ADS DANGEROUSLY LOUD = LAWSUIT

[Keebs]

My Issue:

Your ads are dangerously loud. I get that you need to have ads to support the free version but the volume is CRIMINAL. You're going to damage someone's hearing. it's 2020 for crying out loud, don't tell me you can't control it. The freaking Charmin commercial is literally 1.5 times the current volume and hurts my head every time it comes on. I will never buy Charmin toilet paper just because of these damn ads, I've developed a hate for them not because they suck but because the ads hurt my ears. If my hearing is damaged SPOTIFY is going to be enjoying a very large class action LAWSUIT.

Plan

Free

Country

USA

Device

iPhone XS Max

[OneByBoo]

Hi there @Keebs,

thanks for posting about this !

I would like to suggest you read a bit more about it and may even find a solution for it within this thread.

You'll be able to see a few comments by various users and comments by Spotify officials.

Hope this will help.

Let me know if there's anything else i kind provide you with 🙂

[Keebs]

Hi @OneByBoo 

I appreciate the effort but to be honest, this isn't good enough. This isn’t my software it’s theirs. They are aware of this issue by now and frankly I resent having to even post about it. At best it’s laziness on Spotify’s part at worst it’s intentional and should be criminal. Regardless it’s dangerous and I’m getting freaking tired of my ears hurting. #suespotify

[Saldichiaps]

I sustained some hearing damage due to an ad that was much much louder than what the music was set to. I submitted a claim with the BBB regarding this. I am going to see if I can contact an attorney also since there is no warning in their terms of service.

[Lunatunes]

I think Spotify ads are abusive of their customers and if someone starts a class action lawsuit, I would love to be a part of it

[ToobiKenobi]

I’m so close to uninstall the app everywhere I got it. It can’t be that they didn’t manage to adjust the loudness of ads after 3 years (since your post until now)… 

It’s an indictment. 

[Rickster3]

I absolutely agree with your comments i too am seeking legal advice regarding the volume level of ads that suddenly cut in as i have suffered very painful levels and i`m sure their paying sponsors and advertisers will not want to be associated with this kind of activity .     

[Myrthrax]

Absolutely criminal.

Not sure if it's related to the normalization that I use (lowest) but I have to reduce Spotify volume to half, just to have the same loudness of ad volume as I had with the loud heavy metal song I was playing before it. It's even worse when I listen to classical and set the volume higher than usual to listen to the full range of the recording. Sudden ad that's 2x as loud as my music is and should be considered criminal. It effing hurts when they blast it into your ears. I'm listening at highest safe levels, DO NOT DARE TO EXCEED THAT VOLUME. It's almost like an attempt to do harm to my hearing and I will not tolerate it. There is nothing in the Terms and Conditions that Spotify is allowed to take control over my volume level or exceed it as they wish, especially above the safe level. Something like that can easily affect someone's health, and it's unacceptable.

Seeing it wasn't fixed in over 12 years suggests to me it's a malicious intent, not a bug or accident.

I'd love to get a notification and join the lawsuit, if someone capable of creating it finds this thread.

Either that or I'll create one when my hearing suffers from the ad volume that doesn't follow my settings and preferences. Good luck with weaseling out of this one if I get it confirmed on my medical record.

Do you really need someone to get permanently hurt and pull out of your pocket few Millions $ (or way more than that if done through a class action lawsuit) to implement a single rule that says that Ads have to stay at safe for hearing volume levels? Do you need someone to tell you how bad is exceeding the safe listening level? Do you know it can result in permanent damage?

Give it to interns, make them implement one more logic layer between the app and the ad supplied by the agency and make them follow the same rules as music does - respecting normalization and volume slider. It will be done in one month, and you'll be less evil towards your own customers.