The following shows how to disable Spotify Connect (the unofficial way), with some tips and tricks added as well if that option isn’t available to you.
What Is Spotify Connect?
The way Spotify Connect works is pretty simple. In order to keep your music experience consistent across all devices, Spotify will detect any devices that you have registered with the same account and allow you to control them on that device no matter where you are. This is super convenient if you perhaps want to play music from your speakers at home but also want to be able to use your smartphone as a pseudo remote control which can pause, skip tracks, change the volume or change the album.
Spotify Connect lets you fully access everything that Spotify has to offer while hooked up to separate Wi-Fi networks or even while browsing via a cellular LTE connection. Personally, I love this feature when I roll out of bed first thing in the morning and need to get some motivational music rolling on my PC’s speakers, but it can also prove to be aggravating if you don’t know how to turn it off. Unfortunately, Spotify themselves haven’t provided any official methods for disabling Connect for one major reason: they only want you to be able to play music for one account on one device at a time.
Unlike a streaming service like Netflix which lets you stream content on up to four devices on a single account, Spotify locks all streams to one per account. This means if you’re on the road, your kids are at home and you’re both trying to stream separate music, the two of you may end up duking it out for ultimate control of who gets to listen to their own music.
How to Disable Spotify Connect
As we mentioned above, currently Spotify doesn’t offer any official methods for turning Spotify Connect off on Android. However, if you have a rooted Android device, you can get around this by installing the APK for an app called Disable Service. Once the app is installed, open it and scroll down to the Spotify app, and tap it to see the permissions. Uncheck the box labeled “AppLinkService” and restart the Spotify app to apply.
Jailbroken iOS users also have the option of disabling Connect through their internal settings. Start by opening up the Settings app, then tap on “Privacy -> Privacyguard.” Press and hold on the Spotify app, and disable the “Wake Up” option to have it stop communicating with the Spotify Connect service.
How to Get Around Spotify Connect
Because these two options require you to have either a rooted Android phone or a jailbroken iOS device, these are some more creative methods you can use to get around the Connect problem. The first is actually recommended by Spotify themselves. This involves locally downloading any playlists or songs you want to listen to onto your device using the “Download” toggle at the top of every screen. (This feature requires a premium Spotify account though.)
Manually put your Spotify into “Offline Mode” in the Settings menu under “Playback,” and any downloaded music will play without attaching to your main account.
The other clever workaround is to just sign up for the Spotify Family Plan for $14.99 per month. Given that the standard Spotify Premium is already $9.99 per month, upgrading to Family essentially means you’re getting four extra devices for five bucks, which is not a bad deal at all. With the Family plan you can tie unique accounts to every device you own, which means none of them will be stepping on each other’s toes to play different songs or podcasts when another device starts streaming.
