Password Reset Due To "Suspicious Activity"

[WareNetwork2000]

Plan

Free

Country

America

Device

PC

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

Today, I was forced to reset my password by Spotify. They logged me out of my account and they sent me my E-Mail.

"To protect your Spotify account, we've reset your password due to detected suspicious activity."

What suspicious activity? There has been no suspicious activity on my account. They didn't even explain exactly what I did. They were just vague about it. When I went to change my password, Spotify wouldn't let me change it back to my old password, so I have to get used to a new password.

Has this happened to any of you? Is there any way to get Spotify to change my password back to my original password or do I have to create a new account to use my old password?

[WareNetwork2000]

Hey @JasonPotter,

Thanks for reaching out about this in the Community.

We can confirm that VPNs can cause issues such as the one you had experienced. They can mask the real IP address and device that is being used to access your account. Usually a VPN also switches between multiple IPs from different locations.

A lot of sites and services will either block known VPN IPs or can be a reason to trigger security protocols based on location and device access. In other words, using a VPN can make the security system think that your account is being accessed by multiple unknown locations, which in turn would trigger an automated password reset to your account.

Spotify does not currently block VPN usage, but we also do not support it and we can't guarantee that the service would work as expected when using one.

In case you're encountering account issues with changing your details, you can reach out to our support folks backstage and they'll take a look at things for you. Hope this helps!

[JasonPotter]

I contacted Spotify about this:

"Looking at the account associated with the email address you used in this message, we can confirm that there are no security issues or any changes in the account's information as well.
We recommend that you disconnect from any VPN services if you're using any at least while using Spotify. This usually triggers security notifications such as the one you've received. The app needs to identify your market for licensing reasons."

So VPN is the culprit. What other site forces a password reset merely because one uses a VPN?

[Alex]

Hey @JasonPotter,

Thanks for reaching out about this in the Community.

We can confirm that VPNs can cause issues such as the one you had experienced. They can mask the real IP address and device that is being used to access your account. Usually a VPN also switches between multiple IPs from different locations.

A lot of sites and services will either block known VPN IPs or can be a reason to trigger security protocols based on location and device access. In other words, using a VPN can make the security system think that your account is being accessed by multiple unknown locations, which in turn would trigger an automated password reset to your account.

Spotify does not currently block VPN usage, but we also do not support it and we can't guarantee that the service would work as expected when using one.

In case you're encountering account issues with changing your details, you can reach out to our support folks backstage and they'll take a look at things for you. Hope this helps!

[JasonPotter]

Alex 

Tell me a major site that has issues with VPN - Twitter, Facebook, Soundcloud, Youtube, Amazon, eBay, among others including online banking and retail services have no problem with VPN.

My internet access is via phone and VPN is permanently active to block ads - there's no nefarious activity and I'm not 'hiding' anything. It's only when accessing Spotify on my tethered laptop that your dumb bots are startled into a panic - Spotify on mobile presents no problem. In my experience it's only Spotify that's trigger-happy. 

[Alex]

@JasonPotter,

I am simply explaining what the Spotify security protocols take into account as "Suspicious Activity". VPN and Ad Blockers alter the regular flow of data, which is often done with malicious intent. The password reset measure is there for account security.

Spotify does not block the usage of VPN, however we don't recommend it, as I've previously explained. 

We cannot speak for other services and their rules on VPN usage, you'd have to reach out to representatives from the respective service in order to get more information about that.

Take care.

[viyaxac929]

Well, the system reset my password and I am now unable to use the service! I get an email from the password reset system, but the link is dead! Hello. No need to worry, you can reset your Spotify password by clicking the link below: Reset password.

Chrome gives this message from the link: This site can’t provide a secure connectionwl.spotify.com sent an invalid response. ERR_SSL_PROTOCOL_ERROR.

This is the error from Firefox: Secure Connection Failed. An error occurred during a connection to wl.spotify.com. Peer reports it experienced an internal error. Error code: SSL_ERROR_INTERNAL_ERROR_ALERT. The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified. Please contact the website owners to inform them of this problem.

I have cleared my cookies and cache in each browser and tried incognito mode as well, no help.

[viyaxac929]

Sorry, this was not a Spotify issue!!!! My bad. Here is the solution if you experience this as well:

pfBlockerNG will do this...because it is blocking Spotify's subdomain: wl.spotify.com. It will only display a 1x1 pixel GIF sometimes...when this is happening. Temporarily disable pfBlockerNG or any other AD blockers and you will be able to use the Password Reset System

[tlcc]

I don't think that it's acceptable that you log me out and force me to change my password just because I'm listening via tor. Please fix your system.

[Jena1982]

well, I am a paying listener that doesn't use VPN and I just received the password reset email. What is the explanation? I am literally the only one using my Spotify account.

[kavirnya]

Just start to bug the support, they'll do something about is sooner or later. Took me some months, but at the end they solved it for me.

[MarcSwing]

I have the same problem and it happens more and more often .. extremely frustrating .... implement a 2 way authentication system instead so you do not have to keep on coming up with a new password every week .. Because this is just amateurish

[Cosandk]

Well, i was asleep and i got the dreaded email just now. 

How come i got that here, when there is nothing wrong with my account, but yet a few years ago, nothing was being done about how my account was randomly playing music i *dont listen to* without me? I stopped using spotify for YEARS because of how bad it was. Id be sleeping and screamo was start blasting at full volume! It was definitely a spotify issue cuz no other app i had was having issues. Nah..that didnt trigger a pass reset, but doing nothing did? 

This is still broken

[The_real_will]

First off to begin with I read some of the previous posts but not all of them. I’m having the exact same issue except I literally only ever use three devices all of which have been logged in for months now with no issue. Tried listening like normal (like I’ve been doing for months now) and it wasn’t logged in. Tried my password and no luck. Went to my email and saw they reset it themselves. No explanation of the “suspicious activity”.

I saw on one of the posts that the problem was fixed for them about bugging Spotify for weeks about it. I’d rather not go that route but am prepared to wage a phone call war with customer service to keep this from happening again. Ridiculous that they’ll reset a password when nothing suspicious is happening (and if something “did” happen it took them months to address it as the email didn’t come until months after my last login on the third device I’m always logged into. Work PC, phone, home PC. Both PCs hardwired to the internet with no VPN usage. So either they suck at detecting true security incidents or they’re just super late in their response time, both of which are problems). I love Spotify, I’ve had it for years now. But not gonna lie… there’s so many other music streaming options out there it may be time to choose one that doesn’t make these mistakes 🤷🏻‍♂️

[_Saladinho_]

It's getting to the point where I'm going to cancel my premium membership and go with Amazon. I have to change my password at least twice a month and I'm tired of it. This isn't about Spotify's concern that someone is abusing my account, this is just some greedy concern that someone else is using my password when they're not.

[sanco]

Yesterday I got an email to reset my password due to suspicious activity on an account that I haven't used at all, kinda funny 

[wKdPsylent]

It's getting a bit much. Every week it is sending me these emails, I'm a premium subscriber and it's very annoying to have to change my password every few days because spotify AI is flagging me. 

Yes I use a VPN, I have to, for work - I have spotify on my work PC. 

If that is a problem and spotify is going to continue forcing me to change passwords then I think it's time to go elsewhere. 

[ZEN0-72]

Yeah, I just got this issue too. I think what happened to me was activating my vpn while listening, so Spotify detected a new listening location that I’ve never listened from before. If this is the case then Spotify needs to change this feature quickly, vpn’s are very popular nowadays and if they force you to reset your password after using one then a lot of people are going to be upset

[Eyol]

i had the same problem just earlier- but i know what triggered spotify, i used a VPN

When I went to change my password, Spotify wouldn't let me change it back to my old password, so I have to get used to a new password.

---

Same !! i got soo annoyed because i couldn't even use any of the other passwords that i usually use because all of them had been used in my account.. i wish that you could 'ignore' the message or something.. even if you did ignore you will not be able to log in to your account until you change your pass.

[Eyol]

i got a email telling me about a new login location which was the same as my vpn. i just ignored it cuz "" If this was you, there’s nothing for you to do right now."" so i did do nothing. an hour later i got logged out of my account and forced to change my password.............

[fawgherwhq43]

Having this issue for months, getting logged out every few weeks. It is annoying as **bleep**. I am not using any VPN. Sometimes my notebook uses a mobile hotspot and I have home assistant connected to my spotify which might make a few API requests.

This is all totally normal behavior and it SUCKS to have to login again on ALL devices every few weeks. If this issue continues to persist I will definitely switch over to another music service. This is not tolerable for me and I can not understand why this would be needed on a technical level.

[thephenomenal12]

It's understandable to feel concerned when you receive a vague notification about suspicious activity without any details. Have you tried reaching out to Spotify's customer support for clarification and assistance? They may be able to shed some light on the situation and help you reset your password to your original one if possible.

It's important to be cautious online and protect both our personal life and our reputation. Remember, it's never recommended to pay blackmailers as it may not guarantee that the threats will stop. Reporting any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities is always the best course of action.