Android Auto keeps disconnecting during Spotify playback

[AmarilloNL]

My Android Auto keeps disconnecting repeatedly while I'm listening to music through Spotify. This started happening since last Saturday, and it's really frustrating since it always used to work fine before.

What I've already tried:

• Cleared Spotify cache on my phone
• Reinstalled Spotify
• Cleared Android Auto cache
• Reinstalled Android Auto
• Restarted the car head unit

None of these steps have resolved the issue. The disconnects happen consistently while streaming music, and I haven't changed anything else on my phone recently.

Also when driving without any music playing, Android Auto completely remains fine. 

Plan: Premium
Country: The Netherlands
Device: Samsung Galaxy Flip 7
Operating System: Android 16, One UI 8.5

Any help figuring out what's causing this would be appreciated.

[OscarDC]

Hey @AmarilloNL,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community and welcome. 

We appreciate the troubleshooting you've done so far. To continue investigating this behavior, would you mind checking (if possible) if changing the type of connection to Bluetooth or AUX cable makes any difference?

We'd also recommend disabling sharing contacts, messages, and hands-free calling permissions for the car connection to reduce Bluetooth bandwidth conflicts.

Lastly, if you have any active VPN connection on your phone, we'd recommend turning it off to see if the issue persists. 

We'll be on the lookout. 

[SomeguyIguess]

Having the same issue.

Samsung A54

Premium

Spotify playing causes the connection to drop every 3 minutes or so, when it's paused, even if the app is still open, the connection stays solid even for multiple hour drives.

[Dessi]

Hey @SomeguyIguess,

Thanks for joining the thread and welcome to the Spotify Community!

Can you let us know if you've already tried any of the troubleshooting steps @AmarilloNL and @OscarDC mentioned? If not, give them a try and let us know how it goes, so we can try to help you further.

We'll be on the lookout.

[SomeguyIguess]

Tried them all, didn't make a difference.

[AmarilloNL]

Hi,

My device is always connected through Bluetooth on my Android Auto system. Today I've tried to uninstall the Spotify app and install in this time through the Samsung Store (instead of the Google Play Store). Unfortunately that did not make a difference.

I have not tried a direct cable yet. I'll give that a try tomorrow and keep you guys updated.

We'd also recommend disabling sharing contacts, messages, and hands-free calling permissions for the car connection to reduce Bluetooth bandwidth conflicts. - I did try this but it did not make a difference. Like stated before, as long as Spotify isn't player any music, the Android Auto system is completely fine. 

[OscarDC]

Hey folks,

Thank you for keeping in contact and for the shared info.

Taking into account that the affected devices are Samsung phones, it’s possible that specific settings of the device may be affecting the audio output. So, to continue investigating this, we’d recommend turning off or adjusting “Separate App Sound” by following these steps: 

1. Open your phone Settings.
2. Tap Sounds and vibration.
3. Select Separate app sound.
4. Make sure this feature is toggled OFF, or tap Select to ensure Spotify is assigned to your main phone speaker. 

If the issue persists, since the connection seems to be dropping at specific times, make sure to disable the Sleeping apps feature for Spotify: 
 

1. Open Settings > Device care (or Battery and device care).
2. Tap Battery.
3. Tap Background usage limits.
4. Check Never sleeping apps. If Spotify is not on this list, tap the + (plus) icon and add it so your phone doesn't kill its background audio process.

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.