Songs don’t play unless they have been liked

[Masonp12704]

Plan

Premium

Country

US

Device

IPhone 11

Operating System

iOS 13.6

Question or Issue

When I go to an album to play a song that has not been downloaded it won’t play. It gets stuck in a screen like the first picture I attached. However I can like and then immediately unlike the song and it will play. Saving it doesn’t immediately download it either so I don’t think it’s a connection issue. 

[Masonp12704]

Hey folks,

Thanks for posting here 🙂

In order to narrow this issue down, we'll need more info about it. Could you provide us with the following info:

• On which device do you experience this issue? (model, OS version)
• Exact Spotify version that is running on your device.
• Steps to reproduce, including the URI of the specific track/album.
• When did you start noticing this?
• If cleaning up the hosts file changes anything?
• Are there any changes when you try switching the Canvas setting on mobile?
• Are you using an SD card? If so, are there any changes, when you try removing it, reinstall Spotify and then try running the app without the SD?
• Additional troubleshooting steps you've tried so far.

Keep us in the loop! We'll be right here if you have any questions.

[Billy-J]

Hey @Masonp12704, thanks for reaching out to the Community!

Could you try restarting your device? If that doesn't help, try a clean reinstall of the app following these steps.

If you're still having trouble, let me know what device this happens on, as well as the current software version. 

Let me know how this goes!

[LoganRichards]

I'm having the same problem, have had it for months, and it isn't fixed by reinstalling. The current software version is 8.5.85.836. Thanks.

[Mihail]

Hey @LoganRichards,

Thanks for reaching out.

Just to confirm, have you tried a clean reinstall of the Spotify app on your device? We recommend the steps in that guide, as they’re very thorough and make sure no damaged leftover files remain. These changes tend to solve issues like the one you're experiencing. Give your device a quick restart as well before you open the newly installed app.

If that doesn't fix thing could you let us know if the issue persists when you log in on another device or with a friend or family members account?

Keep us posted, we’ll keep an eye out for your reply.

[jferrari]

I’ve been having the same problem for months and on multiple devices.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iOS 14.3. Latest updates. Have done a clean install multiple times and logged in and out.

[Jeremy]

Hey there @jferrari,

Thank you for your reply and confirmation.

Can you log in with another account to see if the issue persist? 

It would also be great if you can try with another internet connection.

Keep us posted 🙂

Cheers!

[jferrari]

I don’t have another account to login with. I have tried it on probably 10+ networks both WiFi and mobile data.

[Jeremy]

Hey again @jferrari,

Thank you for your reply.

Can you create a new account and see if the issue persist?

Take care!

[jferrari]

Works better but still a similar issue with a delay when pressing a song. Difference between accounts is that it eventually plays on the new one. 

[Jeremy]

Hey again @jferrari,

Thank you for the troubleshooting you've done so far.

Does this occur on one specific device or multiple devices?

Can you try the following:

• Soft reset of the device
• Ensure the operating system is up-to-date
• Ensure device has enough storage space

Keep us posted.

Cheers!

[MrEasilyAmused]

I’m having the exact same issue & have attempted a reinstall with the same problems persisting.

iOS 14.3

iPhone 12 Pro Max 

Spotify version 8.5.96.967

it has been happening for as long as I can recall but it’s getting to the point where it’s no longer enjoyable looking for new music because artists albums just don’t play. 

[Eni]

Hi @MrEasilyAmused, 

Thanks for getting in touch about this. 

Just to confirm, did you follow these specific steps to reinstall the app on your phone? This one is more thorough than a normal one. 

Additionally, we suggest that you check if there's any pending update of your device's OS.

On another note, could you let us know if this is happening only with the downloaded content or when you're streaming too?

We'll keep an eye out for your reply 🙂

[MrEasilyAmused]

ITS CANVAS!!

Having it turned on was not only not letting me play album songs for some reason but also causing low audio quality!  

[MrEasilyAmused]

Turning it off fixed the problem immediately! I’m so relieved... I was about to give up, especially because the audio quality sounded like **bleep**. I have a great data plan and am usually on 5G or WiFi and for some reason still had these problems regardless of data speeds (400+ Mbps at home)

[CarlosE]

Hey @MrEasilyAmused,

Thanks for getting back in touch.

We're glad to know it was sorted out for you.

However, the Canvas feature shouldn't be causing this issue. If you'd like to keep using the Canvas feature without it having an impact on the app's overall performance, make sure that the Data saver is turned off within the app's Settings. This would also help with the audio quality, which you can also modify in the app's Settings and adjust it according to your connection.

Also, make sure that there aren't any battery optimization or data saver options enabled for Spotify in your phone's settings.

We hope this helps. If you have any questions, give us a shout.

Cheers!

[MrEasilyAmused]

Oh, I definitely don’t think it should have been causing that either, especially because I checked all my data settings and made sure to have all cellular allowed and the highest kbps for streaming and download. However, my Spotify app, even with a reinstall/reboot/cache clear, streams music at a lower quality sound rate and doesn’t allow me to select album songs from artists without saving them first when it’s turned on, so it’s probably worth looking into.

[Mtiracer13]

Having the same exact issue for months. Turned off canvas and was immediately able to click on and listen to songs that weren’t downloaded or already liked. 

I wanted to see what happened if I turned canvas feature back on and oddly the issue did not come back.  Will keep you posted. 

iPhone 12 Pro on 14.3 iOS 

[MrEasilyAmused]

Are you going to look into it? I’d like to turn it back on at some point but it’s causing problems, and I’m sure I’m not the only user. 

[Alex]

Hi there folks,

Thanks for your replies.

What we'd recommend is that you try and create a new free test account, and check whether you can play music from that one while the canvas feature is enabled.

Canvas should not be the root cause of this issue itself. However it's a feature still in testing.

Keep us posted on how you get on.

[Mtiracer13]

I went ahead ahead and Re enabled it and haven’t had a problem since.

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