cannot pause music with headphones plugged in

[bkudzia]

Premium user in the US, using Spotify Desktop v1.1.5.153.gf614956d on Windows 10.  For some reason when my ear buds are plugged in (they're wired), i CANNOT pause music.  It will pause for 15-30 seconds via the in-app controls or using my earbud controls, then will resume on its own regardless of what application is in focus.  This is the most irritating thing, and I can't find any settings either in Windows or within Spotify to prevent this.

I've tried reinstalling Spotify and tried several sets of headphones, all the same results.  I have scoured Windows, disabled autoplay across the board, unchecked the option to let applications take control of my sound card, and even changed some Chrome settings to prevent headphone control:

Type in chrome://flags

Find 'Hardware Media Key Handling' and disabled it.

I have to either close Spotify or unplug my headphones to prevent auto-play, which is not a good "feature" and is just plain frustrating, not to mention disturbing to my colleagues at the office.  Please advise on how to prevent this before I cancel my subscription and use something else.  This basically renders Spotify useless at work, and that's where I use it 80% of the time.

~Brian

[bkudzia]

Quick update -- if something like a google hangout is active, music does not auto-play.  There are still times i want to pause (like for an in-person meeting or a restroom break), and in those instances, i only get 15-30 seconds before spotify starts playing.

[bkudzia]

I also forgot to mention that i've tried both the downloadable installer as well as the Windows Store version.  Both exhibit the same behavior.