When casting via Spotify Connect, the Google Cast speaker should reflect the playing state.

[gurmukh]

I have a Wiim device called Kitchen Speaker. It has multiple casting targets:

- Google Cast (Kitchen Speaker)
- Spotify Connect (Kitchen Speaker)

If I cast to the Google Cast speaker from Spotify, I can see that the speaker is playing music in the Google Home app and I can ask the assistant to stop playing music via voice.

If I cast to the Spotify Connect speaker from Spotify, the Kitchen Speaker in the Google Home app shows that no music is playing. When I try to control the Kitchen Speaker via Google Assistant, I'm told 'that device isn't playing any music'.

Ideally if the speaker is playing music, the state of that should be visible on the Google Cast speaker so I can control it via voice. This is what the Bose speakers do.

 

[Brantome]

Why should Google Home have access to what another casting service is playing? When it’s playing over Spotify Connect, it has nothing to do with Chromecast, so nothing to do with the Google Home app.

 

[gurmukh]

So it can be controlled via voice. The Google Cast kitchen speaker is set as a default audio device. So if I start music on my phone via Spotify Connect and then say 'OK Google, Stop'. It doesn't work.

It has *everything* to do with Chromecast since it's the same speaker with a different cast target. As an end user, I shouldn't have to know the difference between Spotify Connect and Google Cast. I cast music to my speaker however and I should be able to stop it via voice.

 

[harkpabst]

So it can be controlled via voice.

If you want to have voice control, use Googlecast. Easy.

It has *everything* to do with Chromecast since it's the same speaker with a different cast target. As an end user, I shouldn't have to know the difference between Spotify Connect and Google Cast. I cast music to my speaker however and I should be able to stop it via voice.

Yes, in an ideal world I just want to listen to music and don't have to care about what streaming service offers what content in what quality. But that's not how it is.

In an ideal world there would be no proprietary streaming protocols nor codecs but only free open standards. Unfortunately, this is a class of problem no single manufacturer can resolve. Not even WiiM.

Now, since we are not living in an ideal world, please think about what @Brantome said one more time: "Why should Google Home have access to what another casting service is playing?" Should any app have access to any data processed by any other app?

 

[gurmukh]

This is a "feature request" forum, so it's a request. Simple really. If you don't like it or don't agree, totally get it.

But given other manufacturers are doing it, I thought I'd mention it

 

[harkpabst]

But given other manufacturers are doing it, I thought I'd mention it

I wasn't aware of that. Can you point us to an example?

 

[gurmukh]

As I mentioned in my original post, Bose does this.
They migrated their Google implementation to "cast lite" which gets Spotify Connect status.

 

[Wiimer]

I have a Wiim device called Kitchen Speaker. It has multiple casting targets:

- Google Cast (Kitchen Speaker)
- Spotify Connect (Kitchen Speaker)

If I cast to the Google Cast speaker from Spotify, I can see that the speaker is playing music in the Google Home app and I can ask the assistant to stop playing music via voice.

If I cast to the Spotify Connect speaker from Spotify, the Kitchen Speaker in the Google Home app shows that no music is playing. When I try to control the Kitchen Speaker via Google Assistant, I'm told 'that device isn't playing any music'.

Ideally if the speaker is playing music, the state of that should be visible on the Google Cast speaker so I can control it via voice. This is what the Bose speakers do.

Which device do you use for voice control?

In my case, I can use the Google Assistant on my Android phone running Spotify for voice control. I can play, stop, next song, add to favorites, etc. Spotify connect is maintained at this time, and the google home app shows nothing.

Note that using voice control on the Google home mini automatically switched to GoogleCast.

 

[Achim1811]

Sorry, @Wiimer I could not resist

 

[Wiimer]

Sorry, @Wiimer I could not resist

View attachment 8462

You kept it from us that you were enjoying a conversation with Alexa in your bedroom. Now I remember!

 

[Achim1811]

You kept it from us that you were enjoying a conversation with Alexa in your bedroom. Now I remember!

 

[gurmukh]

Which device do you use for voice control?

In my case, I can use the Google Assistant on my Android phone running Spotify for voice control. I can play, stop, next song, add to favorites, etc. Spotify connect is maintained at this time, and the google home app shows nothing.

Note that using voice control on the Google home mini automatically switched to GoogleCast.

Ah yeah, sorry should've said, it's the Google Home Mini and Hub Max.

This further shows the inconsistency between devices. I hope it can be considered.

 

[Wiimer]

Ah yeah, sorry should've said, it's the Google Home Mini and Hub Max.

This further shows the inconsistency between devices. I hope it can be considered.

Are there any problems with using GoogleCast?

It could have done gapless playback as well as Spotify Connect.

 

[gurmukh]

Spotify on Google Cast streams at a lower bitrate compared to Spotify Connect

 

[Wiimer]

Spotify on Google Cast streams at a lower bitrate compared to Spotify Connect

I don't think so, is there an official spec sheet anywhere about it?

I believe the max for both is 320 kbps.

 

[Achim1811]

Spotify on Google Cast streams at a lower bitrate compared to Spotify Connect

And you really care about bitrates when using Spotify on Home pods?

 

[gurmukh]

I don't think I've seen spec sheets for developers shared externally. However there are some resources below that show a difference in bitrate between the streams:

Spotify Connect streams at 320Kbit/s
Chromecast at 256Kbit/s

https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/comments/bcxz5a/spotify_via_chromecast_vs_spotifyconnect

Chromecast Bitrate

What bitrate does the Chromecast Audio stream at? There have been other threads addressing this problem, but they all seem to give contradictory answers. This thread says that the Chromecast automatically streams at 320 kbps: Bitrate on Chromecast? This thread says that the audio quality is...

community.spotify.com

I am unable to confirm this because the Wiim app only shows the bitrate for Spotify Connect streams, not Chromecast. They also use different codecs. I could be wrong, but it does sound different between the 2. I have the Wiim connect to the Kef LSX II

 

[Wiimer]

I don't think I've seen spec sheets for developers shared externally. However there are some resources below that show a difference in bitrate between the streams:

Spotify Connect streams at 320Kbit/s
Chromecast at 256Kbit/s

https://www.reddit.com/r/spotify/comments/bcxz5a/spotify_via_chromecast_vs_spotifyconnect

Chromecast Bitrate

What bitrate does the Chromecast Audio stream at? There have been other threads addressing this problem, but they all seem to give contradictory answers. This thread says that the Chromecast automatically streams at 320 kbps: Bitrate on Chromecast? This thread says that the audio quality is...

community.spotify.com

I am unable to confirm this because the Wiim app only shows the bitrate for Spotify Connect streams, not Chromecast. They also use different codecs. I could be wrong, but it does sound different between the 2. I have the Wiim connect to the Kef LSX II

That is very old information and I don't know if it is reliable.

256kbps has the same sound quality as Youtune music premium, so if you compare the frequency response you might see a difference. I will check it later.

 

[Brantome]

I’ve found links that say Spotify and Chromecast send up to 256kbps AAC while Connect is up to 320kbps Ogg Vorbis. Equally, there are a lot of links saying that those codecs/bitrates are audibly transparent, or indeed that AAC sounds better but I think we’re entering the realm of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin…

 

[Wiimer]

I’ve found links that say Spotify and Chromecast send up to 256kbps AAC while Connect is up to 320kbps Ogg Vorbis. Equally, there are a lot of links saying that those codecs/bitrates are audibly transparent, or indeed that AAC sounds better but I think we’re entering the realm of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin…

Indeed, there seems to be a difference.