Spotify Connect with HEOS and Alexa...device offline

[Eisbein]

Dear All,

I know this has been discussed a few times, but it would appear that this bug is literally being held quiet.

I love Spotify (so Amazon is not yet an option), and I love my HEOS (so Yamaha is not yet an option either). But this is changing.

With my home connected through an Echo it is obvious that I want to use Alexa with my HEOS devices to play Spotify Connect. However, although Alexa is trying to play Spotify she tells me that the HEOS device is offline on all HEOS devices. As all other functions like radio or local files work this way this seems to be a Spotify bug. The HEOS, the Spotify (and the Connect Control....I'll come to this later) skills are activated and set up properly. HEOS, Alexa and Spotify do list the devices and can access them separately without any problem.

For me it would appears that whenever Alexa activates Spotify, Spotify thinks it's connected and blocks all other devices. Also grouping devices doesn't work. It is understood and accepted that even with a premium Spotify account you can access only one device at a time.

In many communities you can read that this is intentional because Denon prefers Amazon, some say this is because of Spotify restrictions. You can even read from Denon that this problem can't be solved, but it can/could.

The Skill "Connect Control" from Lawrence Thorpe has shown that it is possible and has basically embarrassed all others who say this would be too difficult. Great work from Lawrence, by the way. Thanks! This skill basically manages to play Spotify Connect on HEOS devices using Alexa. Not less, but also not more. It lacks on functionality like choosing title, playlist...etc. and can only continue Spotify on other devices.

Now my question: Has this issue been addressed? Is Spotify working on a working connection to HEOS devices through Alexa? Is there light at the end of the tunnel? And if, how far down the road is it?

Thanks for your help/information.

Best Regards

Eisbein

Plan

Premium

Country

DE

Device

Denon, Heos, Echo

Operating System

na

My Question or Issue

Spotify Connect on HEOS speakers with Alexa

[Eisbein]

I seem to have a kind of work around for this.

Firstly when I set my Heos speaker (Denon AVR2800H) I chose the name 'DEN' from the drop-down.  I'll get on to why that seems somewhat useful in a minute.

Anyway 1st go around when I set my new AV receiver up I had all the problems everyone else is complaining about.  I eventually found an Alexa skill called 'Spotify Remote' which I started on the echo device in the room that controls the speaker.  Strangely to open it by voice you have to say "Alexa open Playback Control".  Now I don't know if this is actually doing anything or if this workaround would work without the skill, but I'm not prepared to uninstall it and risk losing what functionality I have.

So, this is how it now works.  If I say "Alexa, open Spotify" or "Alexa, play songs by the Lumineers" the echo device will start playing from its speaker.  I then just have to say "Alexa, play on Den" and it will kick over to the receiver, I then get all the normal controls of track changes, volume up/down etc. instructions for next song seems to work just by asking, changing the volume seems to want me to specify the device, but sometimes it works if I don't.  If I ask Alexa to play a different band or playlist etc 'she' will pull it back to the echo device, but "Alexa, play on Den" sorts that out.

Now, the reason I think the name is somewhat important is twofold.  1) even though I have renamed the speaker in the Heos app, and Spotify recognises the new name, Alexa still tags it as DEN, and all functionality only works when I call it that.  2) I noticed some of the other options always seem to try and play a song with the name in, where she seems to understand DEN without any trouble.

Hopefully some other people can get the same workaround working if you don't have a better solution.

[Reveb]

This is a known issue. You can see at https://www.denon.com/en-au/alexa that support is "COMING SOON". I bought my Denon on February 12th. Back then, it was also "COMING SOON". I guess Denon, Spotify and me have a different understanding of "SOON". I got fooled.

[Jens5000]

...and even in April 2021, this feature is not yet available, but it will also be shown cheekily on the website: Spotify comming soon. Stupid bums !

NEVER AGAIN A DENON DEVICE !!!!!!!!!!!!  

[Tonilou]

I have exactly the same issue. Is anyone aware of any AVR (9.2, airplay, multiple inputs...) that has proper Spotify-Alexa streaming integration? “Alexa, play Radiohead from Spotify on AVR”

[walleidl]

Has anyone tried a Spotify family account? Was curious if having multiple licenses would help with this. Really sucks it doesn’t work correctly!!

[Swolltole-us]

So I guess it’s already common knowledge that HEOS and  Alexa work fine so long as you are using the Amazon music. It’s when you switch over to Spotify as a default Alexa player do you run into issues where it says everything is off-line. So to confirm, Spotify or Dennon is the hold up here? Which one?

[Eisbein]

I gave up on this one. Nothing is happening to sort this out from either side - Soptify and/or Amazon.

I now use my Echo on a Babtech Gateway over KNX to play my HEOS devices. Works, but quite a bit of programming and testing. Could have been easier in the first place.

[brantome]

I believe that this is an Alexa issue in that Amazon typically release features that initially only support Amazon Music or core Alexa features , with Spotify support coming later viz. multi room music, Alexa enabled devices etc. Basically, Amazon need to open up the relevant APIs to third parties to enable such features, so the ball’s in their court. No doubt Denon and others say “coming soon” because that’s what they were led to believe by Amazon.
Using something like an echo input, flex or dot’s aux output into an input in your Amp can almost achieve what you want, albeit you need the amp switched to that input, so it’s not intractable.

[DiamondDog]

I have been waiting for this for years.  The Denon site has had Coming Soon for over 3 years now!

It is not an Amazon issue as my Sonos speaker can play Spotify via Alexa for many years (since day one).

Also means my other Heos equipment (Marantz receiver) can also not play Spotify via Alexa.  Really disappointing, to the point l have been researching how to get all of my equipment into the Sonos world.

[Reveb]

It's not only extremely disappointing. It's also just false advertising.
Support for Alexa was what made me go for this Denon.

[DiamondDog]

Another thread, started couple years ago, with recent comments on a just released Heos App update -

Will Alexa + HEOS + Spotify ever work? : heos (reddit.com)

[Reveb]

They are talking about a third party app, right? Not a HEOS update?

[thorstenhirsch]

German Denon support is playing on time. They've just replied: "It's still not possible and we don't know when it will be possible." 😠

[robertswi]

Exactly the same. SONOS works great but MARANTZ/DENON/HEOS is just a joke.
Coming Soon ... hahahahahahahahahahaha

[sebastianvad]

Hi, a bit baffled as... I just enabled Alexa on heos home 150+250 this morning, and this literally work fine for a couple of hours, starting different playlists, then i went for some practical stuff and finished the setup with proper alexa grouping, and then now nothing/this result. 

[Dlike64]

We have had this problem forever and it has become really frustrating that it has not been fixed. Please help Spotify!

[SchmuFoo]

It is 2023 and I cant believe that we still have this Problem!

[user-removed]

Can confirm it’s still broke.  Foolishly originally tried Apple Music with my 250, then signed up to Spotify to discover that doesn’t work either, be it in a different way. Device is offline.

[Reveb]

Correct, I've foolishly bought the Denon in 2020 because Alexa+Spotify support was coming "soon". It's false advertising and I should ask for my money back...

[Dlike64]

It's too bad they haven't figured out how to fix this issue. I have
resorted to using amazon music, which if you haven't tried it, works really
well and has great sound quality.