Audio cutting out midplay

[jaredgrimes1192]

Plan

Premium

Country

US

Device

Dell Laptop / ASUS Laptop

Operating System

Windows 7 / Windows 10

My Question or Issue

I've been running into an issue where suddenly the audio for Spotify just seems to cut-out. No warning, no indication, no specific time-lapse or connection issue; just suddenly no sound. The song itself appears to keep playing in the app, but nothing is coming through the speakers of headphones. Other system sounds seem to be playing as normal. Once this occurs, Spotify will not play any audio on any song or playlist, regardless of whether its downloaded/streaming, even after closing and reopening.

I have encountered this problem on both my work and home laptop. The issue seems to be fixed if I re-install Spotify, but inevitably it happens again and needs a fresh re-install. It doesnt seem to happen on my phone (Samsung Galaxy 8), and if I switch the control of the audio to my phone from the app it seems to work on the phone. It seems like all the functionality of the app is fine (play/pause, skip, etc.) except for the fact that no music is audible, despite it saying the song is playing. 

Quite frustrating, any ideas?

[yardanos]

exactly same problem. Hope somebody guide us. Thanks for the post

[Buachaillindonn]

Same here, sound cuts out at beginning while continuing to play.  Using one plus phone & Sonos. Only seems to occur with Spotify connect, not when using sonos interface

[Kazairl]

Same issue.

I tried deleting the Spotify files that exist in C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Local\Packages\Spotify... however when I re-downloaded the song it was still missing half the audio.

I therefore suspect there are some bad files on the Spotify servers.

In my case the song that stops working is: Slowly - Max Sedgley

[Katerina]

Hey there folks!

Thanks for reporting this in the Community, we'll do our best to help you sort this out so that you'll be back on track in no time. We'll just need a bit more info to be sure that we're on the same page with everyone 🙂

@jaredgrimes1192 Could you let us know if you experience the same issue when using the web player? It's also worth it to try switching off Enable hardware acceleration under Compatibility in the desktop app's Settings.  

If that doesn't do the trick, we're recommend making sure that the drivers (especially the soundcard drivers) on your devices are updated to the latest version.

@Buachaillindonn Does this happen to you only when using Connect with the two devices you mentioned or do you also get it when the music is playing directly though your phone? We can recommend that you start off with a clean reinstall to see if that makes any difference for you.

@Kazairl It would be helpful if you could let us know the make, model and operating system of the device you're experiencing this on. We'll also need to know if it only happens only on downloaded songs or just any song in the app?

We're looking forward to your answers and we'll take it from there. Feel free to include any other details that you think might relevant as well.

[Kazairl]

@1:32 https://open.spotify.com/track/3uJop21W1wdeiQJDAHluL8?si=UwJRUosgTRy5J8lh-rvPFQ

[Jeremy]

Hey there @Kazairl,

Thank you for your post in this thread.

In this case we suggest that you have a look at this article under Broken or incorrect content and follow the steps that's provided there under If it’s not a technical issue:.

If you have any questions we're always one reply away.

Cheers 🙂

[Ultravincent1]

Getting this same issue. new laptop asus zepherus g14... 

song drops out but it keeps time going. then i have to restart the program to get it back... but before long the song does it again. SUPER ANNOYING

[Ultravincent1]

never mind it was a driver for the soundcard. its all good now

[3perkz]

My audio is cutting out now, it cuts out for atleast 15 seconds or even more, i tried reseting my laptop, and stuff, still doesnt work

[Yordan]

Hi @3perkz!

Does the audio cut only on specific tracks? Could you check if the issue persists on the Web Player as well?

Have you tried changing the sampling rate of your laptop? You can do that in Windows' Sound Settings > Sound Control Panel. While Spotify supports up to 192kHz, it's recommended that you use either 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz.

If you're on Premium, you can try downloading a playlist/album and set the app to Offline Mode to see if you'd experience the same behavior. If you're on Free, you can download a podcast episode instead. To set the app to Offline Mode click on the three dots in the top left corner > File > Offline Mode.

Let us know how it goes. Cheers!

[jocean]

I keep having the same issue, even though I'm not on Windows (I'm on Apple and Google products).

This is a new issue for me, starting about August 2022 (have been with Spotify 10yrs an no issues – good run, I guess).

I'm on a Mac computer, happens whether I play on desktop, iPhone or Google Home. 

No, it's not someone playing on another device or account.

I've tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app on laptop, rebooting desktop.

Doesn't seem to matter what track it is - happens randomly.

Specifically, audio stops but the track timeline still moves forward. It's driving me crazy, it feels like it happens more frequently now.

[AlejaR]

Hey @jocean,

Thanks for your reply and for the info shared.

In this case, we suggest you access your account page and there you'll have to sign out everywhere, using the button you'll find by scrolling to the bottom of the Account Overview page.
 

Once you've done that, try a clean reinstall of the app. We understand you've already tried reinstalling the app on your device, but we'd like you to perform, if you haven't yet, a clean (more thorough) reinstall of the Spotify app on your devices. You can find out the steps to do it here.

Just to confirm, do you notice the audio stops but the track timeline still moves forward on all your devices, or does this happen on just a specific one? Please send us as much info as possible.

Lastly, we understand you noticed this doesn't have to do with someone else opening your account without your consent, but, it's always a good idea to secure your account in these cases to make sure everything is in order. You can find out more on how to secure your account here.
 

Keep us in the loop!

[Semaj1]

Hello, 

This occurs for me as well, but only on the web player. I've updated the driver and reduced Hz. 

[MihailY]

Hey @Semaj1,

Does the same happen when using a different browser or after clearing your cache and cookies? How about when using a different account/device?

Looking forward to your reply.