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Android Notifications Interrupt Music

andynov123

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Samsung S10E

Operating System

Android 10

My Question or Issue

I'm unable to get spotify to ignore android notifications. When a notification happens, the music pauses for the notification sound. I've tried Do Not Disturb and turning Sound to Mute, but it keeps happening. How can I fix this issue?

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Accepted answers

MihailY

Hey folks,

Apologies for the lack of updates on our side.

We've recently received a confirmation from the team handling this that the issue should be resolved. For anyone still experiencing this, can you please try the following:

Restart your phone by pressing and holding the Volume down and Power buttons.
Clean reinstall the app using the steps in this guide.

If that doesn't help, please let us know the following (if you haven't already):

The model, OS version and Spotify version of your device.
Whether this happens over Bluetooth or when playing through the phone's speaker.
The type of content this occurs with (podcasts or music).

Thanks!

All comments

Xenia

Hey there @andynov123,

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community!

Apologies for the delayed response, we just came across this thread.

As we haven’t seen any similar posts about this recently, could you let us know if you’re still having troubles with this? Also, can you check if this only happen when you listen to Spotify or if it happens with other apps as well, when you turn of the notifications?

Keep us posted! We’ll be right here if you still need help 🙂

Mayflowerman

So because you haven't seen any posts recently you thought the issue was fixed????? You know full and well that this is still happening. For years this has been happening. It only does this in Spotify. So now tell us how to fix it.

Alex

Hey there @Mayflowerman,

Thanks for your reply.

Currently there is no way to make Spotify run uninterruptedly over all of your other apps. Especially if you get sound and vibration notifications. One way around this would be to go into the notification settings for each app and disable those. This is device specific though and not every device and OS will allow you to fully manipulate notifications.

If you think other users might also like it, go ahead and create an idea on the relevant idea board. We always take new ideas and feedback into consideration to improve the app. Here you can read more on how ideas work.

We also suggest checking this help article for useful tips on how to submit an idea. As a heads-up, it's good to know that the higher the number of votes an idea gets, the more likely it is for the idea to be implemented :slightly_smiling_face:

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any more questions.

Kindafamouspod

I can say this is something false.. This is why I have not updated my spotify app.. And went back to an old version... The version I use the notification will lower the music played from spotify instead of pausing it... This is preferred than pausing which takes u out of the groove. I use 8.5.15 on note 8 and previously used note 3.

BigTater

I'm having the same issue. I only have this problem with spotify, and no other streaming service.

CarlosE

Hey folks,

Thanks for reaching out to the Community.

@BigTater, can you let us know if this also happens when the volume of your notifications is muted or in vibration?

Also, could you try on another Android device and let us know if it happens there too?

We'd also like to know the make, model, and OS version of your device.

Keep us posted. We'll be on the lookout.

tstallings

I'm also having this problem since updating. When I get a message via text for FB Messenger, my music is stopped. I have to stop what I'm doing, pull out my phone and restart the music. This was not happening before the update. I have an S21

Novy

Hey @tstallings,

Thanks for reaching out about this.

Just to confirm, is it also happening when your notifications are muted or in vibration?

Also, let us know your device's exact OS version and the Spotify version you're currently running so we can take a better look at this.

We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

tstallings

No, the music is only interrupted when there is an audio ping/notification. I don’t want my notifications turned off. I need my notifications on.

Spotify Version 8.5.96.936

One Ui Version 3.1
Android Version 11
Update RP1A.200720.012.G991USQU1AUA3

Novy

Hi @tstallings,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Could you let us know if this is still happening when you log into your account using a different Android device?

You can also ask a friend or a family member to log into their personal account using your phone to see if they can replicate this.

Let us know how it goes.

tstallings

I don't know anyone with an Android device, all my friends and family members have Iphones.

Novy

Hi again @tstallings,

Thanks for your reply.

Would you mind letting us know if you were able to get someone to log into their account using your device?

Also, have you noticed anything new when using a different internet connection?

Keep us posted.

tstallings

Sadly it looks to be pretty inconsistent as sometimes the music pauses when there's a notification and sometimes it doesn't so I don't think you'll be of any help. I appreciate the effort though!

Novy

Hey @tstallings,

Thanks for getting back to us.

We understand. In case you'd like to continue with the troubleshooting at any moment, just let us know and we'll be right here.

Have a lovely day!

forianzsiga

Mi A3 Android 11 (Android One program), 2021Feb5 Security update (latest atm)

Spotify 8.6.8.1094 Premium.

Musixmatch connected.

No system updates recently, it's sooo obvious that is a spotify exclusive problem. Latest spotify update: last night. Broken since last night. I open my keyboard: music stops. Start typing, music stops. Frcking annoying. The problem lying in audio categorization, it's recognized as system sounds, and won't let overlap. I'm paying for this not to speak about your serious shady economic stuff going in the background. I want to support the musicians, not you nor the new "listen for money" people. Please fix it ASAP, a few of us is on the verge of switching. Sorry for my english.

Sincerely,

Zsigmond

Crikker

For me, the app turns down the volume on the music when I get an notification and would love to not have to put my phone on 'vibrate' or 'do not disturb' to play music uninterrupted. This is frustrating and I understand this has been a problem for years? So can we please find a solution for this, thank you 🙏

Jeremy

Hey there folks,

Thank you for your replies in this thread.

We suggest that you head over to this article and follow the steps that's provided in there.

We can't promise if or when this will be fixed, but it's always good to keep your app up-to-date for new features.

We're always testing things by adding or removing features to make Spotify better overall and we’re constantly aiming to improve our features. We’re sorry that this means you’re not able to use Spotify like you wish to do at the moment.

You can read more about how your feedback reaches Spotify here.

Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it. Let us know if we can help with anything else.

Take care!

Nico2112

Hi Jeremy,

thanks for sharing the article but I don't think this is a satisfying solution for the community.

I don't expect to have this topic solved immediately but spotify should acknowledge that this is an issue with a commitment to solve it.

We listen music on our mobile phones and notifications are in their nature. We get hundreds per day and it should not be acceptable for spotify that their users are interrupted while listening.

A workaround as described in the article is ok as a temporary fix but not long term.

Thanks for your help,

Nico

Reyn_Adsett

Same here. When I get any notifications on my Damsung s10, spotify stops and doesn't restart. This is a massive pain when you are on a motorcycle and can't reach your phone, in your bag, in a pannier, to restart the music in the Bluetooth headset

KieranRC

Hi,

I'm hoping to reignite this thread and raise it to the attention of Spotify developers again as this issue is also present and still persisting on my Samsung S10+, all messages (Messenger, WhatsApp, SMS etc.) interrupt my Spotify audio for 2/3 seconds, which is incredibly frustrating when listening to podcasts, as the audio does not pause, so I'm essentially missing some speech.

I'm using the Samsung S10+ (SM-G975F/DS) in the UK with One UI V3.1, running Android 11. Spotify is version 8.6.30.889 (25 May 2021).

I've tested this with the screen off, lockscreen on, the device unlocked and the spotify app open and playing audio, the issue happens in all views.

I agree with other users, we shouldn't be logging this as an "idea" as it's not a feature request, it's a bug that is creating a negative listening experience for all users, including premium subscribers.

Please can some developers please investigate, as others have said, putting the phone into do not disturb is not a reasonable solution.

Thankyou.

CarlosE

Hey there @KieranRC,

Thanks for posting on this thread and welcome to the Community.

Keep in mind that many Android devices prioritize notifications over audio playback and this is not something we can change on our end as we cannot program Spotify to overrule system sounds or to take exclusive audio control of the device from other apps. This is dependent on the specific device firmware. The only option to change this would be to change how notification sound priority is configured system-wise via the manufacturer firmware and this won't be something we can influence.

For the time being, a workaround to have uninterrupted music playback on such devices would be to set the phone to vibration or do not disturb mode so that notifications don't overrule audio playback.

Hope this sheds some light on the matter. We'll be right here in case you need anything else.

Cheers!

Smee8576

This happens to me as well and it is a Spotify specific issue. I have other apps such as Pocket Casts which do not exhibit this behavior. It is called audio ducking and has to be programmed in by Spotify's developers. I can't believe that something this simple, yet annoying, can't be taken seriously by Spotify considering this is a premier streaming application, especially with something so simple to integrate. Please take this seriously and pass this on to your developers and resolve this issue once and for all. It has been an annoyance for years.

mcolson1590

I'm even seeing this issue when i'm casting to a Nest Mini. When I get a notification on my Galaxy S21, music stops and doesn't start back up on the mini.

wilhuijskens

This is so intensly frustrating... can't believe Spotify does not offer a solution to this. I have a work around for people with a family account and a second android phone. Yes.. that's what I use only to fix this shitty problem. Audio ducking drives me crazy.

nns6c0mb_-pfl

This happens on ALL Android devices. I am no longer using Spotify when i have navigation (Waze) on. It would be so nice to have an option under settings to stop audio ducking, but this has been suggested dozens of times in the past ten years and clearly Spotify has no interest in listening to its users.

nns6c0mb_-pfl

Fully agree, it would be great, other music apps have this feature, but as you said, this has been requested many times and the Spotify developers do not listen.

skrmae

I've had the same issue, but on Xiaomi's MIUI there is a feature called Sound Assistant that actually allows you to control audio ducking

el_rico

Same here: every notification just stops the music (if it matters, over bluetooth, Realme X2 Pro, up-to-date). It seems to be recent for me (I would say 1 or 2 days max, I think I would have noticed!). And I confirm other media apps are not affected. No recent system update or change in the settings too. So...

el_rico

I do agree that this is a bug. Each time the app is updated, I'm scared of a regression somewhere. And this is often, because continuous deployment without proper QA tends to be continuous beta testing... Also, I would find correct to consider core features that must be rock-solid and other features that may be more fragile/experimental. And, well, playing the music without being stopped ny a notification is a core feature I think. Not even needed to raise the point that this is what we're subscribing for...

Marki

I am having the same problem. The music volume reduces 50% after a notification and I have to restart Spotify. Please fix this!

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