Spotify stops music when receiving a WhatsApp message

[cb2134564]

Plan
Premium
Country
Germany
Device
Xiami Mi 10T Pro 5G
Operating System
Android 10

My Question or Issue
Spotify will stop the song permanently whenever I receive a WhatsApp message. All WhatsApp notifications are off both in the app and on the phone system. DND mode is enabled. All permissions on WhatsApp are denied, yet still Spotify will stop playing the song whenever I receive a message via WhatsApp. All other notifications and messaging apps do not cause the problem. The only option remaining would be to uninstall WhatsApp, which is not an option, Spotify would have to go first.

[Alex]

Hi there @cb2134564,

Thanks for reaching out about this in the Community!

Try turning off "Conversation tones" in the Whatsapp in app settings. You can access this from the 3-dot menu > Settings > Notifications. 

This should stop the app from taking over the sound channel on your phone when receiving a message.

Hope this helps 🙂

[cb2134564]

Thanks Alex but the 'Conversation tones' are already turned off in the WhatsApp app settings. All other settings and permissions are also turned off. Theoretically there should be nothing coming from WhatsApp.

It seems like something is occurring behind the scenes which cannot be observered, which is causing the interference with Spotify.

[Lyubka]

Hey @cb2134564,

Thank you for reaching out here in the Community.

We'd recommend to see if there is a pending update for your WhatsApp. In case there is, it might be a good idea to install it to see if this'll fix the issue.

On another note,  too much data can disrupt the normal functioning of WhatsApp as well and it is therefore important to empty it regularly. With that being said, clearing cache of the application might also be helpful.

Let us know how it goes. 

[mar325]

Same problem on android 15 with Fairphone 5

Whenever i recieve a whatsapp notification Spotify stops playing 

[Ivelina]

Hey @mar325,

Thanks for posting about this issue! We hope you don't mind that we've moved your comment here as we think this thread is more relevant to your issue, since you've mentioned this is happening specifically with WhatsApp.

It would be very helpful if you could take a look at the suggested troubleshooting steps in the previous posts here and here, give them a try and let us know if any of them make a difference for you. If the behavior persists, we'd love to investigate this further together.

Appreciate the cooperation and keep us posted.

[bbylubi]

Same issue on iOS 26.3.1 but WEIRD THING: only when I’m connected to a Bluetooth device (I.e. JBL speaker)

the issue happens even if I’m in silent mode, and with the conversation already open (which on iPhone doesn’t trigger any sound if a new message comes in).

denying WhatsApp permissions to notify is absolutely not doable, this is simply the main communication channel for half the world. We don’t text or call in my country, only WhatsApp.

[Vasil]

Hey @bbylubi,

Thanks for joining the thread 🙂

Could you check if this only happens when you listen to Spotify or with other apps as well? This would help us narrow down if this is Spotify-related or possibly a WhatsApp- /device-related issue.

We'd also like to know when this behaviour has roughly appeared for the first time and if this has happened after a specific event like an app or OS update.

Many thanks in advance! We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[tfaulkner]

I’m having this problem today as well. No issue previously just started this morning. I’m on an iPhone  16 using Bluetooth headphones 

[Maria]

Hey there @tfaulkner,

Thanks for posting in this thread!

Just to make sure we cover all bases, could you confirm if you've tried the steps mentioned earlier in this thread? Such as switching off Conversation tones and checking for app updates.

If this behavior persists, could you double-check if this only seems to happen when connected to headphones? Any difference when listening directly from the phone's speakers or with a different pair of headphones?

Keep us in the loop!

[pkt05]

Where can I find Conversation tones in iOs? Someone knows? Thanks

[Gabo6437]

No, that does no worked

[Sickofitall]

Same issue. All notifications are off and disappointing to see no solution.

Might have to look for another music and podcast platform. Cant continue like this with poor customer service to resolve it.