Issue with the Web Player skipping tracks on multiple devices

[Yordan]

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.

[Yordan]

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 🙂

[Yordan]

Hey folks,

Could you check if there are any pending updates for your browser and installing 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 are 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

Aggressive AV or restricted network policies can break DRM or streaming requests. Try disabling them briefly or test with another network.

Should the issue persist, make sure to include a full list of the details requested in the Status Update above so we can forward them to the team investigating this 👍

[Yordan]

Hey folks,

Could you check if there are any pending updates for your browser and installing 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 are 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

Aggressive AV or restricted network policies can break DRM or streaming requests. Try disabling them briefly or test with another network.

Should the issue persist, make sure to include a full list of the details requested in the Status Update above so we can forward them to the team investigating this 👍

[#5]

New account, old computer, windows 8.1. No app provided for anything under Windows 10. Using Opera browser. Music loads, begins to play, then stops and flashes message, "Spotify can't play this song right now." Skips to next song, repeats same message, repetitiously, endless.

[SirhcA]

I did not encounter any error messages, it just play random songs on the playlist when using the web browser version of Spotify. I never encountered this back then until 2 weeks ago. I never noticed it since I mostly listen on my app from my phone.