If you’re a Spotify ‘Free’ tier subscriber that uses a Google Assistant-powered smart speaker or display, you’ll be glad to know that the music streaming service isn’t actually removing Cast support.
Earlier today, Spotify quietly removed the ability to Cast audio from a Free Spotify account to Google Assistant smart speakers and smart displays, according to 9to5Google. At the time, if you attempted to cast, you’d be treated with a “premium only” notification that appears under the device you’re attempting to play music or a podcast from.
In a statement to The Verge’s Chris Welch, Spotify confirmed that this issue was a bug and that it should now be resolved. Further, the tech giant stated that “There are no plans of removing Spotify Free support on Google Assistant.”
Spotify tells me this was a bug and should now be resolved. cc @iamdamienwilde
From a spokesperson: “There are no plans of removing Spotify Free support on Google Assistant.” https://t.co/v0zotN0ls2
— Chris Welch (@chriswelch) February 23, 2021
For those with Amazon Echo smart speakers, MobileSyrup also confirmed that it’s currently still possible to play music from a Free Spotify account.
Spotify did not officially announce the change. This shift would have meant that to Cast music to an Assistant speaker from Spotify, you’d need a $9.99 ‘Individual,’ $12.99 ‘Duo,’ or $15.99 ‘Family’ plan.
Spotify recently announced plans to launch a HiFi subscription tier and several podcast-focused features, including the ability to automatically turn content written in WordPress into a podcast on the platform.
Source: 9to5Google
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