Strange behavior in API's /v1/me/player/...

[iagolaguna]

Hello everyone. I'm creating a Extesion on vscode to remote control spotify using your web api and I found some inconsistencies on api, maybe i misunderstand how this works, but if you can help me, i will be glad. If someone want to see the extension code is here vscodefy

Issue found on Aug 17th 2018.

Endpoint(s):

• PUT /v1/me/player/play
• PUT /v1/me/player/pause
• GET /v1/me/player/devices

Scope(s):

• user-modify-playback-state
• user-read-playback-state
• user-read-private
• user-read-email
• user-read-currently-playing
• streaming

Steps to reproduce using a mobile device and a premium account:

1. When spotify is in foreground give the play
2. Put spotify in background
3. Make a request to PUT /v1/me/player/pause
4. Make a request to PUT /v1/me/player/play
5. Make a request to GET /v1/me/player/devices

Expected behaviour:

• PUT /v1/me/player/play : With spotify in background start to play music again.
• GET /v1/me/player/devices: Maybe give me this:

  {"devices:[{"id":"584cdcce48434...ac73ecdbcd178ce","is_active":true,"is_private_session":false,"is_restricted":false,"name":"Moto G (5) Plus","type":"Smartphone","volume_percent":100}]}

  But with "is_active":false because app still running in background and isn't closed, i only pause the music.

Actual behaviour:

• PUT /v1/me/player/play :
  • sometimes give me: {"error":{"status":403,"message":"Forbidden."}} some times give me : {"error":{"status":404,"message":"No active device found"}}
• GET /v1/me/player/devices :{"devices" []}

Why do i need this? I need this to don't force user to pick up your phone and put spotify in foreground just for play music again, remote control don't make much sense if this is needed .

[jscholes]

The issue of not being able to resume playback on a mobile device when the app isn't in the foreground isn't specific to this API. I'm on iOS, if I try to resume playback from the Spotify desktop client when the app is running in the background it doesn't work either.

[iagolaguna]

But how Spotify desktop client choose one device? can be a issue of here. I do no how is the code base and how all works but supposing, if i send PUT /v1/me/player/pause to mobile devices will receive a hook. In my mind this issue isn't specific to this API if the app is doing some else request to remove them of GET /v1/me/player/devices or another thing that i do no idea.

If the API after pause the device remove it from the devices list, i think is an issue of here.

What do you think?

[iagolaguna]

Can someone answer me? @jscholes ?

[spauldhaliwal]

I have this issue as well, hopefully a fix is in the pipeline.

[ghost]

See also https://github.com/spotify/web-api/issues/1171 for additional comments (this is the same issue, I think).

[QuentinIcky]

Any way to fix it, one year later ?