Spotify crashes after first time start

[wokkiedokkie]

Plan

Premium

Country

netherlands

Device

HP Elitebook 2560P

Operating System

ubuntu 16.04LTS

Recently Spotify was updated to version 1.1.42.622.gbd112320. Since then, it is crashing whenever I try to run it. This is the version installed from Snap (same thing happens with the flatpak version, but not with the version installed from the repository with apt-get, but that version is frigging slow,sonota good alternative). it just opens a completely white window which closes within a second.

Now after some experimenting, I found out that when I remove all Spotify config directories, spotify starts again allowing me to log in, but one time only.

Do I understand correctly that spotify is based on chromium? If so, then the cause me be issues with hardware acceleration: yesterday, my Chrome, Chromium and Brave browsers have been upgraded, and all three started having graphics rendering issues, which I could solve by disabling hardware acceleration. Unfortunately I can't find a way to disable hardware acceleration in Spotify. Does anyone know how to do it manually, e.g. by means of a setting in a config file?

[wokkiedokkie]

additional info: before anyone asks: yes, I reinstalled spotify several times, rebooted the computer etc.etc.

[wokkiedokkie · Accepted solution]

Found another post with the same issue:

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Linux/The-app-crashes-on-Debian-due-to-HW-acceleration/td-p...

[Canukhed]

In terminal enter this "spotify --no-zygote" to start spotify.

OR...

Alternatively, and better, click on the Zorin Start Menu lower left corner, type Main Menu in the search box, open that, find the Spotify link (should be in Sound & Video), right click that, then in the Command field enter --no-zygote at the end after the word Spotify like this: 

"env BAMF_DESKTOP_FILE_HINT=/var/lib/snapd/desktop/applications/spotify_spotify.desktop /snap/bin/spotify --no-zygote %U"

OR...

If you created a desktop  shortcut (link), then open your file manager, go to Home/Desktop, right click the desktop shortcut, open with text editor scroll down to the line starting with Exec and the add --no-zygote to the end but before the %U part at the end (not sure if that makes a difference) like this:

Exec=env "BAMF_DESKTOP_FILE_HINT=/var/lib/snapd/desktop/applications/spotify_spotify.desktop /snap/bin/spotify --no-zygote%U" 

Without quotes of course.