spotify won't play certain songs

[sugscott]

Hi guys

I've had spotify for years and recently its developed a weird problem that has been getting worse. Sometimes it just won't play certain songs. I have a stable internet connection and the songs aren't greyed out. If I click play though, nothing happens. If you see the screenshot it comes up with the icon to say its but the song doesn't load. 

I can play other songs fine, and use the internet on a browser like normal. I have also noticed that sometimes there is a lag between me clicking play on a song and the song starting. It will take a couple of seconds before it plays. 

I have tried quitting and starting spotify again, shutting down/restarting my mac, I've even done a clean reinstall, but it doesn't seem to make any difference. 

I'm on a macbook pro Big Sur 11.0.1, and spotify 1.1.48.625.g1c87c7f7

[Ivan]

Hey @sugscott, 

Thanks for searching for the answer you need here! 
 

For some reason the screenshot you uploaded didn't successfully attach to your post. Could you try uploading it again so that we can have a look? 

You can Edit your post in the three-dots menu and attach the file, or post a new response to include it. You can also use the Insert Photos option in the post editor.  

Hope this helps. We'll look out for your reply. 

[sugscott]

Hi Ivan

Sorry about that, no idea why it wouldn't attach. Hopefully this time its uploaded fine! 

Hopefully you can see, I've tried to play the song by lord echo, but the playback just doesn't start and stay's greyed out.

This weekend I was playing an album and one song refused to start playing. I then "liked" the song and tried to play it again and it worked! Bit confusing whats happening!

Cheers

[Ivan]

Hey @sugscott, 

Thanks for getting back to us with the screenshot.

In case a clean reinstall didn't help you solve the issue it's also a good idea to check the hosts file on your MacBook for entries that need to be removed. Follow the steps described here on how you can do that. 

If this persists, check if what you experience might be device-related. Simply log in to your Spotify account on another device just to see if you observe the same. If it doesn't occur on a different device, we'd suggest making sure that your original device is up to speed with any software updates available.

Keep us posted! We'll be here if you have any questions. 

[sugscott]

Hi Ivan

Thanks again for the reply and linking that page about deleting host files on my mac. I followed the steps however and there were no spotify files in my host files, so I'm not sure what to do!

I was trying to play an album this morning and it just stopped at the 4th track in and wouldn't play any songs on the album that I hadn't listened to. It didn't matter if I waited, or if I hit play multiple times. I then made the album into a playlist and it started working! 

Seems really strange this one. 

[sugscott]

Oh, I forgot to put this, but my macbook is fully up to date!

[Ivan]

Hey @sugscott, 

Thanks for keeping us in the loop. 

Next thing we can test is if you observe the same when logging in to a different Spotify account on your MacBook. This will indicate if the issue might be account-related.

You can ask a friend or a family member to log in to their account on your device and try playing the same track. Or you can create a free test account by following the steps listed here. If it works with another account, you can follow the steps in this Spotify Answer next.

Let us know how it goes!

[sugscott]

Hey! 

Sorry for the delay, I tried it with a different account at it seems to work without the glitches! 

[sugscott]

Lol, how typical. Its now doing the same thing, won't play! This is whilst logged in on a different account! Its really weird, it won't play a song no matter how many times I click play. If I click the like button next to play, and then hit play it plays the song fine!

[Ivan]

Hey @sugscott, 

Thanks for getting back to us. 

If you see the same happening when using your new Spotify account on the same Mac device this sounds like it's most probably related to the device.

In case you have the possibility, it'd be good to check if you experience the issue on another Mac after logging in to your original Spotify account. This should let you know where the issue is originating from. 

Stay tuned! 

[sugscott]

Hi, so I tried it on a different computer and it seemed to work fine. Tried it on mine again and it had the same issues. 

[Ivan]

Hey @sugscott, 

Thanks for keeping us posted. 

If it works on another computer but still keeps on occurring on your original device this confirms that the issue is device-related. In such a case we suggest getting in touch with the manufacturer's customer service for more info and assistance. 

Enjoy your day further! 

[sugscott]

It works if I click the like button next to a song and then play it. Are you sure this is related to my device? I have no idea how my macbook which is up to date would interfere with spotify like this? 

[Mihail]

Hey @sugscott,

Thanks for your reply.

If different accounts bring up the same issue on your device and your account works properly on another computer, this would indicate that the root cause of the problem lies with your Mac. It's possible that some of the apps or settings are causing an interference with the app files and the connectivity to our servers. As we haven't seem any similar reports on the Community recently, we feel that this is indeed isolated to your particular setup. For now, we recommend contacting the device manufacturer for further help.

Hope you find this useful. Let us know how you get on.

[erichardzz]

Hi there,

I'm having the same issue too.  I have a Macbook and about half the songs on my Daily Mixes skip too.  "Spotify can't play this right now.  If you have the file on your computer can import it."  

I also tried deleting the app and reinstalling it.

[CarlosE]

Hey @erichardzz,

Thanks for reaching out to the Community.

Just to confirm, did you make sure to follow these specific steps for a clean reinstall? This is more thorough than a regular one and can be helpful to get rid of any corrupted files that might be causing trouble.

If that doesn't do the trick, can you let us know if the same happens on any other devices?

If possible, try with a different connection, like a mobile hotspot, and let us know if this persists.

Also, make sure that there aren't any settings interfering with Spotify on your firewall.

Keep us posted. We'll be on the lookout.

[Gimegkos]

Same issue here as well. Some tracks wont play, while others on the same album plays just fine. No error, no nothing, just wont start.

[Mihail]

Hey @Gimegkos,

Thanks for searching for the answer you need here.

Could you please list any of the troubleshooting steps posted above, that you've tried? That way we can avoid suggesting something you may have already tried.

Keep us posted, we'll be here if you have any questions. 

[sugscott]

Its also happening on my ipad, I tried playing an album over the weekend and it had the same issue. Just wouldn't play. 

I guess the nature of the problem and the randomness of the fact spotify just decides to refuse to play certain songs means that it might well not work on the different computer I tried, I just didn't try playing it on that computer for long enough. Seems like other members are experiencing the same issues...

[CarlosE]

Hey again @sugscott,

Thanks for getting back in touch.

We'd like to know if this behavior persists over a different connection, like another WiFi network or a mobile hotspot.

We'd also like to know if the album that you tried to play on the weekend could be played when saving it or adding it to a playlist.

Lastly, it'd come in handy if you sent us the link/URI of that specific album.

We'll be looking out for your reply.