- Home
- Spotify News
Ashley King
Photo Credit: Imityaz Ali
Are you wondering why Spotify is not working on your device? Here’s a quick guide to fixing it.
Spotify is the largest music streaming service on the planet, with more than 350 million users. With so much audio uploaded and processed through the platform, you may inevitably discover Spotify not working sooner rather than later.
Spotify intermittent outages are usually reported via the official Spotify Twitter account. You can follow the account to be instantly alerted any time Spotify is having problems. If you don’t see an outage on the official Twitter account and you wonder why Spotify is not working on your device – it’s probably something you can fix yourself.
Why Is Spotify Not Working? Android & iOS Devices
There are plenty of reasons why you may experience a spotty connection on your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. We can diagnose a few issues by performing quick actions like restarting the device and checking your internet connection. Sometimes all that is needed to clear up music streaming issues on Spotify is a device restart.
How to Restart Most Android & iOS Devices
- Hold down the power button on your device.
- Tap the restart button on the screen.
- Confirm the restart and then open Spotify.
- Play a song or podcast to see if Spotify is working.
Update the Spotify App
Sometimes people go long periods of time without updating the apps on their smartphones. Spotify needs to be on the latest version to function correctly.
Check the Google Play Store or App Store to see if there is an update for Spotify. If there is an update available, install it and then see if you can play music. You would be surprised how often updating the Spotify app can fix streaming problems.
Clear Spotify App Cache
If you’ve updated the Spotify app and Spotify is not working, then clearing the cache is the next step. Clearing an app’s cache gets rid of all the app data, including any custom settings.
- Tap the ‘Settings’ icon on your device.
- Tap ‘Apps’ then scroll to find ‘Spotify.’
- Choose the ‘Storage’ option, then ‘Clear Cache.’
Check Time & Date Settings
It may seem strange, but check the time and date settings on your device. Spotify’s servers may have trouble syncing with your device if the time and date are set wrong.
This problem is more common on laptops and tablets that move between time zones without automatic time zone settings. Here’s how to fix it.
- Tap the ‘Settings’ icon on your device.
- Tap on ‘Date & Time.’
- Find ‘Automatic Date & Time’ and turn it on.
Your device should now be synced to pick up date and time information from the towers to which it connects. This uncommon issue is one of the strangest reasons why Spotify is not working on many smart devices. If the setting is turned on, turn it off and back on – especially on Windows 10 devices.
Why is Spotify not working? Internet Issues
If you are still experiencing problems playing music and podcasts on Spotify, it might be because of your internet connection. Check whether or not your device is connected to the internet by opening the ‘Settings’ menu and viewing your network connections.
If you are connected to a WiFi network, you may be experiencing a problem with your router. If you are connected to a cellular network, the network may be congested. Moving somewhere else may help ease the issue in both of these cases.
Why is Spotify not working? Browser Issues
If you are trying to listen to music and podcasts on Spotify using a browser like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari – there are a few fixes we can try to clear up problems.
Update Your Browser
No matter which browser or operating system you’re using, you should be on the latest version. Check to see if there are new versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Safari by clicking ‘About’ and then view build info.
Check Your Internet Connection
Just like with Android and iOS devices, you should check your computer’s internet connection. Try going to a random site or performing a search to see if it loads. If other sites are experiencing problems, your connection is messed up in some way. If only Spotify.com is down, then you know the problem exists there instead of with you.
Check Extensions
Sometimes ad blockers and privacy extensions can break streaming services like Spotify. If you are having trouble getting Spotify working in a browser, load the tab in incognito mode. If Spotify works in incognito mode without your extensions enabled, something you’ve installed is causing the problem.
