How to stop Spotify starting when I switch on Bluetooth?

[belgiankiss]

I have Spotify installed on a Pixel 5, running Android 12 (standard build).

Whenever I switch on Bluetooth, Spotify automatically starts playing.  This has only started happening to me in the last month or so.

When I switch my phone on in the morning, Bluetooth starts & then seconds later Spotify starts playing from my last playlist.

If I disable Bluetooth & 'force stop' Spotify then as soon as I re-enable Bluetooth Spotify starts playing again.

If I 'force stop' Spotify but leave Bluetooth enabled then at some point Spotify will start playing again (not sure what causes it to start playing in this scenario, it seems to happen randomly).

I don't think that Bluetooth is at fault as it's only Spotify that is behaving like this with Bluetooth.   To be honest, I don't really care what's causing it - I just want it to stop happening.  I want to know that I can switch my phone on & I can use it without worrying that Spotify is going to suddenly start playing songs when I don't want it to.

Does anyone know how to stop Spotify starting up automatically every time I enable Bluetooth?

Thanks.

[belgiankiss]

As an update to this, Spotify started suddenly on its own this evening even though Bluetooth was disabled on my phone.  So this is definitely a Spotify issue (although it may be exacerbated by Bluetooth).

[MafeG]

Hi @belgiankiss,

Welcome to the Community and thank you for posting. 

The behavior you describe is very odd, but there are some things we can try here. 

To start, please run a clean reinstall of the app, as this one is more thorough than a regular one and can be helpful to get rid of any cache that might be causing trouble. 

If the same behavior persists, go to your phone Settings and toggle on/off the battery optimization for Spotify, then check how it keeps working.

Let us know how this goes.

[belgiankiss]

MafeG, thanks for the suggestions.  I'll give them a try & report back in a day or so.

[belgiankiss]

OK - I've got a bit further with finding out where the problem lies (but not yet how to fix it).

I did a clean re-install of the app.

I then messed about with the battery optimizer settings.

No joy 😞

However...I have narrowed down where the issue is.   I played with the Spotify app using a free account & also using my Premium account so I know that the problem is not related to account types.

If I start the Spotify app it works OK.

If I stop the song that's playing then minimise the app, enabling & disabling Bluetooth doesn't cause anything to happen with Spotify.

However, if I close the Spotify app (by swiping up) or if I do a Force Stop of the app then when I next enable Bluetooth the Spotify app starts up & continues playing the last song it was playing when I closed the app.

So, if the Spotify app is open (or open but minimised), regardless of whether or not it is playing a song, it behaves itself when I enable/disable Bluetooth.

But if the app is not running then enabling Bluetooth causes Spotify to open & start playing the last song.

So my actual problem is:  The Spotify app start ups & automatically starts playing the last song whenever I enable Bluetooth UNLESS the app is already running when I enable Bluetooth.

So now I just need to find out EITHER how to stop the Spotify app starting up when I enable Bluetooth OR how to stop Spotify playing a song automatically when I enable Bluetooth.

[MafeG · Accepted solution]

Hi @belgiankiss,

Thank you for your reply and sharing those insights. 

After running some tests from our side using different phones, devices and OS we can conclude that the way the app behaves when connected to Bluetooth devices, including car stereo systems, varies based on the device involved. These actions are a result of how the specific Bluetooth device is designed to interact with the Spotify API. However, we’re constantly optimizing our app, so this behavior might change in future updates.

You can find more info about this in this article, along with a solution that might work for you.

Let us know if you have any questions.

[belgiankiss]

Thanks for looking at this MafeG. I now understand why it's happening.
Although it's not a 'true' solution to my problem, my 'solution' is to ensure that the Spotify app is running (with no music playing) but minimised. Although it's not ideal, I can live with it.
I'll umm & ahh for a while before I decide whether or not I'm bothered enough to want to try the potential solution provided in the link you posted.
But for now, thanks once again for your help & insight 🙂

[Niallzoid]

Hi everyone! Over the last couple of days Spotify has started playing at totally random times (like 2 in the morning while I'm sleeping). 

I've also noticed that when I open the Spotify app, playback will automatically resume without me actually pressing play. 

Seems like a similar issue, and it does not seem to be Bluetooth related. I'm on Android using a Pixel 6. Any other ideas what might be causing this? I haven't done anything new lately and the only BT devices connected to my phone are headphones and a running watch. 

[Eni]

Hi folks! 

Thanks for your posts. 

@belgiankiss, you're welcome! The Community is here for you in case you have any questions or need a hand with anything else.

@Niallzoid, since the issue you mentioned is different, we'd recommend creating a new thread. We'll carry on with the help there. 

Cheers 🙂

[Niallzoid]

Thanks Eni.

So I've been testing this for a few days and I can confirm that when Bluetooth has been off for a while and I switch it back on, the Spotify app does indeed start playing automatically. 

I'm convinced this is the same issue, and now that the Bluetooth thing has happened to me I figured I'd follow up here rather than starting a new thread. 

I wonder if there's a way to look further into this, as I don't think disabling BT audio or keeping the app constantly in RAM or whatever is a solution. I haven't been able to find a way to fix this, but I can follow up here if I do find something.

[Kiril]

Hey @Niallzoid,

Thank you for your reply.

Of course it'd be helpful for everyone, if you can add more follow up info to this thread, whenever you have time. Could we ask you to also include more details about the version of the app you have on, and also the make, model and OS of your device/s where this situation occurs? Also have you tried the clean reinstall troubleshooting steps proposed above and did this make any difference for you? If after clean reinstalling the behavior continues, could you also send us a short video so we could take a closer look and investigate this further. 

Keep us posted, we'll be on the lookout for your reply, thanks!

[Niallzoid]

Hey Kiril.

I'm using the most up-to-date version of the app (version 8.6.84.1240). I'm using a Google Pixel 6 on Android 12.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app a couple of times, and I've also reset all of my Bluetooth connections. 

The issue is still happening, and the other night Spotify randomly started playing at 1.30am, then again at 5.30am. 

I can't replicate Spotify playing on it's own in the middle of the night, obvs, but I've attached a video of the Bluetooth issue which seems to be related. Unfortunately the sound didn't seem to have worked, but in the you'll see me:

1. Play Spotify

2. Kill the app

3. Turn BT off

4. Turn BT on

5. Spotify starts playing on its own

Hope this is helpful!

[Eni]

Hi there @Niallzoid, 

Thanks for getting back to us

Regarding the issue about the app playing music randomly, we suggest that you log out everywhere by following the steps bellow:

1. Log in to your Account page. 
2. Click SIGN OUT EVERYWHERE. 

Note: This doesn't include partner devices (e.g. speakers, games consoles, and TVs), so for those go to your apps page and choose REMOVE ACCESS.

On another note, we'd recommend checking the Top Answer of this thread where we explain how the autostart functions work and you can also find reports from other users there who managed to fix this by altering certain settings on their device.

If you have any questions, just let us know.

[Niallzoid]

Thanks Eni.

I've spent the day trying all of your suggestions, and the suggestions in the linked post. 

Unfortunately none of them have worked. I don't have many BT devices connected to my phone (only a couple of pairs of earphones), so I'm 100% sure that it's not some rogue device starting playback. 

The issue is still happening when I toggle BT off and back on again. It's also happening when I force close the Spotify app and reopen it – it automatically resumes playback of my most recently played song.

Is this expected behaviour? Should playback automatically resume when you open the app? Or should playback resume when BT connects? I'm pretty sure that's not how it should work, but something is causing the app to automatically okay music, and it's not any of my BT devices and it's definitely not another device (I'm not signed in to Spotify on any other devices). 

I do appreciate everyone's help so far, so thanks for that. It's getting pretty frustrating though, and the only definite solution seems to be just uninstalling Spotify entirely, which obviously isn't a very good solution either. 

[Alex]

Hey @Niallzoid,

Thanks for the reply.

Spotify may start automatically playing when connecting to certain Bluetooth devices, as this is related to how the specific device is programmed to interract with the Spotify API. This cannot be controlled by settings from the Spotify app itself. Check out the Top Answer of this thread where you'll find more info and possible solutions posted by other users.

in regards to the app playing automatically at certain times - check that Spotify is not part of any Schedule on your phone. Scheduling apps like Google Clock or Google Calendar can set Spotify playlists to play automatically at certain times of day, like 5:30 AM.

Keep us posted on how you get on with this.​​​​​​

[Niallzoid]

That thread was linked in the previous reply. They are the suggestions I was referring to, and unfortunately none of them work. I don't think the community is going to be able to help with this one to be honest.

I mentioned before that I don't have any other BT devices that would trigger autoplay. I have used Spotify in the Google alarm clock, but this isn't a schedule being triggered and I no longer use the alarm clock option anyway. Either way, Spotify is playing the most recent song I listen to (even if it's halfway through the song) and not the song I had selected in the Clock app. 

This is literally a case of Spotify starting to play randomly at crazy times during the night; also, Spotify starting to play automatically when I open the app; also Spotify starting to play automatically when I turn Bluetooth on. Basically the Spotify app now has a mind of its own and it cannot be fixed. 

[vsx_wnc-xdzti]

I have the exact same issue. Google Pixel 6, Android 12. Just noticed today. Nothing working to fix it. It is very aggravating indeed.

[towersvault]

Going to chime in here as well, since this issue has been driving me nuts since moving over from Tidal.

I’m using an iPhone 13 on iOS 15.2.1 (issue already appeared in iOS 15.2). I primarily use my AirPods Pro, but even if I connect to my AirPods Max or my bluetooth speaker, as soon as I open the Spotify app music automatically plays.

Spotify does not automatically start playing music when I have no audio output connected.

On top of this, I tested opening the Spotify app, no automatic music. As soon as I opened my AirPods case and Spotify showed a device connected, it started playing. I often get the prompt to go into car mode as well even though I switched that option off in the app.

The issue doesn’t occur with either Tidal or Apple Music, and it never used to occur when I still used Spotify.

[popapip]

Hey guys, I may have the solution for you.

I recently moved to a galaxy A52, and faced this issue. I think that spotify developers should do something, other than linking stupid xda articles. Are you serious that you want your users to sol e a problem with your app? Crazy. And yes, this ONLY happens with spotify. Not with Tidal, Play music, youtube, etc. so clearly u are in the wring here.

Anyway, what I found is, that when I reinstall the spotify app, It asks for some bluetooth permission. If you tap on do it later, the auto play thing doesn't happen. There's a minor inconvenience that every time you open the app, you have to tap on do it later, but that's nothing compared to the stupid autoplay thing.

So dear devs. Please add a third button to that question, that says don't show this again. Or remove the entire thing. Thanks.

[Otium]

This happens for me as well - but just with the Otium bluetooth (small device with an aux/classical headphone jack) I use to connect to the aux jack in my car.  As soon as I connect it or as soon as I open spotify with this Otium device connected it cuts off any other sound and starts playing. 

I know it's going to happen when the blue banner pops up asking me if i am in the car and want to connect to navigation.   Before comments on the Otium bluetooth to aux jack I use it from a previous car and don't use the car bluetooth precisely because I didn't want this to happen.   How the app figured out the Otium device is only in my car is a minor mystery, lol...

As far as settings, autoplay doesn't make a difference.