General question re how WiiM streams from the internet

[Bryanne]

I think the WiiM is amazing - I just set it up yesterday and I love it

But I am most intrigued to see that the WiiM still keeps continuing to play off my Spotify playlist after I turn off both my phone and my PC. The only thing that is left on is WIFI on my modem. Does this mean that the device in essence acts like a sub modem and is able to connect directly to the Spotify server so long as it has direct modem access?
Excuse my ignorance on the topic ......lol......I need a techno guru to help me out as it is doing my head in!!

 

[Brantome]

When you use the Spotify app to play to the WiiM, you most often will be using Spotify Connect which is a casting mechanism which tells Spotify to send the stream not back to your phone where the app is, but to another device. Your phone is then like a remote control - once the stream is in progress from the Spotify cloud service to your Wiim, it keeps playing, just the same as if you’d used a remote control to turn on your tv to play something then took the batteries out of your remote - the tv wouldn’t stop either…

 

[shinedou]

Brantome said basically what I was going to say. I will add this is what Spotify says...

Here are some additional benefits of Spotify Connect:

-Make and receive phone calls without stopping the music.
-Once you select a device, you can turn off your smartphone, PC, or laptop, and the music plays on the designated device.

So this is the intended behavior. If you want it to stop you have to tell it to stop by pressing stop or pause on the Spotify app before you shut off the phone.

 

[Bryanne]

When you use the Spotify app to play to the WiiM, you most often will be using Spotify Connect which is a casting mechanism which tells Spotify to send the stream not back to your phone where the app is, but to another device. Your phone is then like a remote control - once the stream is in progress from the Spotify cloud service to your Wiim, it keeps playing, just the same as if you’d used a remote control to turn on your tv to play something then took the batteries out of your remote - the tv wouldn’t stop either…

Thank you for taking the time to clarify this. Clearly streaming technology is more advanced than what I had thought. So instead of thinking of my phone as the receiving device which then sends the music signal to the WiiM, I need to see my phone as simply the controller/remote. Of course, it makes complete sense that the signal does not pass through ones phone as it would downgrade the quality back to the WiiM.
Thanks again

 

[Bryanne]

Brantome said basically what I was going to say. I will add this is what Spotify says...

Here are some additional benefits of Spotify Connect:

-Make and receive phone calls without stopping the music.
-Once you select a device, you can turn off your smartphone, PC, or laptop, and the music plays on the designated device.

So this is the intended behavior. If you want it to stop you have to tell it to stop by pressing stop or pause on the Spotify app before you shut off the phone.

Thank you for adding to that. I am liking this system more and more!!

 

[cc_rider]

Of course, it makes complete sense that the signal does not pass through ones phone as it would downgrade the quality back to the WiiM.

Apple Music is about the only service that still uses this antiquated method, via AirPlay, through your phone.

 

[Bryanne]

Apple Music is about the only service that still uses this antiquated method, via AirPlay, through your phone.

That is quite surprising. Certainly that must yield a far inferior result. Fortunately I am not an Apple customer and never will be