Spotify Connect on Raspberry Pi with AirPlay for HomePod

General idea for Raspberry setup

This project details streaming Spotify to a HomePod Mini using a Raspberry Pi as an intermediary, solving the problem of AirPlay’s battery drain on mobile devices and allowing phone-based control. The author encountered numerous challenges combining existing solutions, ultimately leveraging Raspotify and Owntune with Linux named pipes.

Why This Matters

The ideal audio streaming model is seamless and efficient, but implementing it can be complex and require significant configuration. Inefficient solutions, like direct AirPlay from a phone, are a common source of user frustration due to battery consumption, while building a robust, multi-component system introduces debugging overhead. Failed setups can lead to wasted time and frustration for users seeking a customized audio experience.

Key Insights

• Raspotify requires a Spotify Premium account: source article.
• Linux named pipes enable inter-process communication between Raspotify and Owntune, streamlining audio transmission.
• Owntone provides a web UI for AirPlay device selection and volume control.

Working Example

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

sudo apt-get -y install curl && curl -sL https://dtcooper.github.io/raspotify/install.sh | sh

wget -q -O - https://raw.githubusercontent.com/owntone/owntone-apt/refs/heads/master/repo/rpi/owntone.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor --output /usr/share/keyrings/owntone-archive-keyring.gpg && sudo wget -q -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/owntone.list https://raw.githubusercontent.com/owntone/owntone-apt/refs/heads/master/repo/rpi/owntone-trixie.list && sudo apt update && sudo apt install owntone -y

sudo mkdir /srv/music && sudo mkfifo /srv/music/raspotify-pipe && sudo mkfifo /srv/music/raspotify-pipe.metadata

sudo nano /etc/raspotify/conf

Within /etc/raspotify/conf:

LIBRESPOT_BACKEND=pipe
LIBRESPOT_DEVICE=/var/run/raspotify-pipe

sudo systemctl restart raspotify && sudo systemctl restart owntone

Practical Applications

• Home Audio System: A user can create a multi-room audio experience utilizing multiple Raspberry Pis and HomePods.
• Pitfall: Incorrect volume levels set in both Owntone and Spotify Connect can result in unexpectedly quiet or loud output.

References:

• https://dev.to/voodu/spotify-connect-raspberry-pi-airplay-homepod-because-simple-audio-setups-are-boring-19lf
• https://support.spotify.com/article/spotify-connect/