Prevent mac media keys control Sonos speaker if Spotify app is open?

[martin_h]

Plan

Premium

Country

Sweden

Device

MacBook Pro, Mac mini, Sonos One, iPhone 12

Operating System

macOS Sequoia 15.0.1

My Question or Issue

The media keys (play/pause/next/previous) on my MacBook and Mac mini have started controlling the music playing on my Sonos speakers whenever the speakers are streaming Spotify and the Spotify app is running in the background on my computer.

This behavior wasn’t always the case. Previously, it only occurred if I actively started playing music on a Sonos speaker using the Spotify app on my computer. Now, however, it happens regardless of how playback was initiated on the Sonos speaker—for example, via the Sonos app, without involving the Spotify app on my computer. I typically keep the Spotify app running in the background on my computers, even when I’m not actively listening to anything. Now, if no other app is using the media keys, Spotify intercepts keypresses and forwards them to the Sonos speakers if they’re playing.

This is especially annoying because the Sonos speakers might be playing in another room, far from where I am, and I might not even realize they’re active. Yet, pressing pause or next on my keyboard still affects them, stopping playback or skipping tracks.

I want Spotify to use the media keys only when I’m actively playing something on the current device (the computer) or if I initiated the playback session from the Spotify app on my computer—not when my Spotify account is being used to play music on another device where my computer wasn’t involved at all. Is there a setting to adjust this behavior? Or do I need to make a habit of always closing the Spotify app on my computer whenever I stop listening on it?

[Vasil]

Hey @martin_h,

Thanks for reaching out!
 

Sonos + Mac isn't my forte but I believe as a start we can at least bring the inconvenience to a minimum by removing the media playback permissions for Sonos. To do so, follow these steps:
 

1. Open your Mac's System Settings and go to Privacy & Security.
2. Select Accessibility, find Sonos and remove its permissions.
3. Open the Sonos app and select Sonos > Quit Sonos in the upper left corner of the screen, and then re-open the Sonos app.
4. The media keys should now stop interfering with the playback on your external device.

Aside from this though, I'd still like us to try and figure out what has changed. When did you first notice this behaviour and has it functioned differently before? If yes, has this started occurring after a specific event like an app or OS update?

And last but not least, take a look if there are any pending firmware updates for your Sonos device 🙂

Many thanks! We'll be on the lookout for your reply.