Just can't get Spotify Connect to 'see' my Ultra (Pro+ is OK)

[harkpabst]

Isn’t the ability to do that the cause of many people complaining that their speaker randomly plays Spotify tracks without being prompted because previously a guest has connected to that speaker on its network, but still saw that speaker as a target even if they later use their phone on their different home network? Some complain about that being insecure given that someone no longer on your network can still access a device on it.
This issue used to crop up with great regularity on the Alexa group I admin’s and the usual crowd were quick to blame Alexa when in fact it’s a Spotify issue/feature that occurs on non Alexe/echo devices too - just google “Spotify plays randomly”…

My brain didn't manage to correlate these facts until you mentioned them.

The issue is real, for sure, and I'd like to call it a security flaw rather than a feature, indeed.

 

[Hulle Sack]

Have you checked around the connect settings in the Spotify app (unfortunately only screenshot in German)?

 

[guy48065]

Yes I have.

 

[guy48065]

And let me clarify/repeat that while I'm trying to connect to system #2 my phone and Ultra ARE on the same wifi network.

 

[henninggodske]

Yes I have.

View attachment 10950

With that configuration the Ultra and your Spotify app must be on same network. If you have e.g. a Mesh Network this may not be the case even if it looks like it. Make sure that the Mesh is configured as an Access Point.

 

[guy48065]

With that configuration the Ultra and your Spotify app must be on same network. If you have e.g. a Mesh Network this may not be the case even if it looks like it. Make sure that the Mesh is configured as an Access Point.

See post above.

I don't know what a Mesh Network is so I expect I don't have that going on.

 

[henninggodske]

See post above.

I didn't know what a Mesh Network is so I expect I don't have that going on.

So you have only one access point on a single network router? Then Ultra and your phone shall acess that and it will work.

 

[guy48065]

Hi guy48065,

Please send us a feedback ticket, and we'll resolve it promptly. Thank you for your assistance.

I've been assuming this was a Spotify Connect issue.
If you're suggesting it's a WiiM configuration problem, shouldn't you address it here and possibly help many others?

 

[Hulle Sack]

With that configuration the Ultra and your Spotify app must be on same network. If you have e.g. a Mesh Network this may not be the case even if it looks like it. Make sure that the Mesh is configured as an Access Point.

Well, that's not correct. This setting ensures that NOT only devices in the local WiFi or Ethernet are displayed

 

[Hulle Sack]

Is it possible for you to check from the PC whether all devices are available (for the purpose of narrowing down. The Spotify MOBILE app could be faulty, as is sometimes the case)?

Pls. see also

Spotify Connect - Spotify

support.spotify.com

If nothing will helps, I think WiiM will support you

 

[henninggodske]

Well, that's not correct. This setting ensures that NOT only devices in the local WiFi or Ethernet are displayed

Correct (I thought the text described current setting). The devices will however only show if they have been accessed at least once on local network.

 

[Hulle Sack]

...but I haven't used Spotify for years. However, I remember having similar problems with several Qualcomm AllPlay devices years ago. These were fixed after a Spotify mobile app update...

 

[WiiM Team]

I'm puzzled by my failure to get Spotify to connect to my WiiM Ultra. Spotify sees my phone & my Pro+ and I've checked that everything is connected to the same wifi network. (The Pro & Ultra are in different locations, on different networks. Is the app able to keep track of this difference?)
I think I had a similar bump in the road when setting up my Pro last spring, but the fix must have been easy bc I've forgotten what I did.

The Ultra immediately connected to Amazon Music, Radio Paradise but I realize Spotify handles the connection differently. Can someone please point me in the right direction?

Hi Guy48065,

To resolve this issue, please stream audio from Spotify to your WiiM Ultra first. Once you've done that, check if the WiiM Ultra appears in other locations. Please note that the device will not be visible in the Spotify app unless you’ve streamed audio to it at least once.

 

[guy48065]

Again... Spotify app can't find my Ultra.
It CAN find my:
Pro+
Phone
Bluetooth adapter
The only device it can't "see" is the Ultra.

 

[Burnside]

I think they mean perhaps stream to your ultra on the same network that the Pro+ is seen on and then try it from a different location/network

 

[guy48065]

The 2nd location is 200 miles away.

I wouldn't mind packing it home but I feel like this suggestion is grasping at straws.

 

[guy48065]

I think they mean perhaps stream to your ultra on the same network that the Pro+ is seen on and then try it from a different location/network

Brought my Ultra home and connected to the same wifi that my Pro+ is working perfectly on.
Still No-workee.
As before my Ultra refuses to be discovered by the Spotify app.

I don't believe this is a network or configuration issue. It's looking to be some problem just with THIS particular Ultra (since nobody else has reported this difficulty).

 

[Burnside]

It does sound ultra weird

Have you tried the Alexa suggestion mentioned earlier? In the WiiM app, enter your Amazon credentials (create a dummy Amazon account if you don’t have one), then in the Spotify app under settings/voice assistants, link to Alexa there too. Make sure that under settings/ devices, ‘show local devices only’ is toggled off. Then using the WiiM remote, ask it “Alexa, play some music from Spotify” and/or “Alexa, Spotify Connect” to see if that breaks the deadlock and allows your Ultra to be seen as a target speaker in the Spotify app.

 

[guy48065]

It does sound ultra weird

Have you tried the Alexa suggestion mentioned earlier? In the WiiM app, enter your Amazon credentials (create a dummy Amazon account if you don’t have one), then in the Spotify app under settings/voice assistants, link to Alexa there too. Make sure that under settings/ devices, ‘show local devices only’ is toggled off. Then using the WiiM remote, ask it “Alexa, play some music from Spotify” and/or “Alexa, Spotify Connect” to see if that breaks the deadlock and allows your Ultra to be seen as a target speaker in the Spotify app.

I don't use and don't want anything to do with Alexa. This just seems like another loooong grasp at straws. Why does my Pro+ work fine here but the Ultra doesn't? Is there any difference in hardware or configuration between models that would explain it?
I've also been in contact with Spotify and WiiM support and have tried every band-aid, jumped thru every hoop that's been suggested.

I should point out that my Pro+ is the 2nd one I bought. The first one would not maintain connection to the network--and when it was connected I experiences constant lagging and stuttering. No.2 worked perfectly right out of the box.

Cool as they are, these things are built to a price, and demand exceeds supply. I'm not surprised there are issues with some going out the door.

 

[Burnside]

I don't use and don't want anything to do with Alexa. This just seems like another loooong grasp at straws

Fine, as I said earlier what I suggest has proven to be a solution for other devices with the same issue . There’s no suggestion that you need to continue any association with Alexa after trying that, but if you don’t want to try it, that’s entirely your prerogative.

Does using ethernet for your ultra rather than WiFi make any difference?