Playback Speed on iPhone vs Laptop

[hartmane1]

My Question or Issue

I listen to podcasts at 3.5x speed usually. Recently, I noticed that some podcasts don't allow me to listen at 3.5x speed on my iPhone while others do. Some podcast episodes are maxed at 2x speed on my iPhone but the same episode can be listened at 3.5x speed on my laptop. What is causing this difference?

[Chase101]

Same issue here!!!! So annoying. Close to canceling Spotify prepaid 

[Vasil]

Hey folks, 

Thank you for the reports and for the shared details! We've passed this on to the right team, so that they can investigate further 🙂

Keep your apps up to date & we'll keep you posted. Cheers!

[totoabdn]

Plan

Free

Country

Spain

Device

iPhone 16 Pro

Operating System

iOS 18.2.1 

My Question or Issue

 

There seems to be 2 types of podcasts: podcasts with video+audio and podcasts with audio only.

When I choose an audio only podcast (for example "The Tim Ferris Show"), and I click the speed icon, I can increase the speed up to 3.5x.

When I choose a podcast with video (for example "the drive - Peter Attia"), even if I don't watch the video and I've clicked "Switch to audio", when I click the speed icon, I can only increase the speed up to 2.0x.

Expected behavior: I can increase the speed up to 3.5x when in audio mode for video podcasts.

[totoabdn]

Thanks @Alex,
I've tried reinstalling the app following the guide, but the problem persists.

Here are 2 sample URIs where I cannot go above 2x:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hHcmGZPQac8aEdqVwIEXj?si=pizgAZ8SQpyj4ug6kjEM-Q&context=spotify%3A...

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1Zvy4dcrEwkhf2VBrJObVd?si=7QrA-FTzSqqudjF-oXtZIA&context=spotify%3A...

 

 

  

[Eni]

Hey there @totoabdn, 

Thanks for getting in touch about this here in the Community. 

We tried with the episodes you sent and we couldn't replicate this issue. In this case, would you mind asking a friend or a relative to log in to their account on your iPhone to see if they can replicate this behavior?

On another note, we'd recommend checking if the OS of your iPhone has any pending updates. Also, sending us the exact version of Spotify your iPhone's running would come in handy.

We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[totoabdn]

Hi Eni,

I've asked a friend to log in to their account on my iPhone and I can reproduce the issue (max 2x playback).

I'm on an iPhone 16 Pro and the issue comes up both with iOS 18.2 and iOS 18.3.
Spotify version is 9.0.10.409

Thanks for your help.

[totoabdn]

Btw I can reproduce the issue on my friend's phone:

iphone 12 mini
iOS 18.2.1
Spotify version 9.0.10.409

We both have a standard e-mail account (no SSO via Google or so).

This issue only affects the iOS version. I can listen at 3.5x in the Android app.

[Dessi]

Hey folks,

Thanks for the patience!

@totoabdn Thanks for trying out our suggestions and for the details you've provided!

We heard back from the team investigating this issue, but they don't have a timeline for a fix at the moment. In the meantime, make sure to always keep your apps up-to-date in order to not miss out on a future fix.

Take care.