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.

[MrKnobs]

Mine was working fine until about a week ago. Now every time I try to play a song I get two error messages: Can't play that song now, then it plays something else instead but stops after 10 seconds. I have a premium account and this problem is new.

[Eni]

Hey folks, 

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community.

Start with clearing up your hosts file to see if that makes a difference. 

Just to confirm, is this only happening on the web player or on the desktop app as well? Also, does the same happens on other browsers too? 

On another note, would you mind giving a different internet connection a to see if the issue persists? You can create a hotspot on your phone and using that. 

Keep us posted on how it goes. 

[darkishgirl]

Hi, I'm having this exact same issue since yesterday. Spotify Premium, Web Player, Windows 8. Song goes silent after 9 seconds. I have tried in incognito mode and disabled the ad blocker. Issue persist.

[darkishgirl]

Hi, I have this issue where the song goes silent after 9 seconds. I'm using the Web Player, the app is working OK. 
Premium. Web Player in Chrome. Windows 8. 

[77lmnop]

I am having the exact same problem using the web player on an Opera browser. Problem has also persisted for three days.

[randlan]

I only use the web player. I only use Chrome. I won't be testing variants of either because I don't have and won't be using those variants.

I can't create a hotspot with my phone either, so let's hope someone else is willing to test these.

Nothing to clear in my hosts file.

[EndaLok]

Same problem here since three days now. I use Firefox version 127.0.2 (64-bit) but I tried also with Chromium and the problem persists. No problems when listening the music from the phone, and all the devices are attached at the same internet connection.

[Amanacerosa]

same problem for me for three days now on firefox 128.4.0 (64-bit). No problem on the app on iphone.

[Ivelina]

Hey there folks,

Thanks to everyone that's posted about this issue!

In order for us to be able to investigate this further, it'd be very helpful if you could try the suggested steps by @Eni in this post. 

Let us know if any of them made a difference for you and in case the same thing happens in the app. The more info you provide, the better.

We'll be on the lookout 🙂

[Life1024]

Hello,

I'm encountering a major issue across all Spotify apps, including the web player. I understand that this might be somewhat expected for the web player, given that these apps (at least android one) likely use a portable Chromium build.

The problem is that while the progress bar continues to move through the song, audio output randomly cuts out for 5 to 10 seconds before resuming.
This happens unpredictably on any type of network—1GB/s fiber, 4G/5G, Wi-Fi, or direct Ethernet—regardless of network quality or stability, which appear fine based on my observations during these interruptions.

For example:

• My kids were streaming their own music without any issue while I was experiencing interruptions.
• I ran a speed test on my fiber connection during the problem, and there were no signs of network issues.

Hope this will help...

In my opinion, this is a significant inconvenience. There’s nothing more frustrating than having your favorite song abruptly interrupted, only for it to resume later in the track.

I really enjoy using Spotify, but I believe this issue deserves urgent attention.

Thank you for looking into this!