App crashes / freezes / doesn't load, even after 8.8.82 update

[gogmagog]

Updated to 8.8.82, updated to iOS 17.1 and still have the exact same issues as addressed in this thread. The app is 99% unusable: crashes midway through every song, doesn't load playlists, freezes constantly. I'm on an iPhone 13, Premium plan, USA. Never had issues like this before.

I see the comments on that thread saying its fixed and I'm starting to feel like this isn't going away. It's been about a month since I've been able to use the app properly.

[Joan]

Hi there @gogmagog,

Thanks for reaching out. Could you let us know what troubleshooting you've tried so far? If you haven't already, perform a clean reinstall and see if that fixes the issue. 

Let us know how it goes.

[Gauchosdad]

I’ve been troubleshooting this for 3 months with no resolution. Everyone else seems to be having success with the new update my IOS app crashes if I navigate away from Spotify. Spotify support of no help — just an endless “clean install loop”. Clean install does seem to help for an hour or two, so I’m think it’s a cache issue, but problem reoccurs every single time.

Does not occur if I log in as someone else on my iOS device. Seems to be attached just to my account.

[carolchristmas]

Same. I have to use Spodify web player on my ipad. Just to make it work without crashing. Which isn't amazing because I have to reload the page anytime I want to change the song. Frustrating. Especially when I do alllllll the things they say to do. Clean, reinstall, clear cache, everything the same issues. This has been going on since May for me. Completely frustrating. It is the same loop of troubleshooting advice.

[Joan]

Hi @carolchristmas,

Thanks for the reply. 

Can you confirm the following:

1. Does the issue happen on other devices besides the iPad?
2. Does it happen on different networks, both Wi-Fi and mobile data?
3. Does it happen with different accounts? Try logging in with the account of someone you know or by making a new one and see if the issue persists.

This will help us investigate this further. Let us know how it goes.

[carolchristmas]

Yup I've done all of that, it happens on my Samsung galaxy 22 ultra if I
skip a lot. I can get by if I don't skip. My iPad I've done it all. I went
through 4hrs of tech support in May or June. It did nothing.

[Elena]

Hey there @Gauchosdad 

Thanks for reaching out!

Can you try clearing the cache that's saved within the app? This action won't require a reinstall, but will still clear stored data.

Also, do you have any cache clearing or battery optimization apps installed on your device? These apps can sometimes affect the functions of other apps that are being used.

It's worth double-checking if Spotify is allowed to run in the background as well. You should be able to see this in the device settings.

Should you still experience issues, could let us know your device's model and version of the operating system? Your current Spotify version would be helpful as well.

Keep us posted on how it goes!

[rossedens]

Plan

Premium

Country

UK

Device

(iPhone 13 Pro Max)

Operating System

(iOS 17.1)

My Question or Issue

After resetting my iphone (Factory reset), I re-downloaded Spotify from the App Store.  When I try and open the Spotify app, it immediately closes (but it is still running in background). Trying to access the app again results in the app crashing. I can't even make it to the login screen of the app. I have tried a clean reinstall of Spotify and checking background refresh is on, nothing helps. After several re-downloads, it still displays same behaviour. Is there anything else I can try or can you help identify the root cause?

[Elena]

Thanks for keeping us posted @carolchristmas!

Could you double-check if there's an update available for your device's operating system to make sure it's up-to-date?
 

Also, to confirm, do you notice any difference if you log in to another Spotify account on your iPad? Are you able to listen directly through the device, without being connected to any speakers or headphones?

However, since you've already tried quite some troubleshooting, we're starting to suspect that the issues you're experiencing might lie within the particular set up.

Let us know how you get on.

[carolchristmas]

I've changed nothing since i started using Spotify. Nothing for the past 3
years. So my set up is not the issue its the app. With or without a speaker
it happens. I've done allllll of what you are going to suggest. If my set
up was the issue i would have been having these issues since 2020. For
rifht now the app seems to be working fine but all I'm listening to right
now is white noise at night.

[gogmagog]

Joan -- 

I've tried everything. Reinstalled countless times, tried using WiFi / cell service, cleaned up storage on phone. Updated iOS, updated Spotify, used CarPlay, turned off CarPlay. 

I just realized that in addition to all of this, songs aren't downloading for offline listening. This app is 99% unusable on iPhone. I've used it since 2013 and never had any issues like this for as long as this (a month).

[Eni]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for your replies. 

@carolchristmas, could you check if the OS of your device has any pending updates? 

@gogmagog, would you mind giving a different internet connection a go to see if this makes the difference? If the issue persists, could you ask a friend or a relative to log in to their account on your device to see if they can replicate this behavior? 

We'll be on the lookout.

[Gauchosdad]

Hello -

Yes, I've cleared cache & hard reinstalled about 100 times at this point.

I don't have an 3rd party cache clearing or battery saving apps.

Spotify is allowed to run in the background.

I just updated to Spotify's new update 8.8.86.157

I'm on an iphone 12 pro running iOS 17.1.1.

This issue has been occuring uninterrupted since late August.

[Gauchosdad]

I am in your same boat. Spotify has been unusable since August.

I've tried everything. Hard reinstalled over 100x.

Running newest version of spotify and newest version of ios.

App crashes if left in background for 30 seconds.

I've deleted every other app off my phone just to make sure there were no app on app complications, and still spotify is 100% unstable. 

When I've spoken with support and logged on with a spotify test account, the issue is cleared. When I re-log on as myself, the issue reappears.

Again, it's been going on for over 100 days.

[Joan]

Hi @Gauchosdad,

Thanks for the reply. 

Since you said the issue is not present with the support team's test account, that means it's something on your own account that is causing these issues. Do you happen to have a lot of playlists in your library, both ones you've created and ones from other people? If you have several thousand playlists, while the app can generally handle that, the more you have, the more the performance is likely to degrade. If you do in fact have a very large library, we recommend downsizing it as much as you can, this should definitely bring a noticeable improvement to the overall app behaviour and it should be more like what you saw on the test account.

Hope this helps.

[Gauchosdad]

Actually, this does really help.

I’ve had the same Spotify account since 2007 when it was in beta. I’m
betting I have 5000+ playlists. What should I try to trim it to? Is there a
way to mass delete playlists?

Thanks!

[Eni]

Hey there @Gauchosdad, 

Thanks for getting back to us. 

We're afraid at the moment there isn't an option to select multiple playlists and delete them. It seems however that other users also requested this to be changed and posted this idea. We recommend that you +VOTE it to show your support. We'll share any updates on the matter there, as soon as there are any, so it's worthwhile that you also subscribe.

The Idea Exchange is a great way for us to see what our users are interested in and how many people like a certain idea. Check out this FAQ to learn more about it. 

If you need a hand with anything else, the Community is here for you.

[briantroy]

Same situation. Crashes on every device but ONLY when playing back locally. If I move playback to a sonos speaker no crash. Bluetooth headphones, crash. Happens on 2 ipads and 2 iphones. I'll look at trimming down the number of playlists I have - but that seems like a hack not a fix.

I'll also note that my iPhone 14 pro gets very hot while playing before the crash happens.

And yes, multiple reinstalls of the application at this point...

[briantroy]

So... I just figured this out. If I turn off my ad blocker it stops crashing. Everything seems to load faster as well. I want to be clear - this is not a solution - Spotify needs to sort this or at a minimum tell me which domains to clear for Home announcements so the app functions (the app shouldn't max out the device and crash if it can't load home screen ads).