Spotify Connect streaming on separate devices has been limited to those with a Premium Spotify account ever since this feature was launched but that’s going to change real soon. The music streaming behemoth has updated its Commercial Partners SDK which allows Spotify Connect devices to work just as well with free accounts.
What this means that is a free user has a smart speaker that supports Spotify Connect, they will now be able to stream music from the service. Since they’re on the free tier, they will obviously have to put up with ads.
Those who own such speakers should keep in mind that the feature will not be immediately opened up for their device. The SDK requires the manufacturer to first update their devices. The change in the SDK is without a doubt a major step forward and as manufacturers gradually update their devices, Spotify Connect will open up to more subscribers, whether they pay for Spotify or not.
This may seem like a Premium incentive is being taken away but truth be told, there are still many limitations on free subscribers. They can’t download songs, skip unlimited tracks, and are also limited to lower-quality audio. That being said, there are still more than 100 million people using the free version of Spotify.
Filed in . Read more about Spotify. Source: pocket-lint