Podcast video not working

[Edza20]

Plan

Premium

Country

UK

Device

iPhone 13

Operating System

iOS 16.4.1

My Question or Issue

I have never had issues watching videos on Spotify but for some reason they have recently stopped.

I can’t watch any videos or podcasts.

I’ve checked all the audio quality settings etc and cannot understand why they aren’t working any longer.

[Alex]

Hi there @Edza20,

Welcome to the Community!

Are videos not working on all of your devices and for all podcasts?

Also, let us know what troubleshooting you've done so far, so we can offer more relevant advice.

Cheers.

[Edza20]

Hi Alex,

I only have the one device that I use and it has, up until very recently, been ok. I can’t watch any videos from other podcasts either.

I have tried every troubleshooting article I’ve read; I’ve checked all the settings to do with data, video playback etc and they’re all fine. I’ve also uninstalled completely and deleted all data before reinstalling. Still no video. The only thing I can think of that set this off was that, after cancelling my payment card due to fraudulent use I forgot to update the payment settings. My subscription then ran out so I restarted it on the same payment plan with my new card. But since then i have not been able to watch videos.

[Lyubka]

Hey @Edza20,

Thanks for getting back to us.

This indeed sounds odd and we'll do our best to help you out.

Could you please test this with a different account? If a family member has a Spotify account, it'd be great to ask them to log in on your device to see if they'll be able to watch video podcasts. This will help us understand if it's account related or not. 

We'd also recommend giving this a try on a different network, for example try to connect to another Wi-Fi or test with a hotspot network (if possible). 

In case the issue persists, could you please share with us the exact Spotify version you're currently running? Any screenshots you can provide will also be helpful as this way we can take a closer look. 
 

We'll be on the lookout for your update. 

[Edza20]

Hi there.

I don’t have any other accounts to try on my device unfortunately. I’ve tried it on different cellular and wifi networks and it’s not working on either. 
I am using version 8.8.34.497

I have no idea what else to do! I don’t really know what sort of screenshots I could show you…. When I play a podcast it just has the podcast logo as the background rather than video.

[Alex]

Hey there @Edza20,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Can you go into your Spotify app settings > Video Podcasts > turn On Stream Audio Only. Restart the app and turn this setting to Off again and check if the videos start playing.

If that doesn't do the trick, please create a new free account for test purposes and check if the podcast videos play on that one. This way you can test if the issue is account or device related.

Keep us posted on how you get on.

[Edza20]

Seems to be working now! Thanks!

[Alex]

Hey @Edza20,

Glad to hear this worked 🙂

Cheers.

[Legaga]

Hi

i have the same problem but NOTHING works. But whyyyy??????? Helppp

[Eni]

Hey @Legaga, 

Thanks for getting in touch about this and welcome to the Community! 

Could you let us know which troubleshooting steps you've already tried? That way we can avoid repeating any steps. 

Are you experiencing this across devices or only on a specific one? Is this happening with all podcasts that contain video?

We'll be waiting for your reply. 

[Legaga]

So I had few steps. I restarted the app, I deleted it and reinstalled it again but nothing works (on my iPhone). So I went to 'Data Saver' and turned under 'Video Podcast' "Downloading audio only" and "Stream audio only" on and off but nothing works. I even cleared my cache. I created a new account but it still does not work. On my laptop too.

[MihailY]

Hey @Legaga,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Please also send us links to the podcasts you've tested this with and let us know if it works on a different device.

Cheers,

[Legaga]

Hi.

It also does not work on a different device. 

Here is the link for example:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4kVKRIfMcHMfqRKcyhH3cm?si=3lieD0uNSk2bEjgdgamrmQ

[luckap]

Hi, I am having the same issue and have had it in the past. Here is when:

I download a podcast to listen to on the road. I come home and want to turn on video. I remove download. It takes some effort to get the video going.

Today however I am trying to play episode 2016 PBD on the JRE podcast and the video just won't start. I have removed download. All other videos are playing. Just this one episode, the video is not playing. It was playing just fine this morning before I downloaded the episode. But after I downloaded it and then removed download, no matter what I do, the video just won't play. I have an android.

[ajiprihastono]

Hi

Same problem here. I have tried all steps mentioned in this forum but nothing works. Please help. Family premium, 1 android phone device

[MihailY]

Hey folks,

Apologies for the late reply.

@Legaga, the podcast you've linked is audio-only. Can you send us a different one?

@luckap, try clean reinstalling the app and see if the issue persists.

@ajiprihastono, what's the podcast you're trying to play?

Keep us posted.

[muhammadkorra]

I'm having the same issue. I tried

1. reinstalling the app 
2. clear the cache and retry
3. activate and deactivate stream audio only setting
4. activate and deactivate download audio only
5. Downloaded the podcast while "download audio only is OFF". 

still i only get audio playback. I'm trying to watch "The Joe Rogan Experience" since videos are not posted to YouTube anymore and that's a complete bummer. I'm so frustrated that I canceled my subscription I don't know how is that useful but I'm kinda angry

[nybulls14]

Same thing happening here. I can't stream the Higher Learning podcast with Van Lathan/Rachel Lindsay (which posts video podcasts) at all, and the only way I can listen is if I put my settings on "download audio only" and then download it. Otherwise I get a "playback failed" error.

https://open.spotify.com/show/4hI3rQ4C0e15rP3YKLKPut?si=6E1kIUOcQJ63yAZ0JmbjYg

I have tried all suggested solutions:

1. Reinstall the app
2. Clear cache
3. Activate/deactivate stream/download audio only setting
4. Downloaded podcast when download audio only setting was OFF

[ARTsART]

Hello,

I'm experiencing a similar issue. I recently joined as a new member and downloaded the app on both my phone and computer approximately two days ago. However, I'm unable to watch podcasts with video content. For instance, when I try to watch any episode of the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE), there's no video available.

I did manage to find a video switch button once, but it was only when I used the website version. Unfortunately, a message popped up, indicating that the podcasts are available for audio download only.

I've attempted all the solutions mentioned above, such as toggling the stream/download audio-only setting and downloading podcasts when the download audio-only setting was turned off.

Interestingly, all these settings were switched off, except for Canvas, which was on.

As a last resort, I even uninstalled and reinstalled the apps.

However, now even on the web version, I can no longer find the button to enable video playback.

Could you please assist me with resolving this issue?

[Eni]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for getting in touch about this and apologies for the delayed reply. 

@muhammadkorra, could you let us know if you can't see the video while you're streaming either or only when you download the episodes? On another note, does this happen across devices or only on a specific one? 

@nybulls14, just to confirm, are you having the same issue with other podcasts as well or only with the one you mentioned? Additionally, could you send us a screenshot of the error message you're getting? You can attach it to your next response by using the Insert image option in the post editor. Make sure not to send any private info.

@ARTsART, based on the error message you received while trying to watch the podcast video, it's possible that this feature is not available at your location. The Spotify Content team is always working on bringing as much content as possible to every country, but we're afraid we don't have an official timeline when this might happen. In this case, we suggest that you keep the app up to date so you don't miss out on any improvements. 

We'll be on the lookout.