Can't reinstall spotify app on Catalina

[sharonsgh]

Plan

Premium

Country : Israel

Device

Macbook Pro 13-inch Catalina 10.15.6

I deleted the Spotify app from my computer about two months ago because it wasn't working well and kept crashing. I haven't been able to reinstall it ever since then. I've tried multiple times ever since I deleted the app but nothing seems to work.

Everytime I download the Spotify installer it says "Downloading Spotify" for a few minutes then eventually says "Download failed - retrying in 5,4,3s" or "the request timed out". 

I have read previous posts on this forum and tried :

- restarting my computer 

- deleting spotify cache from the "Library" folder and basically any spotify-related file from my computer

- updating the Mac system

Is there anything else I can try? This is becoming very inconvenient...

Thanks in advance!

[Mihail]

Hey @sharonsgh,

Thanks for reaching out to the Community.

Just to make sure that we're on the same page - you're downloading the installer from an official source, right? If that's the case, does this happen when also using another internet connection? Could you give it a go with another one, say a mobile hotspot and check if the same error comes up?

If it does, it's a good idea to check your hosts file for Spotify entries and remove any you find. You do this as follows:

1. Open Finder and, in Finder’s menu bar, select Go > Go to Folder. In the box, type the following location: /private/etc/hosts and press return
2. A new Finder window will open and your Mac’s hosts file will be selected. Click and drag it out of the Finder window and drop it on your desktop
3. To open it, simply double-click and it will display the file’s contents in TextEdit 
4. Check for any entries with Spotify in the address
5. If you do find any lines with Spotify, please remove them
6. Save your changes and run the installer again

Keep us posted how it goes. We’ll keep an eye out for your reply.

[sharonsgh]

Hi Mihail, thank you for your reply.

To answer your question, I am indeed downloading spotify from an official source (Spotify website). I tried downloading the app with a different internet connection but it didn't make any difference. Besides, my roomate tried to download the app from his computer (Macbook Air with the same Version, from the same year) and it worked like a charm on his so I doubt there is a problem with the internet connection.

I did what you wrote but didn't find any entries with Spotify in my Mac's hosts files (see attached picture). Is there anything else I can try ? 

[Mihail · Accepted solution]

Hey @sharonsgh,

Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

This is indeed odd and everything point to the issue being device-related. With that in mind what we can recommend is that you restore you MacBook to factory settings. You can use the official Apple guide here.  We know that this step might cause some inconvenience but it would remove any system-wide causes for the installer failing to load.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on how it goes.

[sharonsgh]

Hi Mihail,

I was indeed able to successfully re-install the app after reseting my Mac to factory settings. Thanks for your help!

[Ver]

Hey @sharonsgh,

Thanks for keeping us posted 🙂

Glad to hear it worked out and everything is running smoothly.

If you have questions, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We'll be happy to help.

Stay safe!