Sync player progress between devices

[Gralov]

When I work I listen to spotify on my PC (windows, but it doesn't seem to matter). When I'm done working I close my computer, head out the office and pick up my phone (Android, but it doesn't seem to matter) and continue listening. However if I do it like this, I will not pick up where I left of on my PC. It will pick up where I left of on the phone in the morning heading to work, which could be several podcasts back.
Workaround: before I close the PC, I must start the spotify app on my android device, make sure whatever I'm listening on the PC is playing. This seems to be the only way to synchronize the progress between devices. It's the same thing the other way around. And I usually forget it. Is it supposed to be like this?

[Lyubka]

Hey @Gralov,

Thank you for reaching out here in the Community.

We can confirm that the behavior where the app is not picking up the last song/podcasts you listened to on a different device is expected, since the last played song is saved is in the app's cache. So, let us add some insights.

The workaround that you've found is called the Connect feature and when you use it - one of your devices recognizes the song that's being played on the other one, the playback will align between the two devices.

On another note, when you listen to music independently on each device and you close the app, since there's no connection between the apps, you'll see the last song played on that specific device. This is expected for now, and this is due to the cache memory of your devices. Keep in mind that the cache stores data on the device you're using, not in your account.

Hope this clears things up. If you have any questions or need anything else, the Community is here for you.

[bendavis78]

I disagree this works "like expected". As a user, I would expect to be able to pick up from where I left off on another device. Some podcasts can be several hours long, and it's annoying having to A) figure out which episode you were on and B) what timestamp you were at. This is a problem that needs to be fixed, or at least put on the roadmap. The workaround doesn't seem like much of a solution. What if I'm listening to an episode in my car infotainment system, and I want to continue the episode on my home or work PC?

[sal77]

I agree with bendavis78. I have the same issue with audiobooks—their progress doesn't sync across devices, unlike other audiobook players. I also want to suggest a feature that automatically rewinds to the beginning of your current sentence when you pause the podcast or audiobook and start playing.

[fredkidgmail]

- Plan
Premium
- Country
Brazil
- Device
Notebook dell
Moto g(8) power lite
- Operating System
Windows 10
Android 10
- Version
Spotify for Windows (64 bit)
1.2.33.1039.g8ddb5918
Spotify for Android
8.9.22.539

- My Question or Issue
Since my last updates, everytime I'm listening on on device (notebook or cellphone), and try to change to play on the other device, the current playing list is lost, like if I was not playing nothing before...

[crazyflower432]

If I start playing something on my laptop with the Spotify app and then later on try to pick up where I left off on my phone or another device, the playback progress in a podcast, playlist or audiobook doesn't sync. It starts from wherever I left off on that single device and not from my actual progress on any device while logged into my account. If I was listening to something completely different, then that is usually what's showing as now playing instead of what I was actually listening to most recently on my account.

I'm not talking about items that have been downloaded for offline use either. Happens no matter what type of content I'm listening too. It's really annoying.

[Er00]

My experience with this is particularly frustrating because my short commute means I often end up listening to the same music essentially on a loop...

Imagine a playlist with tracks A-Z:

* Drive to work, hear A-C

* Listen at work D-Y

* Drive back home, hear C-E

* Drive to work, hear F-H

* Listen at work, I-Z

* Rinse and repeat...

It does seem like opening Spotify on my phone while I'm here syncs now playing, but it's not particularly user friendly to require someone to remember to open Spotify on their phone when listening to the last song of their day.

For my use case it would be preferable to *either* sync both ways or neither way - having separate playlists at different points on different devices would be hugely preferable to the current one-way sync.

[#8]

When i listen on my phone and after that i switch to spotify on pc i can pick up the songs where i left them but when i try to switch to phone after listening on pc it doesnt remember the last song played on pc and i cant pick up on the same songs i was listening. I saw once or twice when opening the android app a popup saying that spotify its offline for like 1 or 2 seconds