Automatically switches device but only when I'm listening podcast

[brunoleal]

I have spotify on my work laptop which I listen to music while working.
If I leave spotify on (in laptop) and then go to my car and start listening to Joe Rogan podcast from mobile phone, Spotify constantly switches to the laptop device and stops playing it. I can keep manually switching to mobile phone device, but it will after a few seconds or minutes stop and switch to laptop again.
Strange thing is that if I play music in my mobile it doesn't switch back to laptop. I'm really losing my patience with Spotify as the only solution is to remember to turn off Spotify on my laptop before going to the car...

[UsernameForTheForum]

Plan

Premium

Country

US

Devices

Pixel 6 pro, Windows 10 PC, Mac Pro

My Question or Issue

I have Spotify Desktop app on my Mac & PC, and the android app on my phone. Sometimes when I'm playing a podcast on my phone in the car (via Android Auto), it suddenly switches the device to my Mac or PC at home! When I arrive home and check the desktop app they'll show the podcast and have the podcast video open. No one is at home or interacting with the Spotify app on any of the devices, it just randomly switches the output device. Usually my PC & Mac are in sleep mode, but sometimes they wake up randomly.

This is extremely annoying since I need to manually switch Spotify back to playing on my phone which is dangerous while driving.

It never happens with music, only podcasts.

Sometimes it happens every ~30 seconds, sometimes only once or twice.

Haven't found a way to reliably repro.

I can prevent the issue though by switching Spotify into offline mode, then I can listen to podcasts undisturbed on the phone.

[Nyknick821]

This is happening to me too and driving me crazy!!!

[mattoke]

It is not isolated.  I have been xperiencing this consistently as well for over a week.   It is very annoying. 

[zavehi]

I am consistently having this issue as well with specifically video podcasts. I can recreate this issue by disconnecting and reconnecting my phone to WIFI while listening to a video podcast (I urge others who are having this issue to try to do this in front of your home PC/Laptop, you will see what is happening). Once my phone reconnects to my WIFI network it will load the podcast video up on my desktop, and then move the stream over to my desktop but it is paused on both my phone and PC. Any sort of connection to any network seems to be moving it over to my desktop PC. I can then manually shift it back to my phone but it will not always consistently do it on the first attempt. My guess is this has something to do with the fact that the video is loading for Spotify Connect so it can be quickly moved but its physically moving the whole stream over every time and occasionally just completely resetting the podcast back to 00:00. 

[PSUHammer]

This is happening to me over past few months.  I always have my PC running at home with the desktop app (Windows 11).  If I get in my car and start a podcast on Android Auto (latest updated Spotify and Android Auto apps), I can start listening but at some point, it stops playing and my PC at home steals it back.  Happens to my kids if they are listening on a Google Home speaker in the house.

This didn't always happen which leads me to believe a recent update on one of the apps started getting mixed up with device hand offs.  

[FrankWieners]

Same issue as everyone else. I listen on my iOS phone. It keeps switching to my desktop Pc. 

[tRoller]

I have the same exact issue. 

I listen to music at work and when I go home I want to listen to a podcast. It keep switching to my work PC and pausing the podcast. I have to keep switching back to my phone.

This doesn't happen with music.

[dsl1090]

Add another one to the list - Very frustrating it makes it impossible to listen to podcasts.  Glad I am paying for a subscription 😠.

Google Pixel 6 phone / Verizon Network / Version 8.7.92.521

[Gizzy19]

Same here. Listen to Joe rogan in the car, might run 30 secs might run 5 mins but it will try and switch back to my PC at home sooner or later. No idea why and it stops the podcast making it un listenable.

[Joan]

Hello all,

Thank you for the information. We were unable to reproduce this issue on our end so far. Could you please provide us with a screen recording of the behaviour on your end? Then we will happily investigate further. 

Thanks in advance.

[mashcheesesause]

Hi,

I have exactly the same issue with podcasts - jumps from phone/car back to work laptop that is not being used but Spotify open on it. Phone version 8.7.92.521 and Windows 11 laptop is running 1.2.0.1165.gabf054ab. It is infuriating as cannot play podcast as keeps switching back to laptop constantly with no way of stopping it unless I can phone someone to turn my laptop off. Please fix.

[mmcternen]

EDIT:  It seems that longer formatted replies don't work here, only short paragraphs.  Videos attached.  Spotify for Windows (1.2.0.1165.gabf054ab) and Android Spotify Version : 8.7.92.521.  I've tried to reply to this with videos three times and the replies continue to either disappear or not show up at all. Please reach out to me directly via the email address on my account.  This is easily reproduceable by switching wifi connection or disabling it.

[AlejaR]

Hey folks,

Thanks for posting here and welcome!

We really appreciate all the info you kindly sent us. In this case, if you're experiencing this behavior, we'll need the following details:

• Make/model and exact OS of the affected devices.
• Exact Spotify version you are running on the affected devices.
• Troubleshooting you've tried so far.
• A video recording of this behavior.

You can attach the videos in your next reply in mp4 format, or you can also upload them to YouTube or Google drive and make them public, so we can visualize them.

If you already sent us some of this info, no worries, you just need to send us the remaining details, so we can forward all of it to our tech team.

Keep us in the loop!

Edit: We appreciate all the sent details so far! Thank you, folks!
The issue is on our radar but we can't provide you with an exact timeframe in which it will get addressed.
In order to stay on top of all fixes, keep your app up to date at all times 🙂 Cheers!

[brunoleal]

I'm really disappointed with Spotify. After so many complaints you still
have no fix for this?
How hard is to create an option to disable automatic switch of devices?
I really can't see any reason to automatically switch from one device to
another, at least on how I use it...

[Dinotify]

This appears to only happen when listening on Android via bluetooth headphones. 

Spotify will automatically and repeatedly switch to play on my desktop. If I try to switch back to my phone, it will switch back to my desktop again somewhere between 1 and 15 seconds. I am currently unable to use Spotify on my phone without closing all other instances of Spotify on my other devices. 

[Stenen_]

Plan

Premium Duo

Country

Sweden

Device

(iPhone 12 Pro and PC

Operating System

iOS 161.1 and Windows 10

My Issue

When I'm listening to Spotify while in my garage, which is just at the limit of my WiFi, my PC keeps "taking over" the playback from my iPhone without any input from me. My guess is that when I reconnect to the WiFi the PC take over the playback and becomes "Current device". I cannot find a setting to turn this off. The "easy" fix is to turn the PC off, but there should be a better solution, no?

[tamagochi26]

Occurs for me to. Steps to reproduce:
1. Have desktop Spotify instance running on home network

2. Start any Joe Rogan episode on a phone while being connected to home network

3. Go outside.

4. When phone disconnects from home network and switches to LTE, playback stops and the app reports that desktop player is now active.

Android App version 8.7.92.521

[lsdeemster]

I'm having the same issues, fresh install on both devices. Moments into podcasts it will switch, or if I open an outside application it will switch. Seems pretty random. If I have the desktop app completely closed it won't switch obviously, but if I forget to close it before I go to work I have a day of headaches ahead of I want to listen to a pod.

[djchrisray]

• Device model + OS version 
  • iPhone 14 pro iOS 16.2
  • Macbook Pro 13 inch Mac OS 12.6
• Spotify version
  • iOS 8.8.1.397 
  • Spotify for macOS (Intel)
    1.2.0.1165.gabf054ab
• Troubleshooting steps you've already tried
  • I have attempted clean installs, full sign outs and device restarts
• Does this only occur with podcasts or when listening to music as well?
  • I have noticed the issue with podcasts predominantly and the podcast start restarts to the beginning when it switches device leading me to have to scrub back to where I left off. 
• When did this start happening (we'd like to know if it started after a specific event such as an update)? 
  • I do not have a specific event or date but this has occurred for a few months at this point.

[lsdeemster]

No specific event. it just started about a week or two ago for me. It only
happens with podcasts, same issues you are experiencing. I have done full
installs and file wipes on both my rig and my phone. Nothing works. Best
bet is to sign into the website and log out of all accounts, then log in on
your phone. If both devices are connected it will cause this issue without
fail. Spotify needs to address this issue.