A firewall may be blocking Spotify (Again!)

[thamersing]

Plan

Premium

Country

Singapore

Device

iMac

Operating System

OSX Catalina

My Question or Issue

I know this issue has been discussed in several other threads, but I have not found a solution using any of the previous recommendations.

I recently did a clean factory re-install of OSX and re-installed Spotify. Now when logging in I get the "A firewall may be blocking Spotify" error message with error code auth16.

I have tried all the proposed solutions on the Spotify forums, I have re-installed Spotify and re-started the computer but to no avail. Firewall is off, and I am not using a proxy. I am on Spotify Premium.

Would appreciate any help!

[thamersing]

Just to update on this: I am able to use the Spotify app if I use a VPN. With the VPN connected it works fine, but without the VPN it doesn't work (it shows Spotify is offline). This is not a good solution though, as I don't want or need to have a VPN connected at all times.

So it seems to be something location related (although I am in the same location as my account settings).

It's unfortunate that Spotify does not have any customer service / support for its paying customers, to get help with these kinds of issues. It seems like this is a common problem but no solutions out there.

[Cloud1]

I have the same problem with auth:16 but at this point Spotify has said F#46 You to us. Still no help!

[thamersing]

Seems like this is a fairly common problem, and no help from Spotify...

Think I'll just cancel my subscription and give Tidal a try... 

[thamersing]

Solved! 

Cancelled Spotify subscription and signed up to Tidal, which is working perfectly!

And they have an online customer service for when things go wrong.

[Cloud1]

Downloading now.

[flyingisawol]

same issue here. extremely annoying, and fairly incredible for a paid service. 

[flyingisawol]

agreed. Seeing LOTS of posts re this. incredible there is no fix.

[Ivan]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for posting on the Community about this. 
 

First thing you can try here is restarting the network device (router or modem), then log out and log back in to the Spotify app. It's also a good idea to test if you observe the same under a different network. If it works with another connection, it's best to contact the service provider of the original network for more information. 

If this persists, send us a screenshot of the error message you get. Just attach the image to your next response to us by using the Insert Photos option in the post editor. This way we can take a closer look at the issue. 

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.  

[flyingisawol]

Hey Ivan,

Thanks for the msg.

I'm running OSX 11.1. desktop client. Mobile working as normal. Seems the bulk of the issues are with desktop.

I have tried power cycling router, and attempting to log back in, alternate networks (hotspot), vpn on/off, fresh install and all troubleshooting suggestions i could find including checking hosts file and removing anything if needed (there was nothing to remove on mine), deleting all relevant files and reinstalling. restarting machine. attempted login in safemode - this actually worked, but nothing can be played in safe mode as audio out is disabled. Since doing that i was able to login, but now nothing plays...

Wasted half my day yesterday on chats with support with zero result.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Ivan · Accepted solution]

Hey @flyingisawol, 

Thanks for uploading the screenshot. 

If logging in in Safe Mode makes it work you might need to check for any local settings on your device that could be blocking the app. In case there's an antivirus software or such that could be restricting access to the app, try whitelisting Spotify. 

Also, when checking your hosts file, we suggest following the steps in this help article. Can you confirm if you followed them when cleaning up the file? 

Looking forward to your reply. Have a nice day!