iPhone Volume Buttons Lose Functionality with Spotify Connect

iPhone users will no longer be able to control the volume on connected devices using the physical volume buttons when using Spotify. In an update to its support page, Spotify announced that Apple has “discontinued” this functionality, forcing iPhone owners to rely on a less convenient workaround.

This change affects Spotify Connect, a feature that allows users to control Spotify on nearby speakers, game consoles, smart TVs, computers, and other devices from their phones. Instead of using the physical volume buttons, iPhone users will now have to adjust the volume with an in-app slider. Although the change is set to take effect on September 3rd, some users have already experienced it.

When an iPhone user presses the physical volume buttons, Spotify will display a notification asking, “Want to change the volume?” Users must then tap the notification and use the in-app volume slider. If the Spotify app is already open, the slider will appear automatically when the volume button is pressed.

Spotify attributes this change to Apple, stating that the company no longer provides access to the technology needed to control volume with physical buttons, which has led to unstable volume control and other issues. Spotify claims that the new method will ensure “persistent, high-quality” volume control. Similarly, the Sonos app has also ceased allowing iPhone users to adjust device volume with physical buttons for related reasons.

According to Spotify, Apple requires apps to integrate with HomePod to access the technology that controls volume on iPhones. Despite requests for comment, Apple has not responded to The Verge.

While some third-party music services can stream directly from Apple’s HomePod, many major platforms, including Spotify, have not adopted the necessary API. Instead, users have to use AirPlay to play songs from Spotify, though a workaround in iOS 17 has made this process slightly easier by allowing Siri to start an AirPlay session.

Spotify, which has been in a long-standing dispute with Apple over the restrictions on its iOS app, argues that Apple’s policies restrict interoperability, unlike other companies like Google and Samsung. Spotify suggests that Apple’s practices may violate the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which mandates that “digital gatekeepers” like Apple open their platforms to third-party services.