Equalizer and system audio effects not working

[Yaguj]

Hello, everyone. I am experiencing a very annoying problem. I have always used an external equalizer for my cell phone, and until this morning everything was working perfectly. Now Spotify seems to be managing the audio all by itself, and neither the external equalizers nor the system audio effects are working. All other apps are working fine, but on Spotify the audio remains the same and does not change.

- Device: Honor Magic 7 Pro
- OS: Android 16
- Spotify Version: 9.1.12.226

[Dessi]

Hi there @Yaguj,

Thanks for reahcing out!

Since you've mentioned that you were able to use an equalizer so far and that the issue seems to be recent, it might be worth performing a clean reinstall of the app just to make sure there isn't any damaged cache causing this. You can also try logging out and back in a couple of times in a row afterwards to force a sync. We would also recommend checking your phone's settings and Spotify's permissions in particular to ensure everything is enabled.

It doesn't sound like this might be the case, but we wanted to double-check if you happen to use Spotify Connect or an external device, such as Bluetooth headphones, because that might be the reason why the equalizer isn't working. Can you also try disabling the external equalizer you're using temporarily to see if that helps and if you have access to Spotify's in-app one then?

Keep us posted.

[Yaguj]

Hi, Dessi. Thank you for responding on Sunday and for taking an interest in the matter. Here is a list of what I have already tried:

- Restarting the device.

- Complete and clean reinstallation of the app.

- Force closing the app via settings, reopening it: several times.

- Disconnecting and reconnecting my account: several times.

- Changing the Bluetooth codec via Developer Options.

- Restarting the Android audio engine.

None of these solutions worked. I think the issue is even more serious than expected because I noticed that even the system audio effects don't work when using my phone's speaker instead of Bluetooth headphones. Obviously, it goes without saying that I haven't installed anything new in the meantime and haven't received any system updates for my phone.

I can confirm that when my equalizer (Wavelet) is installed, the “Equalizer” link in the Spotify settings opens the Wavelet app directly. I tried uninstalling Wavelet and trying the built-in equalizer in Spotify, and it WORKS—the audio effects are applied, but the system audio effects still do NOT work.

It seems as if Spotify is taking total and absolute control of the audio without telling the system that it is playing something.

I also noticed this through Wavelet itself because it no longer detects the music session (usually when Spotify started, Wavelet automatically detected that there was an app playing music). But I don't want this to confuse the issue because, I repeat, the system audio effects are NOT working either. Legacy mode on Wavelet, which in theory should apply audio effects to all system audio regardless of the app, doesn't work either.

I want to point out, once again, that all other music apps (Tidal, Amazon Music, YouTube Music) work correctly and as usual, both through the external equalizer and through system audio effects.

PS: I also tried to manually force the installation of the latest version 9.1.14.849 and the problem persists, just for your information.

[Yaguj]

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Thanks to a user on Reddit who had the same problem, I downgraded my version of Spotify to 9.1.2.1253, and it WORKS perfectly. Now Wavelet recognizes my playback session perfectly. 

I also tried 9.1.6.1145, and it did NOT work. So something definitely broke between these two updates. Thank you!

[Dessi]

Hey @Yaguj,

Thank you for all the info you've provided and for trying to troubleshoot this!

We generally don't recommend using an older version, since the latest one contains the newest features and security updates, but since you mentioned this issue isn't present there, we've made sure to pass this on to our tech folsk so they can have a closer look. We're unable to provide an ETA for a fix at the moment, but we’re regularly looking for opportunities to enhance the user experience for everyone, so your feedback on this is greatly appreciated!

The Community is here if there's anything else you need assistance with.

[Yaguj]

Hello, and thank you again for your reply. Will I be able to receive information about this issue in some way so that I can understand if and when I will be able to update the app? I don't like using outdated versions either, but this is a crippling bug for me. I even suspended my subscription until I found a temporary solution. 

[Dessi]

Hey @Yaguj,

Thanks for the quick reply!

As soon as we hear back from our tech team about this and have any news to share, we'll make sure to update you here in the thread, but we can't say for sure how long this might take. 

We're here in case you need help with anything else in the meantime.

[JalW]

Hi, 

I have the exact same problem.

Tried the same fixes as described above, and more. Problem started occuring at the same time (couple of days ago, i assume with the new update.

Hope this will be sorted out..

[JalW]

UPDATE: downgraded Spotify to version 9.1.2.1253

Works. 

[Mgre]

Plan

Premium

Country

Uk

Device

OnePlus 13

Operating System

Android 16

My Question or Issue

Eq apps like wavelet or Poweramp no longer work with Spotify. It's only Spotify that doesn't work, I can use them with YouTube music for example. 

[joshuasingh2008]

Hey quick question, as im experiencing the same issue. Were any of your bars fully maxed out? 

[haydenclark727252571]

how do you downgrade your version of spotify?

[trampstampx]

Having this same exact issue right now. My app is most definitely updated to the latest version, I have done all the troubleshooting that was suggested and it still doesn’t work. It is just on this iPhone 16 pro max which is also updated to the latest iOS version. It works on my iPhone SE with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Spotify is not enjoyable if I can’t use this equalizer please fix this so I don’t have to cancel my subscription 

[spiralhead]

Same here. Latest ver. Spotify and poweramp eq.