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Issue with the Web Player skipping tracks on multiple devices

Submitted by Moderator on ‎2024-11-13 08:31 AM
Status: Case Closed

We received reports from users having issues with the Web Player skipping tracks after a few seconds of streaming (usually around 10) and occasionally displaying a "Spotify can't play this right now" error.

Hey there folks,
 
We really appreciate all your reports so far!
 
Our tech teams have looked into this, but weren't able to reproduce it. Since this issue could be caused by individual network setups, we'll close this thread as the issue is something that will need to be looked into individually or could get resolved by an overall system and/or functionality change.

 

Here are some troubleshooting steps that are worth taking a look into:


Check if there are any pending updates for your browser and install them. It's also highly recommended you manually check if the latest version of the Widevine plugin is installed. There's a detailed guide on how to do that in this article.

 

Below you can find some additional things you can try. Click on each section to expand it.

 

► Audio Output & Sample Rate

 

Make sure Spotify is mapped to a valid audio device in Windows/macOS and that the sample rate isn’t set too high (anywhere between 44.1 and 192 kHz should be okay). Check “App volume and device preferences” and confirm Spotify is assigned to the correct output. You'll find a detailed guide on how to do that here.

 

► USB DACs or external audio interfaces

 

Driver conflicts or odd configuration in advanced setups (e.g., gaming headsets, external DACs) can trigger errors. Disabling/re-enabling the device driver or trying a different USB port often helps.

 

► Clearing hosts file

 

Check if the hosts file contains any entries with Spotify in the address and remove them. You'll find the steps to do this here.

 

► Symlinks or moved browser data

 

If you moved your browser’s cache/profile via symbolic links, check permissions and confirm Widevine is working with the new location.

 

► Firewall/Antivirus software or Ad blockers

 

Aggressive AV or restricted network policies can break DRM or streaming requests. Try disabling them briefly or test with another network. Uninstall any ad-blocker apps.

 

► In case you're using any DJ apps/ software for mixing or creating tunes

 

If you have any DJ apps/software for mixing or creating tunes, try disabling the option to exclusively use a specific sound card. You can try using a different device to verify if the issue is limited to your setup and/ or network.

 


We hope this helps. If you still need a hand, you can start a new topic in the relevant Help board including all the steps you've tried so far and their outcome and we'll take it from there.

P.S. If you're on a non-personal device or network (student laptop, student network, corporate laptop, corporate network) get in touch with the administrator for more help! 🙂

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Top Answer
8hsn9203hz75o47i46yu
Newbie
‎2024-11-15 07:39 PM

IT's Finally FIXED - and can resume enjoying the music again !!! 🙂
Woah - waited a while in case the faults scame back but web player Spotify has been playing perfectly all afternoon.

Seems Spotify did some code changes the Mozilla Firefox Browser (and other browsers as well by sounds of it), didn't like very much.

Step 1 - Upgraded Mozilla Firefox 32 bit version from an earlier version up to version 115.0.3esr.

'esr' stands for - Extended Support Release'.
These ESR Mozilla releases are to keep the Firefox browser running on the ancient Windows 7 platform.

Version (115.0.3esr) was released (15-Jan-2024)
This made no change !!
Spotify Web Version was still not working.

Then upgraded again from (115.0.3esr) up to (115.17.0esr)
Version (115.17.0esr) was released (28-Oct-2024)
This is browser version is 9 months newer, and less than  3 weeks old as of 2024 11 15 (when this fix was posted).

So possibly (and hopefully) your issue will also be fixed by upgrading your browser to the very latest version 🙂
No idea what got broken, but the plan to Stubbornly Stay With Windows7 (along with the growing millions of other users), should definately be noted by Spotify please?

If the choice comes between W7 and Spotify, huge numbers of users (me included), will be hunting for another music streaming platform.

🙂 Thanks 🙂

Jump to reply
Comments
flaviohenrisp
Newbie
2024-11-09 03:15 PM

Im running on Windows 7 too. But, didnt work on Chrome or Opera. Ill try on Firefox just for hear untill the problem is solved.

Maria
Moderator
Moderator
2024-11-09 05:07 PM

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the reports!

 

We've passed this on to the right team and it's being looked into. We'll keep you posted here if we have any news to share.

 

Cheers!

Nan9
Newbie
2024-11-09 05:19 PM

Just checked for fun: Opera, Firefox, Chrome - nothing changes. Same problem everywhere.

Dessi
Moderator
Moderator
2024-11-10 09:31 AM

Hey folks,

 

As @Maria mentioned, this is currently being looked into, but in the meantime, it'd be great if you can try clearing your hosts file by following the steps here if you haven't tried that already and letting us know if that helped. We'd really appreciate that, thanks!

 

Take care.

randlan
Newbie
2024-11-10 10:05 AM

Nothing to clear in the host file, so no, it did not work.

 

Not a solution.

Nan9
Newbie
2024-11-10 04:43 PM

In this thread it seems like it has been said 10 times that the host file option doesn't help. The next moderator comes and again suggests clearing the host. It's like playing broken telephone.

crickety
Newbie
2024-11-11 08:32 AM

Hi, is the Spotify web player broken? Every song plays for a few seconds then cuts off with the pop-up message "Spotify can't play this right now".

 

Unhelpful error message! WHY can't Spotify play this right now? Will it play it later when it feels better?

 

Edit: It's working again for me 2 days later. I did nothing on my side, so can assume Spotify fixed something on their end. Or maybe the Widevine plugin updated itself. I use Firefox.

spoitfy_liar.jpg
lvntlrncz
Newbie
2024-11-11 09:52 AM

I am using Spotify on my Mac m2 via Bluetooth to my JBL speaker. I have never had any problem with Spotify, but for a few days, whenever I start playing songs on my Mac, after about 3-5 tracks, the player stops and does nothing, it is frozen. I have to force quit the app every single time and reopen.

0 Likes
nzoschke1
Casual Listener
2024-11-11 08:09 PM

I develop a Spotify app that this is affecting greatly so I have done comprehensive testing.

 

Spotify QA team please reproduce this issue then confirm here that you acknowledge the issue and will fix it.

 

On Mobile Safari on iPhone, iPad both iOS 17 and 18 also lots of playback problems 9 seconds in.

 

When playing on the phone built in speaker, there is a small but noticeable audio "stutter" at 9s in on every track.

 

When playing on the phone Air Playing to a Sonos device, all audio cuts out after 9s. The track still looks like its playing in the player.

 

After audio cuts out if I press "next" then "play" to replay the track sometimes it plays properly past 9 seconds but not always.

 

I am able to easily reproduce all of these problems on multiple devices, as has another developer with a totally separate account, network and devices.

The_Metal_Mom
Regular
2024-11-12 12:07 AM
I can't even download the app at work on my computer hence why I use the
web player. I would be so upset if I couldn't use it now. I pay premium for
a reason.
0 Likes

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