Why Spotify Has Song-Playing Errors
There are several causes for these errors, ranging from a problem with the app itself to issues your computer or mobile device might be experiencing. As a result, there are different actions to take to fix song-playing errors, depending on whether you’re receiving the error with Spotify on the desktop, in the mobile app, or with the Spotify web app. The first thing to try is a simple restart of Spotify, then move on to other actions if that doesn’t solve the problem.
Restart Spotify
The Spotify app may have frozen or had a random glitch. The quickest solution to try is to close and then reopen Spotify. If you’re using Spotify on the desktop, select File > Quit Spotify. In the Spotify mobile app, close and reopen the app. If you’re using the Spotify web app, close and reopen your browser.
Log out of the App and Then Log Back In
If closing out of Spotify doesn’t work, try logging out of the app and then logging back in. If you’re using Spotify on the desktop, select the dropdown arrow next to your name on the top right, and then select Log Out. After you’ve logged out, log back in again and see if this solves the problem. In the Spotify mobile app, select Settings (gear icon), tap your profile, and then scroll down and tap Log Out. Log back in to see if this solves the problem. In the Spotify web app, select your profile and then select Log Out. Log back in to see if this solves the problem.
Restart Your Computer
If you’re receiving a song-playing error using Spotify on the desktop or the Spotify web app, try restarting your computer. Performing a restart may clear up underlying issues with your operating system that are affecting Spotify and give the music app a fresh environment.
Is the App Up to Date?
If your Spotify app needs an update, you may experience strange glitches and errors. To manually update Spotify:
Update the Spotify Desktop App
Update the Spotify Mobile App
To set up automatic updates on an iOS device, tap iTunes & App Store, and switch Updates to on. On an Android device, open the Google Play Store. Use the search bar to find Spotify. Tap the three vertical dots in the top right and check Auto-update. If you don’t have automatic updates turned on, manually update your Spotify mobile app.
Turn off High-Quality Streaming
You may encounter errors and issues if you changed your subscription level from a Premium account to a free, ad-supported account but didn’t change the option to stream high-quality music. The highest-quality playback is available only to Premium users.
Adjust Music Quality With Spotify on the Desktop
Adjust Music Quality in the Spotify Mobile App
Are You Out of Space on Your Device?
If you’re a Premium customer and have opted to use the offline mode, you may have run out of storage space on your device. Spotify recommends having at least 1 GB free for downloads. Remove downloaded files from Spotify on the desktop by going to Settings > Local Files and toggling off Show Local Files. On a mobile device, try clearing space in your internal storage, or go to Settings > Storage and select Delete Cache.
Turn off Hardware Acceleration
Using the hardware acceleration feature with Spotify on the desktop helps weaker hardware in your computer. However, toggling on this setting might actually create a poor listening experience by causing songs to skip, lag, or not play at all. Turning off this feature may solve song-playing errors.
Enable or Disable Crossfading
Crossfading can provide a more pleasant transition between songs, but if you’re experiencing song-playing errors with Spotify on the desktop, try turning this feature on or off.
Was the Song Pulled From a Playlist?
The song may have been pulled from the playlist. This issue occurs if you have a local download of a playlist and it doesn’t sync properly when a song has been removed from the Spotify database. To see if the errant playing song has been pulled, have Spotify display unavailable songs.
Reinstall Spotify
Uninstalling and then reinstalling Spotify will remove any corrupted files that may trigger errors. You’ll need to redownload any downloaded music and podcasts after reinstalling the app.
Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify on a Mac
Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify on a Windows PC
Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify on an iOS Device
Uninstall and Reinstall Spotify on an Android Device (6.0 and Later)
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