Huge Sound quality issue since May Android update

[tyl76]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

Belgium

Device

Samsung Galaxy A6+

Operating System

Android 10 -> One UI 2

My Question or Issue

I'm experiencing  sound issues when using Spotify (maybe) since Android 10 latest update two weeks ago.

On some tracks, not always the same ones, sound seems to "float", and quality suffers a lot too. Some sound elements are clearly put in the background and come back in "waves", which is very unpleasant.
I tested the same tracks with my son's smartphone (who did not update his Samsung yet) and sound is still perfect.

I have the issue reading Spotify in my car, on my home stereo system and on a bluetooth speaker.

I also checked the phone sound parameters, and nothing has changed. Did the same in Spotify sound parameters, and nothing different from my previous settings.

Is anyone having the same issue, and is there something I can do to correct that ?

It has become impossible to listen properly to any album in these conditions. 

Thanks,

[tyl76]

Can anyone from Spotify at least provide a short reply?
Thanks,

[Peter]

Hey @tyl76 - help's here!

Could you try a clean reinstall of the app on your device? Make sure to follow the relevant steps for your device listed in this Spotify Answer.

Hopefully that should do the trick, but if it doesn't, could you let us know which Spotify version your phone is running? We'll see what else we can suggest after that.

Cheers - keep us posted!

[tyl76]

Hi Peter,
thanks for your return.
Reinstall was done and seems to solve the problem, as I didn't experience any new sound issue since then.
Will keep an ear to it in the next days to be sure.
Thanks,
Cheers,

[tyl76]

Hi Peter,
unfortunately, issue is back.
I reinstalled Spotify a week ago, and I thought the issue was solved.
But after a few days, the same problem keeps coming back : sound seems to "float", randomly, not always on the same tracks. 
I already desinstalled and reinstalled the app a second time, and it held not more than a few hours before the issue came back.
Impossible to listen to any music llike that.

The Spotify version running on my phone is : 8.5.60.1013

Thanks for your help,

[tyl76]

Been trying to understand the sound issue since it first appeared after the Android update in May.
After several attempts, researches in Spotify and mobile parameters, I maybe came with some partial key to the issue.

Issue seems to be linked to Bluetooth connection to different devices.

As a reminder, experienced sound issue is the following : the more the music gets intense, the more the sound seems "compressed" and comes out by "waves" with upper and lower intensity periods.

I tried with a whole bunch of different styles of music : electro (less impacted), 60's and 70's soul and funk music (less impacted), 80's Rock (50% impacted, randomly), Hard Rock & Heavy Metal (80% impacted).

Here's what I noticed :

When playing AND listening Spotify directly on my Samsung A6+ through headphones (B&W), it plays perfectly without any sound issue.

Once I switch the playing to another external device (car, speaker, or stereo system), sound issue appears, randomly. An album can be played all through without any problem, or issue can appear after two songs. Issue doesn't appear on the same tracks or album each time.

So I'm pretty convinced the issue has something to do with Bluetooth connection on external devices. It's like the app would not switch properly from a device to another with Bluetooth.

It seems the last two or three recent Spotify updates fixed partly the issue, but it's still impossible to listen to any album properly as it should be.

I already desinstalled and re installed the app several times, between or just after updates, and it doesn't help. Issue keeps turning back.

Also, I noticed the search history list doesn't keep everything in memory. I have to search for the same artist at least twice to get it on the search history list.

I hope the notes can help.

Feel free to ask for further test or info.

[Peter]

Hey there @tyl76 , 

Thank you for the reply.

We can see that you've reinstalled the app but it would be great if you could do a clean reinstall again and then let us know what version of the Spotify app you're on.

Also - could you try to log in with another account, such as a friend's or a family member's to see if the issue still persists?

Keep us posted.

Cheers!

[tyl76]

Hey Peter,

thanks for the message and sorry for the late reaction, but I didn't get any notification of your reply.

Just checked for a clean reinstall, but I don't have any "com.spotify.music." file stored in my smartphone.

Anyway, I uninstalled the app again, switched my device off for some minutes, and switched it on back again, then reinstalled the app.

Testing it right now through my hi-fi amplifier and issue still persists.

I'm using version 8.5.78.909 of the app.

Android version  : 10 (A605FNXXU6CTG1)

One UI version : 2.0

I tested the app directly again yesterday spending 1h listening through headphones, and it read perfectly without any issue. So the issue keeps coming when reading through bluetooth connexions, on any devices.

I'll test it with my son's account later today and will let you know.

Note : there have been improvements with the issue following the recent Spotify updates, but it's still there though.

Grtz,

Paul.

[Ivan]

Hey there @tyl76,  

Thanks for posting - we’re here to help!          
 

We also recommend taking a look at the help article about audio setting on our support site. You can find it here.

Let us know how it went once you've tried this with your son's account as well.  

Keep us posted. We'll look out for your reply.   

[tyl76]

Hey there,

had a try with my son's account on my phone, and same result.

So issue came right after Android update in may 2020. Seems to me it has to do with something  in the Android update on my Samsung A6+ that cause the issue on Spotify when reading with Bluetooth connexion.

Can't say more, already lot o details in my previous posts.

Thanks,

[Alex]

Hey there @tyl76,

Thanks for all your detailed replies and going through this troubleshooting.

Could you try one more thing - streaming music when it's downloaded? Try downloading an album/playlist for offline listening and play that on one of the external speakers. Let us know if you experience the same drop in quality and sound issues.

Apart from that could you try to stream music using only Mobile data if possible?

Keep us posted. Thanks.

[tyl76]

Hey Alex,

test done with an album downloaded on my smartphone, and same result, even slightly worse.

Downloaded album was : 

I'm not sure to understand what you mean by "stream music using only Mobile data". Could you be more precise, please ? 

Thanks,

[Mihail]

Hey @tyl76,

Thanks for getting back to us.

What @Alex meant was to try and see if it makes a difference when you stream music over different internet connections - e.g. - over mobile data or different Wi-Fi networks.

In any case the fact that you had no issues on your sons smartphone and they did come up when using his account on your A6+, leads to reason that there is indeed something interfering the Bluetooth connectivity on your smartphone. If it's an option for you, you can factory reset your phone, install all available updates and see if that fixes things.

Keep us posted. We're always one reply away 🙂

[tyl76]

Hi,

can't test different internet connections, sorry, as I've been homeworking since march, so my home internet is my only wi-fi source.

But I noted the following : streaming is ok as long as I keep listening on wi-fi.

If I switch from wi-fi to Bluetooth, for example to stream while in my car, quality drops as soon as the current track skips to the next one.

Resetting my phone is def not an option, as I' m worried to lose some stuff in my phone. Moreover, all updates are already installed on my phone. If I had known this Android update would cause such issues in May, I would never have installed it.

Now I'm monthly paying for something not working 100% anymore.

I have bow two options : 

- cancel my Spotify subscription and go to a nother streaming platform.

- buy a new phone.

There's always the third option : a solution is found for my issue, but I'm really skeptical as this has been running since May, with several Android and Spotify updates since then, and nothing changed.

So the challenge here is to find what in the Android May update could have caused the issue on a Samsung A6+ regarding Bluetooth connection.

Thanks,

[Mihail]

Hey @tyl76,

Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

Could you let us know if you have any cache clearing or battery optimization apps installed? If there are any, make sure to add Spotify as an exception. That the clean reinstall solves the issue, albeit temporary hints that something is interfering with the Bluetooth connectivity of the app on your device. Keep in mind that even if you haven't downloaded any such apps yourself, they may have come preinstalled with your phone.

It would also be helpful to get in touch with your smartphone manufacturer. They can help you troubleshoot the Bluetooth connectivity issue further and if a factory reset is necessary, help you back up your data so nothing gets lost. It's a good idea to try this out first before investing in a new phone or subscription 🙂

Keep us posted! We'll be happy to lend a hand if you need more help. 

[tyl76]

Hi,

checked for cache clearing or battery optimization apps on my smartphone, and found nothing, but maybe didn't search with the right keywords. Do you have some examples of these apps so I can look into my device and see if ther's something ? 

Regarding the contact with the manufacturer, I have to say I don't want to start a second thread on a second platform discussing about the same issue that has been active since May, after an Android update. I'll see if my local store is open (as everything is again in lockdown mode here in Belgium) and check with them if they can provide any help. I already asked in May after the Android update, and they didn't know about anything wrong for A6+ at the time.

Regards,

[Alex]

Hi @tyl76,

Thanks for the info.

Battery optimization setting can usually be found in the following menus:

1. Mobile Settings> Apps> Spotify> Permissions. See if you can tick any boxes that would allow the Spotify app access.

2. Mobile Settings> Apps> Spotify> Battery> Optimize battery usage> select top All (not optimized for apps)> Spotify> disable.

Let us know how looks.

[tyl76]

Took the time to look at every aspect after allowing "storage" option and disabling Spotify in battery optimization.

In Spotify permissions, there are still three other options available, not allowed for the moment : contacts, camera and microphone.
Do these need to be also allowed ? 
There was a significant improve after I did changed these two settings, but unfirtunately the issue came back, more randomly than before.
For example, I wanted to listen to Pink Floyd's Delicate Sound of Thunder newly added version, and impossible cause issue was there from the very start.
Just before I was able to listen to other albums and playlists without any trouble at all during streaming.

So there was an improve after the settings changes above, would mean we're on the right track to success. Are there any settings I'd need to look after ? 

Thanks,

[Katerina]

Hi again @tyl76,

We appreciate your time and patience while trying all the steps we've suggested.

Would you mind letting us know if you're still experiencing this issue when you log into your account using a different device?

Something else you could try is checking the settings of the Bluetooth devices you're connecting to in case something there could be causing this. For example, you can make sure that Media Audio is enabled (you can find this by going to your phone's Settings > Bluetooth and check if this is enabled on each paired device). You can also try forgetting the affected paired devices, restarting them and your phone, then pair each with your phone again to see if that makes a difference.

In case this doesn't work, we'd recommend reaching out to the manufacturer, as this could be related to the device itself.

On the other hand, the settings you mentioned shouldn't be the ones causing the issue, so there's no need to worry about them.

We'll be on the lookout for your reply.