Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming services with millions of songs and podcasts in various genres. The best thing is that it’s available on every platform and completely free, as long as you’re okay with ads. However, a paid Spotify Premium subscription brings many useful extras such as the ability to download songs, better audio quality, unlimited song skipping, and more. But like any app, Spotify occasionally has issues or glitches, and things don’t work as expected. Check out some common Spotify problems and how to fix them.
Problem #1: The Spotify app is not loading or playing music.
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Any interruption while listening to your favorite playlists or podcasts is very annoying, so Spotify app not loading or playing music is a big problem. Here’s what you can try if Spotify isn’t working as expected.
Possible solutions:
- Spotify not working may be due to problems with the app. Like any streaming service or website, Spotify may experience occasional planned or unplanned service outages. So the problem might not be with your device. You can check sites like Download Finder or Download for Everyone or Just Me to see if there are widespread reports of Spotify problems. of Spotify status The Twitter account will share updates whenever the service experiences any downtime.
- Spotify allows users to download songs for offline access, but mostly using the app requires an active internet connection. Check your network connection to make sure it’s not causing any problems. A simple test is to open another app or website that requires data to see if it’s being loaded. We’ve got helpful guides for fixing Wi-Fi problems and what to do if your phone won’t connect to Wi-Fi if you’re having network connection problems.
- Often, closing and reopening the app or turning your device off and on again will help fix the problem. If it doesn’t, you can try clearing the cache and cookies of the app or browser on Android, or clear the cache on any platform to see if the problem goes away. If nothing works, it’s best to delete the app and reinstall it. Clearing or uninstalling the app store resets the app completely, so you may lose data like saved playlists if it’s not synced across devices.
- Don’t forget to update the app to the latest version as software updates often bring bug fixes that help resolve some issues.
Problem #2: Spotify audio problems
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Spotify is an audio streaming service, so poor audio quality isn’t a big deal. Some users report hearing crackling noises during audio playback or generally low-quality audio when using Spotify.
Possible solutions:
- Music streaming doesn’t require particularly fast internet connections. But fluctuations and unstable connections can cause problems with sound quality. Spotify sets the audio quality to Auto by default and changes it depending on the connection speed. To avoid the problem, you can set the audio quality to one level.
- Tap the gear icon in the top right corner to open it on Android. settingsand select High From the next drop down Wi-Fi transmission And Mobile phone streaming. Spotify Premium subscribers will also see it. Very high Optional. Go to on iOS Settings > Sound quality And choose High Or Very high in the Wi-Fi transmission And Mobile phone streaming rooms. However, keep in mind that erratic data rates can cause buffering instead.
- Data saver settings can cause cracking and general audio quality issues. Enabling this setting will automatically lower your audio quality and disable artist canvases. It’s useful if you’re worried about data limits, but audio quality can be an issue. And Spotify doesn’t require much data, so you can comfortably switch to higher quality settings. Go to on Android settings (the gear icon in the upper right corner) and turn it off Sound quality in the Data saver Room. Go to on iOS Settings > Data saver And turn off Data saver.
- Internet connection issues also cause problems with Spotify desktop apps. But there is another setting to fix it. Go to the Windows app settings And turn on Compatibility To enable hardware acceleration. Click on Mac Spotify In the top menu bar and click Hardware acceleration To activate the setting.
Problem #3: Unable to add local files to Spotify playlists
Joe Hindi / Android Authority
Spotify lets you add and listen to music saved on your desktop or smartphone to your playlists. Some users can no longer add local files to Spotify. But that’s not wrong, and the option is still there. Spotify has changed the way you can add your music to the app.
Possible solutions:
- Instead of simply dragging and dropping files to Spotify on the desktop, you have to go through a couple of extra steps. Go to the Windows app settings And turn on Local files. Click Add source To select the folders with your stored music files. On a Mac, go to Spotify (menu bar) > Preferences > Local Files And let Spotify access your iTunes library and folders with stored music. The steps for uploading local audio files to Spotify on mobile remain the same. go to Settings > Import > Show local audio files.
Problem #4: Unable to download songs on Spotify
Joe Hindi / Android Authority
Spotify Premium subscribers can download songs and podcasts for offline playback, but some users can’t.
Possible solutions:
- This feature is only available to Premium users, so make sure your subscription is active. Log in to your Spotify account page and check your subscription details Your plan Room.
- Spotify lets you download songs to up to five devices, but there is a limit of 10,000 songs. This may seem like a lot, but if you download a lot of playlists and albums on different devices, you may go over the limit. You cannot download any more music until you remove the downloaded content.
- The steps for downloading and removing songs and playlists on Spotify are remarkably similar. Open the playlist and tap on the down arrow (download button). If it’s a saved playlist, you’ll be asked if you want to remove it from downloads. If you download your Favorite songsopen and close the playlist Download songs.
- Doing this individually takes a bit of time, but you can pick and choose what you want to keep. However, if you want to remove all downloaded content and start over, go to settings (gear icon), scroll down. Storage section, and tap Remove all downloads.
- Also, if your device doesn’t have enough storage, you may not be able to download songs. Spotify recommends at least 1GB of free storage if you download a lot of songs, and more. If you run into this problem, check out our guide on how to free up storage.
Problem #5: Spotify Premium features are not working
Joe Hindi / Android Authority
Spotify has several premium subscription options, including Duo and Family, which are the cheapest plans for students. A subscription gives you access to offline playback, higher audio quality, an ad-free experience, and more. If you’re a subscriber but don’t see these features, here’s where you can try to fix them.
Possible solutions:
- First, make sure you have an active subscription. Go to the Spotify account page and check the subscription details Your plan Room. If you see it, you may be logged in with the wrong account. Spotify free. Remember to use the same login method as when you registered. So sign in the same way if you do this using Facebook, Google or Apple ID. If your login credentials are correct, go to Check your payment status To see if payment is pending or failed.
- If you see an active subscription, Spotify recommends that you simply close it and sign in.
- When someone invites you to a Duo or Family plan, the original account owner has control and may accidentally revoke your access. Make sure they are not removed from the plan. Spotify will also automatically remove you from the plan if you don’t verify your information, such as your address, within seven days of receiving the confirmation email. Remember that if verification fails or you don’t respond within a week, you won’t be able to join another Duo or Family plan for 12 months.
- If you can’t find downloaded songs, there are a few reasons why Spotify has automatically removed them. This happens if you haven’t been online for 30 days or if you’ve downloaded music on five other devices. With the latter, Spotify deletes downloads from the device at least recently. Because there are regional restrictions, you may not get songs if you change regions. If you use a microSD card that doesn’t work on your phone, your downloaded songs may be lost.
Problem #6: Unable to find Spotify playlists
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
You’ve probably spent hours creating the perfect playlists that you can share or make public. So it can be frustrating if you can’t find it anymore. In most cases, Spotify playlists are missing due to accidental deletion. Fortunately, Spotify has a way to restore them quickly.
Possible solutions:
- Log in to your account on the Spotify website, click on the profile icon in the upper right corner and go to Account > Restored playlists (in the menu on the left). Spotify will keep a record of any deleted playlists for 90 days. Click Restore To retrieve the playlist.
Problem #7: Unable to connect Spotify to TV or smart speaker
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Spotify Connect lets you push audio from one device to another while controlling it from any phone, tablet, watch or computer connected to your account. It’s a key feature that lets you listen to your Spotify playlists on any smart speakers, TVs, consoles, or media streams that support the hub.
Possible solutions:
- Remember that the device you want to listen to music with must be connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the control device. Your target device may be disconnected from Wi-Fi due to weak signal or router. Wi-Fi 5 routers in particular can experience problems with dozens of connections in modern homes, in which case it may be necessary to discontinue some products or upgrade to a router with Wi-Fi 6.
- When the app finds compatible speakers and other devices, a Equipment is available It appears on the bottom left on mobile and on the bottom right on desktop. if so Equipment is available There is no icon, go to settings and select Show available devices. If you don’t see your target device on this list, make sure it’s turned on and connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Note that some devices, such as Echo speakers, require additional steps.
Spotify guidelines and known issues
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
If you’re having more problems, Spotify has an ongoing list of issues. You can check if your case is on the list. And Spotify updates the tracker whenever it detects and fixes a reported issue.