Skip to main content

Music Assistant 2.8

Music Assistant 2.8 is subtitled "Let's get this party started!" and focuses on making your players much nicer to work with. The main highlights are player merging of multi-protocol devices into a single player, new Sendspin Bridges that link Chromecast and AirPlay across brands, a party mode with QR code access, karaoke, and genre-based music browsing.

info

Music Assistant is an open-source audio server that can run as an add-on in Home Assistant and allows you to play music from various sources (Spotify, Tidal, YouTube Music, local files) on different speakers in sync.

Player Merging​

Screenshot showing player merging in Music Assistant

A single physical device often supports several protocols at once - typically AirPlay, Chromecast, and DLNA. Previously, each of those protocols appeared as a separate player, so one speaker could take up three rows in the list and you had no idea which one to pick.

Music Assistant 2.8 finally fixes this. Players that belong to the same physical device are now merged into a single entry. The result is a much cleaner player list and more intuitive control.

Breaking change

Player merging is a breaking change. If you have player groups or automations in Home Assistant referencing specific protocol entities, you will likely need to reconfigure them after the update.

Sendspin Bridges​

The open Sendspin protocol, which Music Assistant introduced in version 2.7, moves closer to its final form in this release - with significant performance and quality improvements, and a near-complete specification.

The main new feature, however, is Sendspin Bridges. This wraps Sendspin around existing Chromecast and AirPlay devices (including Sonos speakers). They become full-fledged Sendspin players, and Music Assistant can treat them as one big, happy family.

What this means in practice:​

  • Cross-brand groups - put Chromecast, AirPlay, and Sonos speakers into a single Sendspin group
  • Perfect synchronization - even between devices from different manufacturers and ecosystems
  • Unified control - no more splitting by protocol, everything plays in sync
tip

Sendspin Bridges are a great way to get multi-room audio going even with speakers that otherwise don't "talk" to each other. If you want to learn more about Sendspin, see the protocol section in the version 2.7 article.

note

Running into internet radio dropouts over Chromecast or Google Cast (typically on soundbars)? I have a separate guide, Troubleshooting: internet radio dropouts over Chromecast, with the full diagnostic walkthrough and the final fix.

Party Mode and Karaoke​

Screenshot of party mode in Music Assistant

You can now turn any screen into a party dashboard for any player. Your guests simply scan a QR code with their phones and instantly land in a sleek, "guest-only" version of the Music Assistant interface.

What party mode does:​

  • No app install - just scan the QR code and it opens in the browser
  • No login - guests don't need an account or password
  • Queue management - guests can add tracks and vote on what plays next
  • Restricted access - guests only control the queue, not your whole library and settings

Screenshot of karaoke mode in Music Assistant

Part of the fun is karaoke mode, which displays full-screen lyrics synchronized to playback. Just connect a screen or TV and the party can begin.

Genre-Based Browsing​

Screenshot of genre-based browsing in Music Assistant

You don't always want to search for a specific artist or album - sometimes you're simply in the mood for a certain vibe. Music Assistant 2.8 adds genre-based music browsing, so a single click generates a playlist matching the chosen genre.

Background Tasks Management​

Settings now include a Background Tasks section that clearly shows which tasks are running in the background (for example library syncs or metadata downloads).

A handy new feature is the ability to schedule tasks for a specific time. Your favorite daily podcast can be downloaded and ready exactly when you sit down for your morning coffee.

Other Significant Updates​

  • AirPlay 2 password pairing - support for connecting to password-protected AirPlay 2 speakers
  • AriaCast - new plugin in the player ecosystem

New Player Providers:​

  • HEOS - speakers from Denon and Marantz
  • Dashie Kiosk - display Music Assistant on kiosk screens

New Music Providers:​

  • Bandcamp - music directly from independent artists
  • Emby Music - music library from your Emby server
  • NFS Fileshare - local files over NFS network storage
  • SomaFM Radio - popular independent internet radio
  • ORF Radiothek - Austrian public radio
  • YouSee Musik, Yandex Music, Zvuk Music, Kion Music - more regional streaming services

More Information​

Don't have Music Assistant yet?

Check out the complete installation and configuration guide - it walks you through getting Music Assistant running as an add-on in Home Assistant, step by step.

Do you like this article?

Your support helps create the best smart home guides!

Send a tip

Comments​