Gear Fit 2 Pro - "Unable to start spotify. Connect to Bluetooth to start listening."

[Deebsy]

Hi there, 

I am unable to use my Gear Fit 2 Pro to remotely control music on my galaxy device. Previously I was able to use my gear fit to play/pause/change songs/playlists, etc. however this is no longer working.

When I go to settings > playback, and select "remote" I get the message "Unable to start spotify. Connect to Bluetooth to start listening." The playback setting is therefore stuck on "stream on WiFi." 

I've attempted restarting both devices several times, uninstalling and reinstalling spotify on both devices, toggling Bluetooth on and off, and turning off WiFi on my gear fit, but nothing has worked - I continue getting the same message making spotify on the Gear Fit completely unusable. 

Are there any solutions for this issue?

Thanks in advance! 🙂

Dan

Plan

Premium

Country

Australia

Device

Samsung Galaxy S8 + Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro

Operating System

Android 8.0 Oreo

[KingSmashy]

I bought my new Gear Fit 2 Pro in addition to my Galaxy s9 yesterday and I'm experiencing the exact same issue. In the first place I thought it would be my fault and it simpley doesn't work like I expected my Gear Fit 2 Pro to work. Now I'm feeling kind of better, because I'm not alone with this issue and this (for me) essential feature works under normal conditions.

I'll write a new reply if I've found a fix

[Gigachivas]

its a bug. A simple workaround for now is - launch spotify on the phone and use the other music player on the fit 2 pro to control because for some reason it runs in the background on the band 🙂

[Djleonrc]

Well okay but you can't search for playlists or songs and you can't see which song comes next.. 😞 Hopefully Spotify will fix this soon 🙂

[Deebsy]

Hi gigachivas, thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately I can't open the Spotify app on my Gear Fit at all. Whenever I attempt to open the app, it states "Unable to start spotify. Connect to Wi-Fi to keep listening" which is part of the issue - I'm unable to change to "remote" option. This renders the spotify app on my gear fit (a large part of the reason I own a Gear Fit) completely unusable.

[Gigachivas]

that is defi a downside. but the workaround atleast helps in changing tracks remotely. i hate touching my phone during workouts. Until an official update is rolled out addressing the various issues at large, this method is by far the closest thing. Even i cant get spotify to control music remotely via the local app on the band. Ive just compiled my training tracks to a playlist -- select said playlist on the phone -- keep my phone away -- control next and previous tracks via the music player on the band.

[Gigachivas]

i would suggest -- remove the spotify app off the band -- force check for update for the band manually -- and then reinstall spotify via the Galaxy apps > Essentials via your phone. Might just work 🙂

I cant use the remote option either. I just use the workaround till a fix is out. I couldn't even see the spotify app on the phone because i am in a diffrent country at the moment where spotify is not launched. Had to go through another headache to just install it on the band. Not to mention the FB login issue for the premium. Such a pain. I too bought the band expressly because it natively runs spotify and can play tracks without an internet connection after you login and download them on the band. 

[Deebsy]

Hi Gigachivas, thanks for your suggestion! Using the native music player controls is a great workaround (I used it on a run today). It's disappointing so many people are having the same issue with the Spotify app. I loved being able to change the playlist from my Gear though. Hopefully they provide a solution soon.

Thanks again 🙂 

[bnshuman]

Having this problem too.  I dont want a work around I want to have the app I pay work as promised. Anyone know of an update coming out to fix the issue?  So when app is selected on the band it actually opens on the phone but then gives me this message. "Cannot connect to Spotify on your phone. Please open the app there to continue."

[loljksmonster]

SOLUTION: Hey guys, i had this same problem too and after doing some research i found a solution that may work. It seems that the problem isn't with the the Gear Fit 2 but from the spotify app itself being at a newer updated version.

The solution is :

1. Uninstall your spotify app of the newest version off your phone.

2. Google search for an older version of spotify for an ABK file, i searched "Spotify version 8.4.79.612" - this is the website i downloaded the file from https://spotify.en.uptodown.com/android/download/1782576 

3. Open the download, it will automatically download the older version of spotify. NOTE: Ensure you device/security settings are enabled so you can download from unknown sources. 

4. Open spotify and sign in.

5. On your Gear Fit 2, try remote connecting. It should connect now. 

This has worked for me. 🙂

[12131912720]

I have the same problem, but i dont want a workaround, i have paid for this app and i am premium user, Spotify owns us a response in this regards and they have to fix it ASAP.

[glyko]

Same here, can't use the Gear to control Spotify on my phone. Samsung & Spotify, please get**bleep** together!

[Mzero]

OMFG!!! Actually works. Thanks dude. I never expect discussions to lead to an answer! 

[12131912720]

What did you do dude?

[josuemunro]

I turned off spotify car play on my phone and that seemed to make things behave better. Everything is working as it should now 🙂

[hobobill]

Any resolution to this issue? Issue occurring in 2022. the app looks completely different than it did 3 years ago last time I used it. Looks like they took out offline functionality to push consumers towards newer wearables.