Spotify for Windows stops updating to API after some time

[thebrandon45]

Plan

Premium

Country

United States

Device

Windows PC

Operating System

Windows 11 & 10

My Question or Issue

I have tested this on 3 different Windows PC on my account as well as a completely different house, PC, network, and account.

Upon starting Spotify for Windows (not Windows Store) and starting music playback, everything works as intended. After a random amount of time between 15 to 30 minutes into playback the Windows client stops updating to the Spotify API of it's status. Querying the API shows that no music playback is happening on the account. This continues even through changing songs, playlists, albums, no matter what, the client will not update the API at all. Furthermore, Spotify Connect stops working completely, selecting another device will just cause "Connecting to [Device]" to show and never connect. On the device it will launch the Spotify app, but never actually play anything.

FURTHER, it allows me to actually start playback on another device and it will play the music concurrently on both the Windows PC and whatever other device I manually start playback on. Example: I can play a song on the Windows PC and my iPhone at the same time, transfer the playback to another device from my iPhone, or if I start it on my TV it will stop playback on my iPhone (as Spotify normally works).

At first I thought this may be intentional but it doesn't make sense to allow simultaneous playback. This also does not happens on any other device. I tested my iPhone, an LG Spotify soundbar (not Google Cast), as well as several TVs, a few Google Home devices, and more, all tested separately playing for hours each time and it will always continue to update the API with no problem. I tested this on my Windows 11 PC, my Windows 10 laptop, and another Windows 10 PC in my house.

I also went to another house and tried on there Windows 11 computer and their Windows 11 laptop on there Spotify account and had the exact same results.

The only resolution is to restart the Spotify application. If I am playing something on another device then it will immediately recognize the other device has playback control and hook into that through Spotify Connect, I can then transfer the playback to the local Windows PC, where it will work again for another 15-30 minutes.

I am on the latest version with no update prompt present: Spotify for Windows
1.2.0.1165.gabf054ab