Bug - Play button does not work for podcast

[randydodd530]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Dell XPS 

Operating System

Win 11

My Question or Issue

If I have a Spotify playlist, like Jazz In The Background, playing, and I go to my Library, and find a podcast and select it, if I click on the Play button, nothing happens.

I have to stop the playback, delete the que, find my podcast again in the library, and play it again, and then it works.

[Yordan]

Hey @randydodd530,

Thanks for reaching out!

Based on the screenshot you're listening on your Family Room Bar. Does the same behavior occur when listening to one of the other devices listed in the Connect menu? Have you tried controlling the playback from the Web Player or a mobile device instead of the desktop app to see if it makes a difference?

If you haven't already, try performing a clean reinstall of the desktop app by following the steps here. This will rule out any potential issues with cache and ensure you're running the latest version of Spotify.

Cheers 🤘

[randydodd530]

1. Connect menu - No, it does not happen to a different device in the connect menu.

2. Tried Web Player. Same problem happens.

3. Tried mobile device app. Same problem happens.

4. Tried clean install. Same problem happens.

The device is the Family Room Bar, which is a Samsung Wi-Fi/Bluetooth speaker.

[Maria]

Hey @randydodd530,

Thanks for the reply and for all additional details!

As this seem to only occur when connected to a certain speaker, it's possible that it's related to the current setup. In this case, we recommend checking for any updates for your speaker's OS. It's also worth restarting your device to check if it behaves in the same way.

Cheers!

[randydodd530]

There are no speaker OS updates.

I restarted the device and no change.

I also reset the speaker back to factory settings, and still no change.

I also tried to reload the OS to the speaker, and still no change.

The speaker is: Samsung WAM1500 Wi-Fi speaker.

[Maria]

Thanks for keeping us in the loop @randydodd530!

If possible, you can ask a friend or family member to log into their own Spotify account and connect to the speaker, to see if the same thing happens to them. You can also give another internet connection a shot. For example, you can create a hotspot on your phone as an alternative connection.

Also, just to confirm, does this only happen when trying to change playback to a podcast episode? Are you able to select and change the playback to other playlists?
 

Keep us posted.

[randydodd530]

1. Friend uses their spotify account - same problem.

2. Different internet connection - same problem.

3. Only happens when trying to change to a podcast. I tried multiple podcasts. Same problem.

4. If I select and change playback to a music playlist, it works fine. Only appears to happen to podcasts, any podcasts.

[Vasil]

Hey @randydodd530,

Thank you for the thorough troubleshooting!

We believe that the issue lies within the connection between the speaker and the podcast itself. The podcast format can create issues from time to time, which is why your fellow users have also created this idea. If you wish to do so, feel free to add your vote to it and share it with your peers - the more votes it gathers, the better its chances for a quicker implementation!

Having said this, it might also be a good idea to doublecheck with your device's manufacturer (Dell) to see if they can assist you in any way 🙂

Hope you'll find this info helpful! We're here for you in case more questions come up.

[randydodd530]

Thank you for your observations. This problem happens with all podcasts, so it is probably not a podcast format issue. If you note in my original post, once I stop playback, delete the que, and then play the podcast, it works fine. 

Also, thank you for the alternate IDEA post. That also does not apply to this case, as the podcasts will play on the Wi-Fi speaker, but only after I have to perform multiple operations on the app.

This also is not a device manufacturer issue, as I also have tested it, as requested, on multiple devices and apps and accounts and OS.

All my extensive, labor-intensive, time-consuming troubleshooting has revealed that the problem is a bug in the app software/system, whereby, for Wi-Fi speakers (and/or Spotify Connect?), the switch from an active music track to a podcast track, using the PLAY button in the app, on the podcast episode, does not work or activate the podcast.

Please escalate this to Development for their consideration of fixing the software defect.

Thank you for your assistance in making Spotify a better product. Please keep me apprised of the progress.

[randydodd530]

Disappointing. I guess there is no way to notify Spotify Development of software defects. I have had many software defects in my Windows desktop Spotify app. I wait and hope they are fixed. Sometimes they are, sometimes not. Then I learn to live with them. Unfortunately, this whole process and experience was very disappointing. The answer is: if your app is not working, delete it, and start over, losing all your customizations in the process, and hope a fresh install will fix it. If not, live with the problems.