Spotify from iPhone or iPad. Open the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad. You should see the Spotify song (or podcast episode) currently playing in a small box.
- Stream sound from Mac to HomePod. The Spotify app itself doesn't list AirPlay speakers in the devices list, and the Mac AirPlay option in the menu bar only lists Apple TVs. But you can play any sound from your Mac – Spotify and more – over AirPlay to your HomePod. Dive into your System Preferences.
Although it’s been rumored that the HomePod may be able to connect to Spotify (rather than Apple’s dedicated music streaming service, Apple Music) in the future, that feature is not yet available. If you wish to stream music from Spotify or any other app with the HomePod, you will need to use the device’s Airplay feature instead.
In this article, you will learn more about how you can connect your HomePod to Spotify, as well as whether HomePod is compatible with other music streaming applications.
Can the HomePod Play Music from Spotify?
Homepod mini music streaming pandora smart speakers spotify Photo: Adam Clark Estes/Gizmodo Earlier this year, Apple very subtly teased that third-party music services would be coming to the HomePod. In fact, if you have a Mac, you can stream all of your Mac’s audio output to your HomePod via AirPlay, letting you listen to alternate music services such as Spotify, Amazon Prime Music, or even your own collection with something like Plex. Here’s how it works.
Spotify is a popular music streaming app and service, so it’s natural to believe that most, if not all, smart speakers should have the ability to integrate with the platform. Unfortunately for Apple HomePod users, though, this isn’t the case; Apple has yet to allow the HomePod to integrate with Spotify directly like its namesake Apple Music and iTunes platforms.
While the Apple HomePod is currently unable to play Spotify music directly, there have been reports regarding a new software update that will allow HomePods to play music directly from third-party music platforms like Pandora and Spotify. However, this has not yet happened.
But, while you may not be able to integrate your Spotify account with the HomePod directly right now, you can still play music using the device’s Airplay feature.
Connect Mac To Homepod
Streaming Music with Airplay
Streaming via Airplay is the easiest and most standard method to groove to your favorite Spotify music on your HomePod without subscribing to the Apple Music service.
However, streaming from Spotify via Airplay may cause you to lose some of Siri’s voice features on the HomePod. For example, you will not be able to ask Siri to play a specific song using voice prompts; you can only pause, play, and skip songs.
Note: Alternatively, you could use a third-party music converter app like NoteBurner to convert downloaded music from Spotify to WAV or MP3 formats that can be later uploaded to the iTunes library. However, this method is not exactly considered “legal” and is therefore not recommended.
How to Play Music from Spotify with Airplay
Below is a detailed step-by-step guide to help you play songs from Spotify on your HomePod speaker with Airplay. (Note: For this method to work, you will need to access Spotify on an Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad, or Mac laptop or desktop computer.)
Using an iPhone or iPad
- Make sure that your HomePod and iPhone or iPad are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Ensure your HomePod’s Bluetooth is turned on.
- Access the Control Center on your iPhone or iPad while Spotify is open. You see the current Spotify music track or podcast playing in a small dialog box.
- Click on the Airplay icon in the corner of the screen.
- Select your specific HomePod username or location.
Using a Mac
You can Airplay music from Spotify to your HomePod using two different methods on Mac:
The first method involves you connecting to the HomePod via the menu bar.
- Make sure your Mac and HomePod are connected to the same network.
- Ensure your HomePod’s Bluetooth is turned on.
- Click on the Speaker icon on your menu bar.
- Select your specific HomePod name from the list of available output devices.
If you do not have the speaker button on your menu bar, you will need to connect with Airplay via your Sound Preferences menu.
- Make sure your Mac and HomePod are connected to the same network.
- Ensure your HomePod’s Bluetooth is turned on.
- While in the Spotify window, open System Preferences by clicking the Apple icon from the menu bar.
- Select Sound and click the Output tab.
- Select your HomePod from the list of output devices available.
Can You Connect HomePod to Other Music Streaming Apps?
Just like Spotify, other third-party music streaming platforms—like Amazon Music, Pandora, and Soundcloud—cannot play or stream music directly to the HomePod. If you want to play music from these platforms, you will have to use the above-mentioned Airplay method to connect.
Final Thoughts
Although users cannot connect Spotify—or any other music streaming service, for that matter—to the HomePod to directly stream music, they can still connect their Apple devices with the Spotify app to play music via Airplay.
However, this solution may not be needed for much longer; Apple is rumored to eventually release an update that allows HomePods to stream music directly from Spotify, but only time will tell.
To learn more about other smart speakers available on the market, check out these articles!
As the HomePod is basically an Apple product, it’s not surprising that it only works with Apple services like Apple Music. However, if you’re not an Apple Music subscriber, you’ll be pleased to learn that in a recent update, HomePod and HomePod mini owners will be able to stream Pandora directly through the HomePod.
Does Homepod Work With Spotify
Does Homepod Play Spotify
All users need to do is update their Pandora app, connect it to the HomePod, and after granting it permissions, it should be good to go. Once it’s been setup, users can ask Siri to start streaming music from Pandora through the HomePod speaker. This also makes Pandora the first third-party music service to be playable directly through the HomePod.
It should be noted that prior to this, you could stream third-party services through the HomePod. However, you could not do so directly and you would have to stream it over AirPlay. This isn’t that big of a deal, similar to how you would stream music to a Bluetooth speaker, but the direct integration now expands on the capabilities of the HomePod and at the very least, gives users more options when it comes to choosing non-Apple services.
We’re not sure if there are plans to eventually add Spotify to that list, but given that Apple and Spotify’s relationship isn’t that great at the moment, maybe Spotify subscribers shouldn’t hold their breath.
Filed in . Read more about Entertainment, HomePod, Music, Pandora and Speakers. Source: macrumors