Podcast not syncing between devices and restarting from beginning

[djchrisray]

For a while now my downloaded podcasts on ios do not sync correctly between devices such as my iPad or Mac laptops. I utilize downloaded podcasts on my iPhone and would like to switch between devices when I am on the go or at home. However the playback time does not sync between devices. A lot of the times when I listen to a podcast on my iPhone. Spotify will automatically switch playback to my Mac at home and then restart the podcast from the beginning resulting in me having to scroll back to where I was. I have signed out of devices, reinstalled, updated. Nothing seems to make a difference. This is a terrible experience for an application I pay monthly to utilize.

[OscarDC]

Hey @djchrisray,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community.

If you're listening to downloaded content in offline mode, it's expected that the playback doesn't sync with other devices since the app is not online streaming the content. However, playback switching between devices is not an expected behavior if the other device is not active.

We appreciate the troubleshooting you've done so far, but to be sure that we're on the same page - did you use the steps for a clean reinstall mentioned in this article? They are more thorough than a regular one. That way you can make sure the cache is not causing this issue. If so, and the issue persists, would you mind.

Also, to continue investigating the case, have you noticed if this happens with music or other podcasts as well?

We'll be on the lookout.

[djchrisray]

Hi Oscar, Apologies for the delayed reply. 

The issue has not been resolved following a clean install. I performed a clean install on all of my devices and Spotify continues to switch to my mac at home when I connect to bluetooth on my car. 

I continually have to change the device back to my phone however this usually leads to the podcast showing that I have not started the episode and I need to scrub back to where I was. So I lose progress on the episode. This is true for downloaded and online podcasts. I do not seem to have the issue with regular music. 

I can't seem to find a workaround besides having to "forget" my mac at home which of course signs me out and I would need to resign into Spotify on my mac at home. 

I confirmed the device is not active as I am not home when this happens. I am always off my wifi when this occurs. 

All devices are up to date with OS and Spotify versions. 

[Eni]

Hi there @djchrisray, 

Thanks for your reply. 

We've been receiving similar reports recently about this and we're gathering more info in this thread. In this case, could you send the info I'm asking for in this comment on that thread? We'll pass it to the right teams who are currently looking into this. 

Thanks! 

[djchrisray]

Just added to the thread. Thank you.

[Mapz1]

I have a similar problem but not quite the same. When I play on my laptop, it perfectly sync's with my phone, but it doesn't work the other way around.

If I play 5 minutes on my laptop, it shows immediately on my phone. But if I play another 5 minutes on my phone now, it won't show on my laptop.

Also for some reason my laptop's Spotify can see my device "IN2013", but it does not identify Spotify on it for some reason (I do have it installed on my mobile). However this time, the other way around works. My mobile's Spotify can see my laptop.

[Mapz1]

Okay just noticed that it says "Get premium", but the first issue is still there. Although I don't understand why I need premium to switch TO my phone, but not FROM my phone.