Announcements

Help Wizard

Step 1

NEXT STEP

[Mac Desktop] Can't Play Current Song Error Message

Plan: Premium for Students

 

I have a MacBook Pro with macOS Catalina Version 10.15.6. For about the past month I have been getting an error message when trying to play Spotify on my laptop. I will play a song and it will play the entire song except for the last two seconds. At that point it'll stop and I get an error message saying "Can't play current song." It will not progress to the next song until I hit the next button and then the whole thing will repeat. If I hit pause/play, nothing happens. The Spotify app on my phone is working totally fine.

 

I have tried restarting the application, logging out, restarting my computer, uninstalling and reinstalling. Also, off of other suggestions, I have tried turning off autoplay and crossfading songs. I have tried looking for the Spotify cache history and haven't been able to find any (but that also might just be above my computer skills). 

Hey everyone,

 

Thank you for reporting this issue to us and providing all the relevant info. 

 

We just wanted to let you know that the right folks are still looking into this, however, we're not able to provide an exact timeline for a fix.

 

In the meantime, here are a few things you can try if you're experiencing this issue:

  • Check out the solutions in this FAQ.
  • Check your firewall and antivirus software/apps to make sure Spotify is whitelisted or set as an exception.
  • Remove ALL entries from the hosts file (not just the Spotify ones).
  • Uninstall any ad-blocker apps.
  • If possible, try connecting your desktop to the internet via a mobile hotspot. Should the app work through it, consult with your router's manufacturer.
  • 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.

We'd also recommend making sure you're always rocking the latest app and firmware versions available, so you don't miss any improvements coming your way.

Comments
Joel-M
Hi there. Can you try Clean reinstall on the Spotify App? Link:

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Spotify-Answers/How-can-I-perform-a-clean-reinstall-of-the-app/ta-p...

Hope this helps!
BayerShep

Experiencing this issue also on my MacBook Pro 2016 with Sony WH-1000XM3.

Only Spotify, no other apps. Can only resolve by disconnecting from bluetooth or restarting Spotify.

 

Seems like a fairly recent issue for me. I don't recall having this issue last year, at least.

vzbruno
Happens to me too, only if I'm using my bluetooth headset, if I:
- Pause for more than an hour
- Lock the MacBook screen/Close the lid
- Play media from any other program (YouTube video, for example)

This will happen.
vlaux

Same here. Happening for quite a long time. 😖

3tmf-cdpy7_s3

Same here. 

It happens after I enter a call via Slack/Zoom/Whereby and pause the music before the call starts (or I accept the call). After the call Spotify can't restart the music anymore. 

Seems that it can't handle the changes that the complete system of MacOS is maybe doing something different with the audio-codec. Also the audio quality (if you don't pause it and enter a call) is downgraded drastically. I guess it has to do something with that... but I'm not a developer.

Xenia
Status changed to: Under investigation

Hey there folks,

 

Thanks for reporting this to us! We've just merged a few threads together to keep you all in the loop. 

 

If you're still experiencing this issue, we'd recommend to go through the following steps first:

  • Perform a clean reinstall of the app.
  • Try using another account to see if that makes a difference.
  • Try a different network connection (if possible).
  • Try launching the app in Mac safe mode (instructions can be found here).
  • If you're using a VPN, try temporarily disabling it and connect to a regular home network instead.

Should none of the above steps work for you, let us know by adding your +VOTE and leaving a comment with the following details below:

  • Exact Spotify version
  • Device (make + model) + OS version
  • Time & date the issue last happened (include timezone)
  • Exact steps to reproduce the issue
  • Troubleshooting steps you've tried so far

Thanks - We'll be on the lookout for your replies!

nickgaussen
  • Exact Spotify version
    1.1.38.558.g4b100958
  • Device (make + model) + OS version
    MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015)
    macOS Mojave 10.14.5
  • Time & date the issue last happened (include timezone)
    5/08/20 14:35 (London)
  • Exact steps to reproduce the issue
    Pause music with headphones, wired and wireless, on attempt to resume half hour later "Can't play the current song" error
  • Troubleshooting steps you've tried so far
    Full reinstall, clearing cache, logging out
hailstorm324

I've had this problem for the last 2 years and have found posts describing the problem dating to 2016. It is incredibly frustrating to know Spotify has been aware of the bug and has not fixed it for that long. I hope this gets the ball rolling.

 

  • Exact Spotify Version:
    • 1.1.39.612.g1e7e78a4
  • Device (make + model) + OS version 
    • MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Early 2015), MacOS Catalina Version 10.15.5
  • Time & date the issue last happened (include timezone)
    • 8/13/2020 16:20 EDT (UTC-4) but I have had this problem at all hours of the day in timezones ranging from UTC-6 to UTC+1
  • Exact steps to reproduce the issue
    • 1) Open Spotify 2) Play Spotify via Bluetooth (I have Sony WH-1000XM2, but have also experienced the problem on my Kanto YU4 speakers) 3) stop playing song for at least 2-4 minutes 4) play on Spotify. Works best if at least 5-10 minutes between pausing and playing a song, you listen to something else like youtube via safari or chrome, and if you play a new song after using the browser.
  •  Troubleshooting steps you've tried so far
    • I have: quit Spotify, logged out, reinstalled the app, turned on and off hardware acceleration, turned on and off crossfade songs to 0 seconds, changed playback quality, the works
f1b3_SW

Plan: Spotify Premium

Device: MacBook Pro (Retina, 13 inch, Mid 2014), macOS Catalina 10.15.6

Bluetooth Device: Bose Mini II SoundLink

 

I have the same problem as @helpme37 but the other way round. Since a couple of weeks i get this message "can't play the current song" but just after the song started (after 3 sec.). After couple of secs the song continues as nothing happened. But then after 2-3 songs were played; same problem again.

As soon as i'm listening with my iPhone (using the spotify app) i don't have such problem.

I already tried all of the mentioned troubleshooting steps, but nothing helps. -.-

rdednl

I've had this problem too since I got bluetooth headphones.

 

Spotify version:  1.1.40.508.gd5bc2931

Device: MBP Retina, 13 inch, Late 2012, macOS Catalina 10.15.5

Bluetooth device: sony wh1000xm-3 and same is happening with google home (connected as bluetooth device)

Time: any time of day in CET time, just now for example (21/08/2020, 13:00)

Exact steps to reproduce: there are two way to reproduce it.

The first is:

- open spotify and start playing music (with no bluetooth audio device attached)

- connect bluetooth audio device

- music stops and you have to restart spotify

 

Second way is:

- open spotify and start playing music (with bluetooth audio device attached)

- pause music for a few minutes (at least 60 seconds in my tests)

- music will not restart and error appears, have to restart spotify

 

Troubleshooting: I've reinstalled spotify, I've also reinstalled macOS from scratch recently and nothing changed