topic Sync player progress between devices in Other (Podcasts, Partners, etc.)

Sync player progress between devices

Gralov — Mon, 06 Mar 2023 07:14:48 GMT

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?

Re: Sync player progress between devices

Lyubka — Tue, 07 Mar 2023 14:14:24 GMT

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.

Re: Sync player progress between devices

bendavis78 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 17:51:18 GMT

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?

Re: Sync player progress between devices

user-removed — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 17:43:09 GMT

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.

current playing list is lost when changing from cellphone to desktop (and vice-versa)

fredkidgmail — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 11:49:48 GMT

- 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...

Playback progress across devices does not sync.

crazyflower432 — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:20:15 GMT

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.

Re: Sync player progress between devices

Er00 — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 15:28:59 GMT

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.

recently played doesnt sync between 2 different devices

Wed, 11 Sep 2024 21:48:43 GMT

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

Re: Podcast progress lost when switching devices

ezokruhlik — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:46:04 GMT

I have this same issue when switching between devices and disconnecting from Android Auto.

Re: Sync player progress between devices

Shmuelman — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:59:14 GMT

I have the identical problem. I listen to audiobooks in my Tesla. The player does not show the playing position=, I suppose to be minimalist and cool. When I attempt to pick it up on another device, I have to play “go fish” because I can’t tell where I left off. If I switch between my phone and iPad, I usually forget to check where I left off anyway.

Re: Podcast are not sync between different devices

lauretty — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:16:45 GMT

Still not working many years later, shameful disservice

Re: Podcast are not sync between different devices

Yordan — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 13:41:38 GMT

Hey folks,

We appreciate your feedback on this.

Such discrepancies may sometimes occur due to corrupted cache on your device. It's worth performing a clean reinstall of the app to rule this out and ensure you're running the latest version of Spotify available. If you're using any battery- or data optimization settings, check if adding Spotify as an exception helps alleviate the issue, as such settings may interfere with and hinder the app's performance.

Something else you can try is rebooting your network/router or testing with another network, if possible. For example, you can ask a friend or a relative to create a mobile hotspot for you to test with. In case you're using a VPN, I'd suggest disabling it to see if that does the trick.

Hope this helps! Cheers 🤘

Recently played items are not getting synchronized.

C0mputerRFD — Sat, 15 Nov 2025 12:00:20 GMT

Plan

Premium

Country

Device

Iphone, ipad, laptop

My Question or Issue

my recently played items are not getting synchronized across all devices I have with same account.

if I finished playing expresso song in one device or left at the half way mark ( see beloe picture) it should not show up on another device stuck in the beginning!!!

i want my recently played items syncing again. This happened after one of the recent updates and i just noticed it.

i used to be able to see what I was playing in my iphone while working in my laptop because my laptop used to show me currently playing song. It doesn’t do that anymore. This is not a feature.. it’s a function that used to work..so please can someone fix it and make it work like it used to.

sorry English is poor.

Spotify Connect not "keeping up" on Android

Pixlplague — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 20:22:42 GMT

Device

Pixel 6

Operating System

Android 16

So... I use Spotify on a variety of devices: Xbox, iPad, PC and obviously my Android phone. I also rely on Spotify Connect quite a bit to control my music but also to move from device to device and keep the same PL or shuffle play going (at least, that's the idea).

All of my devices sync up just fine, but NOT my Adroid.

Say I listen to a track on my iPad, I pause and change rooms, turn on my Xbox: it'll see right away the last track that was playing on the iPad. Reverse as well. Same with PC and reverse. But NOT my phone!! If I open the Spotify app on my phone while another app is playing, then it will sync up after a few seconds; but if it's not playing anywhere - just paused or has been inactive for a bit - then my stupid phone won't see whatever state my account was in and just resume wherever it last stopped playing.

To keep it "in sync" I need to keep the phone on and the app in the foreground. Otherwise, bupkis.

Now I can already hear people telling me to turn off battery optimization: already did! Actually, I turned off pretty much every possible hurdle to the app not working right: battery optimization, data in background, manage app and so on. I still see the Spotify task running, it's draining battery, but it refuses to play well with other devices.

Am I missing something? It's really starting to annoy me...

Thanks!

Re: Sync player progress between devices

Kwanjangnim — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 19:11:39 GMT

I have same experience. Bought new Apple Watch because I supposed that behavior was linked to hardware issue. It is not. My workaround is to have a separate audiobook for each device. Experience when using Apple audio books is superior sync is seamless and works always.