Spotify Is Still Working On AirPlay 2 Support For iOS

Apple users may need to wait a bit longer than usual for AirPlay 2 support to be added on the iOS platform. This wait hasn’t been quantified and might seem like an indefinite one. Despite what the delay looks like, Spotify still claims it’s working hard to make it a reality. The company claims some doubt was cast on AirPlay 2 inclusion when an online forum post was spotted were a Spotify Representative claimed that “audio driver compatibility issues” might mean the feature wouldn’t be added for the foreseeable future. Spotify now claims that’s wrong.

According to the representative, Spotify apparently saw it as a “bigger project that we won’t be able to complete in the foreseeable future.” In another forum post update, Spotify passed a response that was attempted at apologizing for the confusion caused to its users. The message reads “To clarify, Spotify will support AirPlay 2,” with further advice that further updates would be posted when they became available. Therefore this means that users should perceive the status of the feature as “Live Idea” instead of “Case Closed.” The latest forum post backtrack is the latest incident in Spotify’s attempts to play nice with the operator of its main rival, Apple Music. As well as complaining about unfairness in treatment between the two services by Apple, Spotify has also been slow to implement new features aimed at Apple users.

In the case of AirPlay 2 support, Apple enabled third-party access to the feature on the iOS 11 update in 2018. This feature introduced users to several enhancements on the original AirPlay wireless audio protocol, multi-room audio, Siri voice control, and fairly broad support across a wide swath of speakers, televisions, and streaming services. By 2019, Spotify refused assistance from Apple in getting the feature working, but eventually became poorly supported outside of Apple’s own devices.

Although, Spotify has its own ways to get audio from its service to other devices in the form of Spotify Connect, but considering Spotify already supports Google Cast, skipping Apple’s newest streaming protocol would seem like a really odd omission. Apple provides a seemingly simple four-step developer document explaining how to enable the feature. However, developer Marco Arment points out that the fourth step (adopting a new API that supports enhanced buffering) seems a bigger hurdle than it currently appears to be. Also added that Spotify has a less-than-friendly relationship with Apple, as shown by filing an antitrust complaint and publicly calling it a bully, this choice to not prioritize incorporating AirPlay 2 makes even more sense to the discussion on delay. It’s good that it’s still happening, but for any Spotify subscriber on iOS, it’s so hard to not likely feel been caught in the crossfire between two indelible tech giants on the outs.