Google is prepared to attend CES 2023 in Las Vegas, which is currently in full swing. In addition to the much-delayed redesign of Android Auto, the company collaborated with Spotify to make it much simpler to switch audio devices while listening to music. The Android 13 media player will have Spotify Connect built right in.
Google announced that you will soon be able to connect to any Spotify Connect-compatible devices by tapping the source indicator in the media player’s upper right corner. This means that you don’t have to open the Spotify app when you’re already listening to a song to turn your phone into a Spotify remote.
Even though protocols like Spotify Connect and Google Cast have been around for about a decade, their use can still be difficult at times. To access controls that allow you to change the speaker or settings, you typically need to open the app that started the playback. That is about to change thanks to Android 13’s new media player, which lets apps dynamically add devices that they can connect to. Spotify’s Spotify Connect is the first big third-party app to take advantage of that.
Google is working with Spotify to develop dynamic notifications that, as you move through the day, will encourage you to connect to a different device. Depending on the nearby devices, these prompts will ask you to connect to your headphones, car, or home stereo system. YouTube Music will also receive this feature.
Utilizing Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and, if your device supports it, ultra-wideband (UWB), these features function. Together, these technologies determine which speakers are most convenient for playback at a given time and are closest to you. Context-awareness, on the other hand, looks at how you use your device and which other devices you might want to connect to.
Before Spotify, you could select your preferred Cast devices directly from your media player in the notification shade or on the lock screen of YouTube and YouTube Music. Google first announced this feature for Android 11, so this option has been around for a while. However, the company quickly stopped talking, and it is believed that the system was unable to function at the last minute due to technical difficulties. It’s encouraging to see Google sticking with the idea and bringing the option back with Android 13 two years later.
Although Google claims that it is collaborating closely with Spotify to enable the showcased Connect features, it could still be some time before they become available. It’s something to look forward to in either case.
