Should a "Sendspin Bridge Role" be part of the Sendspin specification or should it always be handled externally (transparent to Sendspin server)?
Could there be a way for a Sendspin client player to inform the fact that its role is to be a "Sendspin Bridge" and as such is a pass-through client?
Yes the target player can still expose itself as a Sendspin client but it adds that it also has a "bridge role" and is as such not the actual endpoint.
I think this would also make it less confusing for those new to Music Assistant where a buch of AirPlay and Google Cast (Chromecast) speakers today show up as Sendspin players because Sendspin Bridges is enabled by default in Music Assistant but there is no information that those are virtual speakers and not native Sendspin clients.
Backstory is that Music Assistant 2.8 release introduced "Sendspin Bridges" yet bridging is not specifically mentioned in the Sendspin specs:
-
https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2026/03/25/music-assistant-2-8/#moving-on-up
"This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Before this release, if you wanted to group a Sonos speaker with a Google Nest (via Chromecast), you were out of luck. In 2.8, we’ve introduced Sendspin Bridges, which “wraps” Sendspin around your existing Chromecast and AirPlay-capable devices (such as Sonos). By turning these devices into Sendspin players, Music Assistant can now treat them as one big, happy family. You can finally create a Sendspin Group that mixes and matches brands, keeping them in perfect sync. Your Sonos in the lounge and your Chromecast in the kitchen are finally on the same team!"
Sendspin Bridge for AirPlay:
Sendspin Bridge for Chromecast:
So at the application level there is already official Sendspin bridged solution built-into the Open Home Foundation's Music Assistant, but could this kind of role for bridging clients be made as part of the official Sendspin specification to expose Sendspin bridges made by others as a bridge player?
"For temporary and permanent sync groups the protocol linking feature and Sendspin bridges available to Music Assistant lead to powerful options for group creation. The Sendspin bridges create a link between the Sendspin protocol, and the AirPlay and Google Cast protocols which allows for creation of groups of different provider types which will all play in sync. For users with Sonos devices with AirPlay functionality then this will further allow Sonos devices to also be played in sync. Even more impressively, Sonos devices without AirPlay functionality can be grouped with a player that does and then that player grouped to an AirPlay group. All of this functionality is illustrated in the following diagram. On the left is the traditional model where each provider type is isolated (and this remains the case for many of the providers available in MA) and then on the left is shown the potential broad linking of disparate types that is available across the Sendspin, AirPlay, Google Cast and Sonos ecosystems."
"Note! Sendspin bridging will only be indicated on some devices and even then its not guaranteed to work due to device firmware limitations. AirPlay - Sendspin bridges should always work"
For reference, there are now also community/third-party Sendspin bridging applications that provide a "Sendspin Bluetooth Bridge" and more:
Should a "Sendspin Bridge Role" be part of the Sendspin specification or should it always be handled externally (transparent to Sendspin server)?
Could there be a way for a Sendspin client player to inform the fact that its role is to be a "Sendspin Bridge" and as such is a pass-through client?
Yes the target player can still expose itself as a Sendspin client but it adds that it also has a "bridge role" and is as such not the actual endpoint.
I think this would also make it less confusing for those new to Music Assistant where a buch of AirPlay and Google Cast (Chromecast) speakers today show up as Sendspin players because Sendspin Bridges is enabled by default in Music Assistant but there is no information that those are virtual speakers and not native Sendspin clients.
Backstory is that Music Assistant 2.8 release introduced "Sendspin Bridges" yet bridging is not specifically mentioned in the Sendspin specs:
https://www.music-assistant.io/blog/2026/03/25/music-assistant-2-8/#moving-on-up
"This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. Before this release, if you wanted to group a Sonos speaker with a Google Nest (via Chromecast), you were out of luck. In 2.8, we’ve introduced Sendspin Bridges, which “wraps” Sendspin around your existing Chromecast and AirPlay-capable devices (such as Sonos). By turning these devices into Sendspin players, Music Assistant can now treat them as one big, happy family. You can finally create a Sendspin Group that mixes and matches brands, keeping them in perfect sync. Your Sonos in the lounge and your Chromecast in the kitchen are finally on the same team!"
Sendspin Bridge for AirPlay:
Sendspin Bridge for Chromecast:
So at the application level there is already official Sendspin bridged solution built-into the Open Home Foundation's Music Assistant, but could this kind of role for bridging clients be made as part of the official Sendspin specification to expose Sendspin bridges made by others as a bridge player?
"For temporary and permanent sync groups the protocol linking feature and Sendspin bridges available to Music Assistant lead to powerful options for group creation. The Sendspin bridges create a link between the Sendspin protocol, and the AirPlay and Google Cast protocols which allows for creation of groups of different provider types which will all play in sync. For users with Sonos devices with AirPlay functionality then this will further allow Sonos devices to also be played in sync. Even more impressively, Sonos devices without AirPlay functionality can be grouped with a player that does and then that player grouped to an AirPlay group. All of this functionality is illustrated in the following diagram. On the left is the traditional model where each provider type is isolated (and this remains the case for many of the providers available in MA) and then on the left is shown the potential broad linking of disparate types that is available across the Sendspin, AirPlay, Google Cast and Sonos ecosystems."
"Note! Sendspin bridging will only be indicated on some devices and even then its not guaranteed to work due to device firmware limitations. AirPlay - Sendspin bridges should always work"
For reference, there are now also community/third-party Sendspin bridging applications that provide a "Sendspin Bluetooth Bridge" and more:
https://www.music-assistant.io/community-extensions/#sendspin-bluetooth-bridge