Issues with Spotify Connect

[mjoc]

Hey,

I'm struggling to understand how Spotify Connect (an 'integrated app') integrates with the WiiM Mini. I know I can stream from my iPhone to the WiiM using airplay - the iPhone sends the music data (say, from YouTube Music) over my home wifi network to the WiiM. In this mode, if I turn wifi off on my phone, the music stops playing.

But my understanding of Spotify Connect is that the music streams directly from Spotify over the internet to my WiiM, and my iPhone is only used as a controller. I thought in this mode, I'd be able to start music playing and it would keep playing - even if I turn my phone off completely. Shouldn't it still stream directly from Spotify to my WiiM?

I can't get this to work. I can start the music playing, but then if I move to a spot where my phone loses wifi, the music stops. When my phone is back in wifi range, I have to manually start the music up again. This is making it almost unusable for me unless I leave my phone behind in a good wifi spot when I walk around the house or into the garden.

Am I missing something?

 

[Brantome]

Sounds like you may be connected using Bluetooth or perhaps Airplay. I can switch off my iPad after starting a Spotify connect session and the stream keeps playing track after track.

 

[mjoc]

I think you're right - it's because it was only connecting via AirPlay2, not 'Spotify Connect' mode.

In Spotify on my iPhone when I choose the playback device, for some reason the WiiM wasn't showing in the "Select a device" screen - I could only see it after I entered "AirPlay or Bluetooth" - and choosing that gave me the playback issues I talked about.

I remember when I set up the WiiM, in the wifi connection settings, it makes a point of saying it only connects to a 5GHz wifi network unless you tell it otherwise. I have both 5GHz and 2.4GHz wifi in my house but the 2.4GHz is usually stronger where the WiiM is. Both networks have the same name (SSID) so I don't usually know which I'm connected to.

On a hunch I gave the wifi networks seperate names (wifi-2.4GHz and wifi-5GHz), reset the WiiM to use wifi-5GHz then made sure my iPhone was also connected to wifi-5GHz. Eventually after messing around restarting Spotify, I now see the WiiM listed under 'Select a device' - and the playback issues are gone.

Not sure if the issue here was the 5GHz/2.4GHz wifi thing, or if it was some bug in the Spotify app / iOS / my wifi router, but it's fixed now in any case.

PS. Just noticed: I have a second WiiM in a different location, but this one is set to only connect to 2.4GHz wifi (the 5GHz doesn't reach there). That WiiM also didn't show under "Select a device" - but now I've gone through these steps, that one shows too. Process of elimination makes me think the iPhone has to run Spotify connected to 5GHz wifi to see the WiiMs for Spotify Connect, regardless of how they're connected to wifi.

<<EDIT Once both WiiM Minis became visible in the iPhone Spotify app with "Spotify Connect" (not AirPlay/Bluetooth) - they're always available: even when the iPhone isn't connected to wifi at all. This is perfect! No matter where I am, as long as my iPhone has some kind of internet connection, I can control music playing on the WiiMs at home.

Hopefully this helps someone else down the track!