Forced Spotify connect icon when playing music security issue

[Jokerboy777]

Ever since the latest update the beginning of November I now have Spotify connect forced on me. It opens on itself or completely blocks me from playing music. The annoying  icon  was never there before when using  Bluetooth ever.

There should be an option for this intrusion from popping up as it’s a major security issue. It’s also easy to accidentally hit as it’s now forced in the play bar.  I always have all of such things disabled as I play for me and nobody else.  This is  far and away the worst thing on the app.  Please fix this. Total nightmare. 

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Iphone 13

My Question or Issue

[Joan]

Hi there @Jokerboy777,

Thanks for reaching out. We'll be happy to help you take full control of the app once gain.

We haven't encountered something quite like this and weren't able to reproduce it. To cover our bases, try performing a clean reinstall, it's known to resolve many issues so hopefully this is some kind of hiccup that it also manages to clear. 

If the issue persists afterwards, send us the following so we can take a closer look:

• Could you elaborate more on what exactly it is you see? 
• Is it a pop up blocking the view or does the playback switch itself to other devices without your involvement? 
• Consider sending a screenshot or two so we can see exactly what it looks like. If the files are too large to attach here in the Community, you can send them to us via Google Drive or as unlisted YouTube videos.

Let us know how it goes.

[Jokerboy777]

Hello, and thank  you for the reply. 

Every bi-weekly update now includes an unwanted Spotify Connect feature. The update from late October/early November has made this issue even more intrusive. I don’t use this feature because I value my privacy and primarily listen to music for myself.

Until that update, it never appeared on the play bar, but now it’s easy to click, even with the feature disabled.

I don’t want to see it, especially when using Bluetooth, which is the only way I use the app. This isn’t a phone issue; it’s about Spotify Connect and your app updates. Users have complained about this for three years. It used to not show up when listening via Bluetooth, but now it’s always there, and it’s hard to avoid clicking it by accident. If the feature is permanently disabled, we shouldn’t see its icon at all.

In recent years, creating playlists has become less enjoyable, and navigating the site has gotten harder. If I have the same song in multiple playlists, it’s intentional, so don’t remind me of it. Now, you can’t even add the same song more than once, which is a recent change. This is just one example of ongoing issues that don’t make sense. Less is more.

I understand why people dislike the forced Spotify Connect feature. I’ve always found the icon annoying and a potential security risk. As a premium user with notifications turned off, I still get annoying promotions. Seeing a permanently disabled feature show up on Bluetooth was probably inevitable. The option to choose is important; having it on my screen is a problem, especially when it forces me to share.

Please fix this. I’ve uninstalled, reinstalled, cleared the cache, and rebooted. This is common sense. After updates, new issues often arise. The feature is intrusive, and if clicked accidentally, it’s hard to avoid.

Why is this happening? It shouldn’t be normal. This feature is terrible, and if it’s disabled, it shouldn’t appear on the play screen, especially since it didn’t before early November. If this continues, I might leave the app permanently. I hope the next update resolves it, or I’ll consider other options.

[AlejaR]

Hey there @Jokerboy777,

Thanks for the detailed reply.

In order for us to continue investigating, we'll need to take a closer look as we mentioned above. As such, it'd be awesome if you could send us some screenshots or a video recording of this issue. You can attach the media in your next reply in mp4 format, or upload it to YouTube or Google Drive and make it public, so we can watch it.

Please also send us the exact Spotify version you're running on the affected device, as this will help us narrow down this behavior.

On another note, we really appreciate the time you took to let us know how you feel when navigating playlists. We'd recommend you share all your feedback in our Ideas board. The Idea Exchange is a place where Spotify users can share their feedback in the form of ideas, to improve the Spotify experience for everyone. Make sure to follow our Idea Exchange Guidelines when posting there.

We'll be around!

[Jokerboy777]

Hello, Ive been having issues attempting to post here as it rejects everything when written normally. It was the update from early November on iOS. I haven’t used the app much either because of security issue/hassle.

I had to delete the app again due to ongoing issues, but the problems persist and have worsened. It now shuts off when I try to listen, which is new. I also got the photos you requested but deleted the app again.
This is a major security concern for a long-time premium user, and it now shuts off without any VPN interference. I hadn’t used the app in a while because of the issue until tonight.

Here are the screenshots you asked for. Some pop up when clicked, while others appear on their own. This happens when trying to just listen, even when disabled, due to the Spotify Connect symbol in the play bar while using Bluetooth. It will not let me add the screenshot of the icon but you know what it is. Thank you.

[Yordan]

Hey, @Jokerboy777,

Thanks for the reply!

Below is an overview of the screenshots you posted:

Spoiler

The message from the first screenshot you've attached should generally come up on your very first login, so if you have cleared the app's cache or reinstalled it, that might explain why you're seeing it again.

For the second screenshot: when you're connected to a wireless external device (Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), the Spotify Connect icon will indeed be highlighted in green, signifying that you're actually listening on another device. Think of it as using the app as a sort of "remote" to control the playback.

⚠️ Note: I can also see that the 'Auto-invite people nearby to Jam' is toggled on. The option automatically sends an invite to the Jam to users on the same Wi-Fi. If everyone nearby has Bluetooth permissions enabled, others will also receive an invitation to your Jam by having their phone close to yours. In your specific use case, I'd suggest turning this feature off from the Spotify Connect menu.

The third screenshot relates to the first one: selecting 'Don't Allow' should cause the message to not appear again, but if it's still popping up frequently, you can try allowing it, then immediately revoking access from your iPhone's 'Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network > Spotify' to see if that does the trick.

In any case, we at Spotify are often testing and launching improvements to the app. This means you might occasionally see something your friend doesn’t, or get a new feature to try temporarily. Your feedback on this is important, as it may ultimately end up paving the way for our broader user experience. Thanks for sharing it here - we appreciate it.
 

In the meantime, there's a live idea about disabling the Spotify Connect feature entirely which might interest you - feel free to check it out and show your support, if you haven't already.

You also mentioned experiencing issues with the app crashing, that is if I understood you correctly. Could you elaborate a bit more on that? It's worth checking if connecting to another Wi-Fi network makes a difference: you can ask a friend or a relative to create a temporary mobile hotspot for you to connect to. I'd also suggest testing with cellular data instead to see if everything works normally then.

Cheers 🤘

[Jokerboy777]

Hi there,

Sure. This was surprising as I tried to listen and it kept shutting off. I have Nord on active threat always lately  because of what happened in early November and in general like most. Not the VPN itself. I shut that off after it occurred and tried again later.

I did briefly go  to a friends nearby and the same thing occurred and more intrusive messages from that icon happened, it’s just  my view as it was attempting to share for no reason. Bumped when locked? That would be odd. It’s because it’s simply there that it happens in my view whether bumped or accidentally clicked by its mere presence on the play bar in a horrible place... It just shouldn’t be there at all but permanently is because of a new update.

 It doesn’t always happen but happens enough (the intrusions) that it’s concerning. If it’s disabled on purpose, why is it forced  on my screen? It never was there when listening to music until that update.  I’d say it’s likely a new implemented design issue but in your app it’s a problem.

The cutting out though is very new and your app is the only one it’s occurred on and if you look at the timing, it’s from that latest upstate unless a new one since then occurred.

I hadn’t listened in a bit because  of the issues until I attempted to last night and posted what pops up at times for no reason. If I renew and stay, I’ll just use your service when offline and walking around because the security issue from this forced icon isn’t worth it. I do hope it can be fixed because it being there for no reason as it’s permanently disabled or supposed to be doesn’t make any sense. I do appreciate the replies greatly though as you’re better than most at acknowledging issues. 

[Yordan]

Thanks for the reply, @Jokerboy777.

Your points are all valid and we understand where you're coming from. Rest assured privacy and security are top priorities for us and we appreciate the feedback.

I'd suggest turning on Show local devices only in the app's Settings, if you haven't already - doing so should further restrict Spotify Connect's functionality.
 

When it comes to the playback shutting off, this unusual behavior might be caused from an outside source such as a third-party app like NordVPN, or your specific network settings. Make sure Spotify is unrestricted / added as an exception or alternatively, try disabling the service temporarily to see if it helps. Resetting your network settings to the default would also be a viable troubleshooting step in this scenario.

In any case, downloading content for offline listening is a great alternative like you mentioned -  that should do the trick if you're still having issues/concerns.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with us here on the forum. The Community is just a post away if something else comes up or you need assistance with anything.

[Jokerboy777]

Thank you.  It has the same issues but it’s t now suddenly forced dreaded icon. Maybe be like Deezer (can’t believe I’m saying this) and have it tucked down in the corner of the screen away from the enjoyment, so this doesn’t happen, at least if it’s clicked as it hogs up the play bar screen.

The incessantly, intrusive, cluttered updates are similar to Apple only you normally listen and fix things., however, I still renewed though because outside of that major issue as well as the playlist mess it’s still the easiest to listen to unless you hit that icon by accident or it attempts to share stuff for absolutely no reason.  

I’ll keep an eye on it and try and use your app only when out and about. Hopefully it gets fixed as it was never there for me 24/7 until early November in such an intrusive way. It really is an issue or I’d never have mentioned it,  Happy holidays regardless and thank you for trying to help.