Connection issues with car stereo receivers

[dgambino03]

Plan

Family

Country

USA

Device

Google Pixel 5a

Kenwood DDX594

Operating System

Android 12

My Question or Issue

My car radio has a built-in function to connect to Spotify when my Android phone is connected via Bluetooth so I can control Spotify on my car radio (next/prev. track, shuffle on/off, etc. ).

I still have a stable Bluetooth Connection between my smartphone and my car radio (can take calls, etc.) but Spotify won't connect anymore (display keeps saying "CONNECTING"). I noticed that the "Spotify Connect" push notification won't show up anymore either.

Spotify has confirmed that they have deprecated support for all Pioneer and JVC-Kenwood units. I also suspect that this affects every other car receiver manufacturer (Alpine/Boss/Jensen/SoundStream/etc). 

ORIGINAL LINK: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Ongoing-Issues/Connection-issues-with-car-stereo-receivers/idi-p/53...

Restore app functionality to car audio receivers.

[Musiclover000]

may i have more info please like a screen shot photo?

[Musiclover000]

Good idea! I can tell you how to do that if you would like -all the people in the comment-

[dgambino03]

What are you trying to say?

The only "fix" we have been able to find is to go back to an older app version of Spotify. For some, going back to the December 2021 version worked. For others, they have to go back even further.

[moneiro]

It is unfortunate that Spotify silently decided to deprecate the CONNECT feature. It is one of the best features of all time from the app, and I'd say that having the ability to share and control Spotify playlists on my car stereo was one of the main reasons I decided to go with Spotify instead of its competitors. Please bring it back.

If not, for sure I'll go back on my earlier research to find a product that fit my needings for playing music easily on as many devices as possible - and I'll remember to see if the manufacturer has a history of deprecating third-party devices without notice like Spotify does nowadays.

[OscarDC]

Hey folks,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community and for sharing your feedback.

We’re sorry to hear you’re unhappy with the changes in the recent Spotify update. We’re always testing things by adding or removing features and we’re sorry that this means you’re not able to use the app like before. In this instance, we recommend using Android Auto, CarPlay, or Bluetooth instead.

If anything else comes up, the Community will be here for you. 

[dgambino03]

Deprecating support for all of the aftermarket car audio market is just bad business because the "CarThing" will NEVER be as big as the products offered by JVC-Kenwood/Alpine/Pioneer/etc.

Wouldn't Spotify be better off trying to get their app on everything they could? The app subscription is the money maker NOT the CarThing...

[moneiro]

Hi Oscar,

First of all, thank you for replying.

I am really confused whether Spotify did not understand the usability issue or users can't figure out what the workaround is.

It is not a difficult exercise to realize that Android Auto and Car Play are not an option for those who are asking for the CONNECT feature back, otherwise, they would already be using it. Their car stereo was shipped with integration throughout CONNECT, and that is it. And using Bluetooth simply does not deliver a nearly reasonable user experience because, as you can imagine, the driver should not be using her/his phone while it is surprisingly driving.

Taking that into consideration, what we are politely asking is to Spotify review its marketing decision of removing the CONNECTION feature, because that is what lots of drivers love, not using a poor Bluetooth interface or having to buy a brand new auto stereo.