Some knew this was coming, some did not, but the day has come: Spotify’s integration with multiple older generation AV and hi-fi products has come to an end via an update to its backend platform.
The news (first reported by the Verge), means owners of relevant gear will no longer be able to play Spotify’s catalogue of music and podcasts directly without using their smartphone.
Products from manufacturers including Bang & Olufsen, Pioneer, Yamaha, Philips, Marantz, Denon are affected by the move. Older models from B&O such as BeoSound 5, as well as the 2013-built Yamaha RX-V675, Denon AVR-X4000 and Marantz M-CR610 have lost the built-in functionality, with a full list of products (around 100 in total) affected available here on Spotify’s website).
Spotify’s community forums have been awash with criticism since the news, yet all hope is not completely lost. “In some cases, manufacturers can update their firmware to be compatible with the new platform,” a representative from the streaming service told The Verge.
Yamaha has since announced that it will provide an update for a number of RX-, HTR- and CTR- models (among others) – full details of which can be found via the manufacturer.
Similarly, Denon and Marantz have stated that a number of models can access an update to receive Spotify Connect, with other scheduled to receive the update in March 2018.
As yet there’s no word from the other manufacturers affected on how owners of older kit can continue to access the streaming service.