Personal Audio Files always opened by Spotify (w/out Permission) & Crashes

[Squashua]

Premium/UK/Galaxy A50

Hi All,

I have been using Spotify on my phone for many years. I also use my phone to play personal audio files (i.e music I'm working on and have saved in my downloads).

Recently none of my downloaded audio files (excluding files recorded directly into a voice note app) are opening, and instead Spotify attempts to open them, and fails, sometimes crashing Spotify in the process.

Normally after selecting an audio file, the in-built audio player would open up, a simple play/pause button and timestamp. Now the Spotify logo appears, the app opens on the main screen, and nothing else happens (except sometimes it crashes).

I have reinstalled & cleared the cache. I don't allow Spotify to access my local files.

Any ideas?

Thanks, J

[junior4117]

So I have had Pandora on my phone for years. When I would get a voicemail I would open it and it would open in my phones default audio player not Pandora. Last week I downloaded Spotify and now have my default audio player, Pandora, and Spotify on my phone. Spotify never gave me any permission options. Now when I open a voicemail it try's to play in Spotify but Spotify fails and says it cant read this file type. Now tell me how this is still happening with multiple audio playback options.

THIS IS NOT FIXED

[Vasil]

Hey @junior4117,

Thanks for letting us know!

Would you mind taking a look at this link?
There is a description on how to change the default music player which should help you out in the meantime 🙂

Let us know if any further questions arise.
Cheers!

[Leen73]

Vasil, did you check the link?

It clearly says that this is not a solution: 

"Hi thanks for responding, I looked in the settins but the clear defaults button is greyed out."

So NO. Thats is not a solution.

Fix it please!!!!

[Leen73]

And installing another app is NOT the answer!!

[ngafreshxo]

PRESS THE "LIST" BUTTON IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF THE VOICE RECORDER APP 🙂

[Leen73]

Thanks, I know, but that is still not the right solution, only temporary.

You need to be able to open a file just like that and NOT to be opened by spotify when given "NO permission". And after that, it is switched to "permission", just like that. Unbelievable. 

[fstaff]

Crazy that this is still a problem. I just uninstalled Spotify and listen to SiriusXM more. I may cancel Spotify all because I can't listen to voicemail. The XM app doesn't take over my WAV file playback. 

[ShouIder]

I have a similar issue. Some of my local files load in spotify but not all, regardless of what folder they are in. I installed youtube music (dw spotify, not switching!) and it works great as a local music player, almost like the native android one. You don't even need to sign in.

[MrMusic87]

To reproduce:

macos

whatsapp web

upload m4a file

try to open

[TomTomtom2x]

so ... android had Google music as default MP3 player when nothing else is installed.

every app can tell android which files it can handle, and Spotify tells android it is an MP3 player too. this makes it assignable as default player if you wish for that.

Now Google kills Google play music ... no default player anymore, especially not on old androids, so the next in line might be Spotify.

Modern android asks if Spotify (or any app that asks) can get permission to open the file ... you say yes, it plays, you say no, it won't (if Spotify crashes on this no, it's a bug). Spotify can not override androids permission system on itself. (old android ... may be another case, but it's not Spotifys fault either.)

to sum it up: if you have no internal player anymore due to Googles fault, the solution now is to install a player of your wish - if you only have Spotify that can handle MP3, it will be used (by Android's, not by Spotify's power). nothing shady or scandalous there.

[Kyleresq]

Happening to me with voicemails from RingCentral.  They play in Spotify unless I uninstall Spotify and then it plays fine just on my phone without opening Spotify.  So clearly I don't NEED Spotify to play VM, it is just hijacking all of my .wav files.

[Tylerchangarang]

Its actually insane how bad this problem is and there is no solution yet. I have an s7 edge. This should be simple to fix...

[Em-Em713]

Can't stress enough how I second what everyone here is saying...other than the people claiming it's been solved or that it's my phone's issue and not a spotify issue because guess what, when I DELETE SPOTIFY,  my voice recordings miraculously play on my phone's default app!!! I gave SPOTIFY ZERO PERMISSIONS!!!! yet this is happening! Seems like DELETING SPOTIFY is the only solution since they CLEARLY don't give a f#$! about fixing it!!! 

[mrglad8]

I'm also having this problem. An NO i wont install any new app to solve this. 

If I remove spotify the files is played just perfect! Whatever play then is what I want to play WHEN spotify is installed as well.

So stupid!

[Calb]

This appears to be an issue with the My Files app on Samsung phones not properly using (or giving the option to use) the built in media player when an alternative media player such as Spotify is installed. In the Galaxy Store or Play Store you can install the Samsung Music app which fixes the issue and allows audio files to play in the My Files app without even leaving the app once you set Samsung Music to the default, just as they would if Spotify wasn't installed at all. I know a lot of people are upset about having to install an app to fix this issue, but technically the Samsung Music app is already pre-installed on Samsung phones, although a bare bones version of it. Installing the full version of the app or uninstalling Spotify are the only solutions. From my understanding, Spotify can't fix this issue because it's being caused by Samsung's default apps settings not working correctly. I tested if this issue persists having only VLC installed instead of only Spotify, and sure enough the same problem is present. The only difference is that VLC pops up asking for permission to view the local files where Spotify doesn't. Still though, good luck with a lawsuit over something like that. Installing Samsung Music along with VLC fixes the issue just as it does with Spotify. I hope this information helps someone.

[mcopen]

This is not an issue with the devices.  It's an issue with spotify taking over .wav files on the phone.  It's happening on all android devices after you install Spotify.  FIX IT and quit blaming the manufacturers!!!

[CrikeyTonight]

This is nonsense. There's an option to turn off local playback but it always turns back on. Installing a different app is no sort of solution. Spotify need to fix this bug.

[TomTomtom2x]

this is still nothing spotify can fix ... spotify just tells android "i can play audio files" (which is a totally legitimate claim, and no taking over, it's offering service).

Problem is android is not considering the internal fallback player as an audio app on its own, so as soon as any other audio app is present and offering services, that's assigned to handle audio files by android. if that app is spotify, spotify will be asked by android to play the file. if it's any other app, it will be that app to play audio files. if there are several apps available that offer to play audio files, the user can choose one per event or per default.

there is no way spotify could fix this, even if they wanted to.

[CrikeyTonight]

Rubbish. My Samsung has a perfectly adequate player installed that would open by default when audio files were selected.

Thanks to your advocacy though I've decided to uninstall the Spotify app.  

Give this man a bonus.

[TomTomtom2x]

i love it if people are asking for a solution, ignoring the cause and insisting on having it solved anyway, calling people stupid wo point the right direction ...

anyway: now that you have uninstalled spotify you are half way in finding out yourself.

There is no audio capable app installed anymore. Android now handles these files internally because no app claims to be able to handle wav files now.

Now just for checking out the point User "Calb" made above: install VLC player, that is an audio/video player too. then try to open your wav file, watch and learn how now VLC "hijacks" your wav files just like spotify did before. Ignore that this is a flaw in filehandling in android, go to the VLC forum and demand that this problem is solved PRONTO!