Offline Mode bug (PC,Win10)

[Komba]

Plan

Premium

Country

Germany

Device

PC

Operating System

Win10 latest release

Spotify Version

latest

Connection

Ethernet, no WiFi available

My Question or Issue

Getting the Error "please turn off offline mode and try again" when trying to play a song/podcast/playlist. Weird thing is I can use the searchbar and "use" the application but can't listen to something. If I would be in offline-mode I wouldn't even be able to see the shownotes of a podcast episode etc.

What I did so far:

FlushDNS

Clean reinstall (yes, CLEAN. With deleting all the temporarys, regkeys, etc)

Restart PC

Install as an admin

Activate/Deactivate Offline Mode

Restart router

Log out, login

Checked antivirus & firewall and made exceptions for spotify

[okazon69]

Happening since at least a week ago also.  (Canada)

When clicking the play button directly on, for example, Daily Mix, it shows "Please turn off offline mode and try again" while when trying to play an individual track, it shows "This content is not available".

[Eni]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community. 

@Komba, great troubleshooting so far, we can add a few more steps to make sure we've covered all bases. First up, we suggest that you check your firewall and antivirus software or apps to make sure Spotify is whitelisted or set as an exception. Also, make sure to uninstall any ad-blocker apps. 
 

@okazon69, it's well worth running a clean reinstall by following these steps to see if that helps. If this doesn't do the trick, we'd recommend clearing your hosts file with the steps here. Additionally, would you mind trying with a different internet connection to check if that makes the difference?

We'll be on the lookout for your replies.

[okazon69]

Note: this is not about the Web Player but the Windows 10 app.  The Web Player works fine.  The hosts file has no entries related to Spotify.  

I did uninstall and reinstall the app as suggested already. 

The desktop app shows me the same playlist (e.g. Daily Mix) as what I am currently playing in the Web Player.  

When I select a different device to play on one of them, that is reflected in the other.

But I am not able to play anything at all using the desktop app. 

[okazon69]

When I use my phone as a hotspot, the desktop app does work. 

However, I have turned off all firewalls, PiHole, etc. and DNS is set to 8.8.8.8 / 8.8.4.4. 

The fact that some data seems to transfer between the desktop app and the web app indicates that there is connectivity, so why won't it play music?

Time for Wireshark, perhaps?! 

[okazon69]

So I installed Wireshark.  And now the Spotify Desktop App works.  Weird! 

[Komba]

Done the requested steps but unfortunately didn't change anything:/

[Komba]

Exactly the same for me

[Jeremy]

Hi there folks,

Thank you for your replies and confirmations.

@okazon69 - we're super glad to see that everything works as it should for you again 🙂

@Komba - can you try with a different internet connection to see if the issue persists?

We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

Take care!

[Komba]

Thanks for your reply Jeremy,

I'm not able to try another internet connection as I don't own a WiFi stick.

[Jeremy]

Hi again @Komba,

Thank you for getting back in touch.

Just to be sure, can you double-check so that you haven't switched on your offline mode by following the steps that's provided in this article?

On another note, can you connect to for an example, friend or family members hotspot to see if the issue persists?

Keep us posted 🙂

[Komba]

Double checking done, all fine. Hence:"Weird thing is I can use the searchbar and "use" the application but can't listen to something. If I would be in offline-mode I wouldn't even be able to see the shownotes of a podcast episode etc."
I use a stationary computer and as I said dont use WiFi but Ethernet instead. No friends or relatives live in this house, so there's no opportunity to connect my PC to somebody else's router via cable.

In case that's important for you: spotify on my phone works fine.(WiFi connection, same router as PC)

[Eni]

Hey there @Komba,

Thanks for getting back to us.

In this case, we'd recommend clearing your hosts file with the steps here. 

Also, in case you're using a VPN, it's a good idea to disable it.

On another note, are there any changes when you try using the app from the Microsoft Store or from our website and vice versa?

Keep us posted.

[Komba · Accepted solution]

It was the VPN. Eventhough split-tunneling was active for spotify it somehow didn't work. Kinda weird cause spotify used to work without split tunneling and VPN active.

So yeah, problem kinda solved. Nonetheless just officially support VPN already, it's 2022 jeez. There's more than enough usecases where it's used.

[Eni]

Hi @Komba, 

We're glad to know it's working now. We can confirm that we don't officially support VPNs, but we'll make sure to pass your feedback to the right team. 

If you need a hand with anything else, the Community is here for you. 

[banditgeek84]

I'm having the same exact issue. No VPN. Spotify works via a wired ethernet connection in my office, but not via Wi-Fi in my bedroom. This has to be an issue of Spotify not recognizing my connection, even though I'm clearly able to access the internet.

[OscarDC]

Hey @banditgeek84,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community.

If you’re a Premium subscriber, first check if the Offline mode is active on your device as this can prevent the app from connecting to an internet source. You can see more information in this article.

However, if that doesn’t do the trick, we'd recommend performing a clean reinstall of the app. This is often an overlooked step, but it’s more thorough than a regular one and can be helpful to get rid of any cache that might be causing the connection trouble. 

Hope this helps. If you have any additional questions, don’t hesitate to ask. 

[Krautmaster]

its not working, no vpn or anything else. Already fresh installed. It needs internet on first start and this sucks. It always says "not able to load page" and the app is already in offline mode. Fix it! asap! thx

[Eni]

Hey @Krautmaster,

Thanks for reaching out and welcome to the Community.

Just to confirm, is this happening across devices or only on a specific one?

Also, could you let us know which troubleshooting steps you've already tried? That way we can avoid any repeating steps.

On another note, we'd like to know if this started happening after a specific event such as an update. 

Keep us posted.