Constant very high CPU load

[zephred]

Up to date Ubuntu Linux 22.04.3 LTS, with spotify-client Version: 1:1.2.26.1187.g36b715a1, premium plan.

Very high CPU load (spotify eating up all CPU available, a;ways between 50% and 100%), even at startup, without any play activity, making the whole computer very sluggish.
The problem appeared with previous version 1:1.2.25.1011.g0348b2ea, and is still present in current version.
rm -rf ~/.cache/spotify/Storage did not solve anything.
No message on standard output.
log file generated with --log-file shows a few 404, but nothing I could relate to constant CPU use.

This high CPU load makes my computer too slow for a normal use.

[Sebasty]

Hey @zephred 

That's interesting. Have you tried reinstalling and a different package?
My snap Spotify is behaving itself pretty nicely with no cpu hogs, but I'm also on 20.04.

On Windows, the CPU overuse issue may sometimes come from Spotify trying to scan your library for music files and falling into some kind of loop. Disabling Local Files should fix that issue.

Let me know how it goes!

[zephred]

Hello @Sebasty,
Thanks for your answer.
I already tried to remove/re-install, no success.
Unfortunately, http://repository.spotify.com/pool/non-free/s/spotify-client/ does not keep older versions. I tried to install the almost 4 years old spotify-client_1.0.79.223.g92622cc2-21_amd64.deb, but it refuses to connect with "app restricted to Premium users", although I have a premium account.

Local Files scanning is already disabled:

I do not wish to use snap packages, they have too much useless overhead.

[Sebasty · Accepted solution]

@zephred 

Yeah i have the same version as you do.
Spotify has recently deprecated clients older than version 1.1.58 and this error is a nonspecific message coming from this. I also used a very old spotify app and was greeted with this message one day.

Now, to the lag issue...
Does your Spotify open itself at startup?

Looking around, one user fixed their cpu issue by uninstalling Spotify, deleting spotify folders in .cache and .config, and then reinstalling.
Clearing app cache could work well too. That option is at the end of Settings.
People also say flatpak spotify works fine.

There was also a solution for when Spotify takes ages to boot up, which is vacuuming its mercury-db file. Here's the thread. I'm not sure if it's applicable here and you have reinstalled the client, but well, it won't hurt to try. : )

[zephred]

No auto-open at startup.

I've just moved ~/.config/spotify/ and ~/.cache/spotify somewhere else, to let spotify re-create them.

It seems to have worked, no more CPU hog !
Thanks for your help ! 🙂

[user-removed]

Hello, when installing Spotify from the terminal with the steps that I was told on the official Spotify page, I get this error
The following packages have unfulfilled dependencies:
spotify-client : Depends: libc6 (>= 2.30) but 2.28-10+deb10u2 will be installed
E: Problems could not be corrected, you have retained broken packages.

[zephred]

That's a different topic. You could consider open a new one, after searching in the old posts.
Looks like the libc installed in your distribution needs an update.

[eliosh]

Hi. 

I've solved removing spotify installed with snap and adding the repository and installing it via apt.