Podcasts don't play on Mac

[gvshksai]

Mac Monterey. Was playing a podcast on iPhone and then switched it over to play on Mac. It does not work. Uninstall/reinstalled the app but no go. I am now AirPlay-ing from iPhone to Mac but that's not ideal. Help please.

Also, noticed "test message" buttons. Not sure what they do. See pics.

[Alex]

Hey @gvshksai,

Thanks for the post.

We'd recommend running a clean reinstall of the app on your Mac. Please follow the steps from this Spotify Guide exactly, as this will assure that all app data is cleared completely, before reinstalling.

If the issue persists, can you let us know if this is happening only when you play podcasts via Spotify Connect through the iPhone or when you start playback directly from the computer.

Cheers.

[gvshksai]

Hi Alex,

Thank you for getting back to me. I followed the instructions, cleared app data and did a clean reinstall of the app. I can now play podcasts on Mac. This should be all set now.

Please close this case.

[Eni]

Hey @gvshksai, 

Fantastic news! Give us a shout if it starts misbehaving again; we're always here to help.

Have a good one 🙂 

[polutropon]

Hello!

I'm having the same issue here. I thoroughly followed the rules of the clean app reinstalling, but it did not work. The problem occurs with all podcasts, and with different internet connections. Other than not being able to play podcasts, I can't download them and listen offline (of course this works with music). If I start playing the podcast with my phone and then I switch with Spotify Connect with my Mac, it stops playing.

No problems about any of this with my iPhone. I also checked for other pages of this blog, and I did everything everyone suggested (such as clearing the cache, trying with other accounts or with my phone's hotspot...). I don't want to be the Karen here, but I pay for a premium account and playing a podcast on a Mac doesn't seem rocket science to me.

I hope you guys can figure out something!

[Dessi]

Hey @polutropon,

Thanks for reaching out and kudos for all the troubleshooting you've done!

It's also worth checking if you have any pending system updates for your Mac. I'd also recommend making sure that Spotify is enabled via the firewall, as well as flushing DNS:

• Open the terminal by using Spotlight Search or by pressing Command + Space and then type Terminal. 
• Double-click the application icon for Terminal to open it. 
• Type in “sudo dscacheutil -flushcache;sudo killall -HUP mDNSResponder” without quotes 
• Enter your Mac’s password
• Press Enter to complete

Let us know how it goes.

[polutropon]

Hey Dessi,

thank you very much for your fast reply!

I did what you said and nothing changed. I still can't play most of the podcasts (some work, but most don't)...

Next step? 🥲

[Maria]

Hey @polutropon,

Thanks for giving the steps a shot!

In this case, could you double-check if clearing hosts files makes any difference? Also, do you experience the same behavior when using the Web Player?

Should this issue persist, as you mentioned that some podcasts seem to work, have you noticed if this happens with certain podcasts or episodes? Are you seeing any specific error messages when you're trying to play or download an episode?

Keep us posted on how it goes 🙂

[polutropon]

Hello!

I tried the host files and they were already ok. The issue is the same with the Web Player...

I can't really tell you the differences between the podcasts that work and the ones who don't. There is no error message, the podcast just doesn't play and the player stays at 0:00. If I move the player, it indicates the minute I selected but it stays still. The problem occurs both with very short and very long podcasts...

Ciao!

[Maria]

Hey there,

Thanks for the additional details here @polutropon - we appreciate it!

To make sure we cover all bases, as this occurs with both the desktop app and Web Player but works on your phone, could you see if there's an update available for your PC's software? It's also worth checking your device's sound drivers. 

The exact steps may vary a bit depending on the model of your Mac, but you should be able to find update by following these ones:

1. Choose Apple menu > Systems Settings.
2. Click General in the sidebar > Software Update.
3. If Software Update finds new software, click the Update Now or Upgrade Now button to install it.
4. After the Mac is updated, reopen the Spotify app/Web Player.

Also, if you're using any VPN, make sure to switch it off, as it could interfere with the app performance.

We'll keep an eye out for your reply!

[polutropon]

Hi Maria, 

my computer is at the last update and I'm not using any VPN!

[OscarDC]

Hey @polutropon,

Thank you for keeping in contact.

To continue investigating this internally, would you mind including in your next response the exact OS version you're currently running on your Mac? You can check this info by following the  steps mentioned here.

Also, could you confirm if the affected device is a work computer or is your personal computer? 

Lastly, and if possible, could you record a short video where we can take a better look? You can attach it to your next response as well by using the Insert Video option in the post editor. You can also upload it to YouTube or Google Drive and share the link with us (make sure the video has the permissions for anyone to watch it).

We'll be waiting for your response.

[polutropon]

Hi Oscar, 

my Mac is OS Monterey, 12.7.6. It's MacBook Pro from 2016, so it can't be updated anymore.

However, I'm having this problem since years, and I've always kept my Mac up to date.

I confirm it's my personal computer.

Here are two videos about the issue, let me know if you can open them!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z25Oze-hl72mRFyTG1TZf3QOarrctH2C/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sWFURBFEVNIRdaRSfYXKk-SgjUMg14Gc/view?usp=sharing 

[Yordan]

Thanks for the videos @polutropon!

Interesting. I was able to play all of the episodes you showcased on my end (Windows 10). Are you having this issue with all episodes from those shows or just specific ones? Something you can try is adding it to the queue instead of playing it directly to see if that would do the trick.

It's also worth checking if the issue persists in Safe mode. More info on how to activate Safe mode can be found here.

Let us know how it goes 👍

[polutropon]

Hello!

I activated safe mode and I tried queuing the episode, still nothing.

From what I can see, all the episodes from the same podcast are entirely working or not: for example "Alessandro Barbero. La storia, le storie - Intesa San Paolo On Air" is working entirely, as "Alessandro Barbero Podcast - La storia" or "Muschio Selvaggio", while "Il podcast di Alessandro Barbero: lezioni e conferenze di storia" or "100 secondi con Enrico Mentana" do not work...

[Novy]

Hey @polutropon,

Thanks for getting back to us with this info and for your patience while we were troubleshooting this issue. 

We've reported this internally, and will make sure to get back to you once we have some info. For now, we'd suggest keeping your app up to date so you don't miss out on any developments.

Thanks again for your patience!

[Novy]

Hey @polutropon,

Thanks for your patience while the teams are looking into this. 

Would you mind sending over the links to these episodes that aren't working? We're specifically looking for the links to "Il podcast di Alessandro Barbero: lezioni e conferenze di storia" and "100 secondi con Enrico Mentana", so we can check this from our end. 

We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[polutropon]

Hi!

This is the link for 100 secondi con Enrico Mentana: https://open.spotify.com/show/1rmsvO8cAS9hqNAInBGISb?si=7e01542ab2f142a9 

This is the link for Il Podcast di Alessandro Barbero: https://open.spotify.com/show/2G4tqGffDNWKTU5oYQRg1W?si=0f1b99b352034b5b 

Thank you for your interest!

[Joan]

Hi there @polutropon ,

Thank you for all the information and your thorough replies throughout the investigation.

We'll pass everything you've provided us onto the appropriate team. Be advised however that we've been seldom able to reproduce this behaviour on our end and we cannot say for certain at the moment when or if this is going to get addressed. It does seem to be isolated to your particular set up and account as we have discovered in our troubleshooting. Keep the app up to date as to ensure you get the latest fixes and hopefully podcasts will be playing as intended very soon.

Cheers!