Firewall Blocking Spotify Error Code auth:16

[mattyg88]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

United States

Device

MacBook Pro, Mid 2012

Operating System

macOS Mojave

My Question or Issue

As I've seen many people posting about here, I too seem to have fallen to the "firewall may be blocking Spotify" problem that many others are having.

I started off by deleting the app, clearing all cache and other Spotify files in Library, restarted, then tried to do a fresh install from Spotify's website. From there, I continuously got a "Download Failed" followed by an "Installation Failed" message. After searching through the forums, someone else posted a .dmg file that could be downloaded, and that at least worked to get the app reinstalled.

From the fresh install, I got the same firewall auth:16 message again. I then tried changing the Firewall settings to no avail, tried changing the "host" file to no avail. I have restarted and reinstalled at least six times.

Anybody from Spotify actually going to help us out with this? I have been a Premium member for years and this is making me want to cancel because you clearly don't care about customer service. 

[Mihail]

Hey @rukletsov,

Thanks for getting back to us.

We appreciate the time you've taken to troubleshoot the issue and sharing the results with us. Could you borrow a friend or фamily members account and see if the error comes up there as well? You can also create a free one here with a different email. If it works with the other account, it's possible that the issue is account related. You can use the steps here to transfer your music collection to a new one so that nothing gets lost. 

If the problem persists with other accounts on the same device and across different networks, that would indicate that the root cause lies with the device and your specific setup.

Keep is posted.

[rukletsov · Accepted solution]

Hi @Mihail,

using another account did not work. However, I contacted support and with their help resolved the issue. Thank you and your colleagues for your help!

For posterity, here is what worked for me:
* Go to the 'update proxy' settings
* Choose 'No Proxy' from the dropdown in the top right corner
* Click 'Update Proxy' on the left, otherwise your change will not be saved!
* Click 'Back To Login'
* Restart the application

[Ver]

Hey @rukletsov,

Thanks for keeping us posted 🙂

Glad to hear that everything is running smoothly and you can enjoy your favorite jams again.

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

Stay safe!
 

[Linuvatar]

Thank you for providing this , for me removing the cache files was the solution (didn't even need to remove and reinstall the app, just exited it before removing the cache files then it worked like a charm restarting it afterwards).

[SarahBetsy]

I am having the same problem. I have cleared the hosts and the cache (both were empty anyway). I too am a premium member, so any solution?

[MafeG]

Hi @SarahBetsy,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community!

Could you run a clean reinstall of the app with these steps? After that, make sure to download the app from the Microsoft Store.

If the issue persists after that, please disable your Firewall, restart the app and check if you're able to access again.

Let us know how this goes.

[Snowhouse]

Sorry but ive tried and it didnt work!

[OscarDC]

Hey @Snowhouse,

Thank you for keeping in contact and for the info shared.

It's possible that your issue needs a deeper cleaning than a regular one. In case you haven't tried, try this steps to remove the Host files from your device:
 

1. Open Notepad as an administrator (right-click - Open as Administrator)
2. Go to File > Open and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc
3. Choose "All Files" instead of "Text Documents" next to the File Name box. You'll see a handful of files. Pick hosts and click on Open
4. When the file is open, you will see a block of text with # in front of each line and might see entries like 0.0.0.0 website.com127.0.0.1 website2.com
5. Check for any entries with Spotify in the address. Examples may look like: 0.0.0.0 weblb-wg.gslb.spotify.com0.0.0.0
6. If you do find any lines with Spotify, please remove them.
7. Save your changes and restart Spotify

Hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.

[Snowhouse]

I dont have a file named hosts in that directory and yes ive tried reinstalling Spotify!

[Alex]

Hi @Snowhouse,

Thanks for the post.

Sorry to hear that you're having this issue.

Did you try the solution from @rukletsov? Apart from that you can try connecting to a different network.

Let us know how you get on.

[bthrane]

Hello, I have had the same issue and have cleared the cache and checked the host file. I have a Macbook Pro 2021 M1 and I have turned off my firewall as well as tried all of the options listed above. I am still getting the error code "auth 16 " I have done several fresh installs and restarted. Please help!!

[CarlosE]

Hey @bthrane,

Thanks for your reply in this thread 🙂
 

Just to confirm, did you already try the steps recommended by @rukletsov? This could work for you as well.

On another note, did you use a VPN? Keep in mind Spotify doesn't officially support VPN. This means that issues with the app while using a VPN are expected behavior.

Lastly, 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. 
 

 We'll keep an eye on your response!