It's a sad state of affairs when perfectly-working hardware stops functioning as intended due to software and lack of support. Without Android OS and One UI, Samsung's Galaxy S22 would become a paperweight. Of course, the Galaxy S22 is an extreme example, as it will never lose Android and One UI. But other Samsung products crippled by lack of software support do exist. One of them is the all-in-one HW-MS650 soundbar released a few years ago.
The Samsung HW-MS650 soundbar shipped with Spotify Connect support, meaning that it could stream music from Spotify without needing an external source, such as a smartphone. This high level of integration made justice to the “All-in-one” moniker. But unfortunately, the HW-MS650 is no longer worthy of that title, as it no longer supports this one feature that made it stand apart from many others soundbars.
Spotify users who purchased this soundbar because it had Spotify Connect are unhappy with the fact that their device has suddenly become less usable. They took to the official Samsung Community forums in the Netherlands for an explanation, but the company's answers didn't alleviate their concerns one bit.
No more Spotify Connect for the Samsung HW-MS650 soundbar
A Samsung Community manager clarified the situation, which sadly won't change. According to the CM, you're not experiencing any bugs with your Samsung soundbar. Spotify Connect no longer works on the HW-MS650 soundbar due to expired licensing agreements, and support doesn't seem to be coming back.
HW-MS650 customers can still use the Multiroom app over Bluetooth, but Spotify Connect is no longer available for this Samsung device. The HW-MS650 was released a few good years ago, and perhaps Samsung didn't expect anyone to be using this soundbar by the time the licensing agreement ended. Well, many customers still use the HM-MS650, and they're disappointed that one of the product's main features has just stopped working without warning.
More so, countless customers are now beginning to wonder what other features could be rendered useless due to similar licensing issues or other causes in the future. Will your Samsung soundbar keep all of its features forever? Or will it be dumbed down as time goes on? Only Samsung knows.
