Personal Audio Files always opened by Spotify (w/out Permission) & Crashes

[Squashua]

Premium/UK/Galaxy A50

Hi All,

I have been using Spotify on my phone for many years. I also use my phone to play personal audio files (i.e music I'm working on and have saved in my downloads).

Recently none of my downloaded audio files (excluding files recorded directly into a voice note app) are opening, and instead Spotify attempts to open them, and fails, sometimes crashing Spotify in the process.

Normally after selecting an audio file, the in-built audio player would open up, a simple play/pause button and timestamp. Now the Spotify logo appears, the app opens on the main screen, and nothing else happens (except sometimes it crashes).

I have reinstalled & cleared the cache. I don't allow Spotify to access my local files.

Any ideas?

Thanks, J

[Squashua]

This appears to be an issue with the My Files app on Samsung phones not properly using (or giving the option to use) the built in media player when an alternative media player such as Spotify is installed. In the Galaxy Store or Play Store you can install the Samsung Music app which fixes the issue and allows audio files to play in the My Files app without even leaving the app once you set Samsung Music to the default, just as they would if Spotify wasn't installed at all. I know a lot of people are upset about having to install an app to fix this issue, but technically the Samsung Music app is already pre-installed on Samsung phones, although a bare bones version of it. Installing the full version of the app or uninstalling Spotify are the only solutions. From my understanding, Spotify can't fix this issue because it's being caused by Samsung's default apps settings not working correctly. I tested if this issue persists having only VLC installed instead of only Spotify, and sure enough the same problem is present. The only difference is that VLC pops up asking for permission to view the local files where Spotify doesn't. Still though, good luck with a lawsuit over something like that. Installing Samsung Music along with VLC fixes the issue just as it does with Spotify. I hope this information helps someone.

[CrikeyTonight]

Nobody called you stupid but the fact that you think Spotify isn't responsible for the functionality of their app is something worth examining.But I'll leave you to do that yourself.

[TomTomtom2x]

you begin your messages with "nonsense" and "this is rubbish". yes, not "stupid" but close to it.

and you keep insisting that this is a functionality within Spotify, while several people (including Spotify themself) made clear (with facts not opinions) that android decides what filetype is opened with which app, and Spotify only tells android that it is capable of playing audio files. it's not grabbing the files for itself, it's not hijacking an opening command that would go to some other app if it wasn't for spotifys super power (which modern android would not allow to interfere anyway), it just exists and states it can play mp3, wav, ... IF android ASKS it to do so.

it's no different to any oder media player app installed (as you'll see the moment you install one), the only way Spotify could prevent it to being asked would be to lie about being a Mediaplayer app at all (which is stupid for several reasons, needing access to the audio subsystem and all). 

but to cite you: I'll leave you to that ... I'm just baffled this topic comes up here every two weeks with just another person feeling some scandalous misbehaviour by Spotify, not reading any reasonable explanation provided here already in several ways, and demanding to change something Spotify can't fix.

[Jimothee]

I agree with this. This isn't Spotify's fault. It would be nice to have the default player as an option though, so we could maybe ask Samsung for that, but that's about all you can do in terms of getting something changed on their side of things. What you can do, though, is download the official Samsung audio player, and then next time you open an audio file from your file explorer, choose it as your default application and it will play the file natively in the file explorer, just like the integrated audio player does when there are no audio apps installed. 👍

[slondon12]

Yes, another musician here with the same issue. I said NO do not use Spotify to open local files and now I have the same issue. So frustrating.  

[slondon12]

Spotify seriously sucks so badly at listening to customers and fixing bugs. My Android app has been a buggy POS. for months last year the "now playing bar would disappear and hundreds of other people had the same issue." Now you all are claiming this isn't an issue when it is. You want to recreate the issue? Fine. On a pixel phone with multiple music players and Spotify, send yourself an mp3 and click on it. Watch your app screw everything up and not allow you to deny permissions. Done. 

[slondon12]

And for everyone saying this isn't Spotify's fault - Spotify is the only app that had this connectivity issue with Gmail and also doesn't actually successfully open the files it tries to open. This is 100 percent a Spotify integration issue and Spotify has an abysmal track record of blaming Google every time their dev team can't keep up. 

[dearprudence]

I have the same issue. I had an automatic Android version installation and now:
- the voice recorder is crashing each time

- I am not able to make a voice record at all - it is a must for my work

- all the recordings are opening in Spotify which is problematic for me because of data and policy issues

The above solution is not a real solution for this problem.