App not working with VPN

[xiahsshi]

Hello all,

I am unable to use the Spotify app when my VPN is enabled (I’m using NordVPN). It says “Couldn't Load Page” and no matter if I hit try again, it will not work until my VPN is disabled. I’m not sure why this is an issue, as I’m from the US, and even through the VPN I’m still connected to a US server.

Here are the steps I’ve taken so far:

Logging out of app & back in (with and without VPN enabled)

Uninstalling/reinstalling app (with and without VPN enabled)

Rebooting device

Connecting to different servers 

Unfortunately these have all had no effect. Any help would be appreciated.

Plan: Premium 

Country: USA

Device: iPhone XS Max

Operating System: iOS 13.3

[dreadnowt]

I want to chime in here.  I used Nord VPN along with Spotify for a good long time without any problems.  Then Spotify did something, with no explanation, to make it very difficult.  I had to switch to using the web player instead of the app, and well today, the web player began acting up.  It looks like Spotify is trying to pressure me to not use a VPN with the service.  WHY??  Do the other services, like Deezer or Amazon do this also?  I have a lot of stuff saved on Spotify, and I like what they offer (even if it is not as good Rdio was), but treating your customers this way is not a good thing.

Some people have said to disable cybersec in Nord VPN or to do something to the VPN's connection, and I may look at doing that, but I resent it.  Spotify should work with VPNs, which are a very common security feature, and if they don't want to do that, then there needs to be communication and explanation. 

[JensJI]

To phrase this as it is a feature that needs to be developed is simply rude.

There is no such thing as a feature to "support VPN". It is though possible to develop functionality that blocks VPNs, and that is was you have done.

[silvermik3]

Different servers/protocols might work... In my case, with NordVPN (set to nordlynx without cybersec) wasn't working, until I connected to a server suggested by the NordVPN site that supported the HTTP SSL protocol.

[Jeremy]

Hey folks,

Thank you for your posts and feedback.

We're always testing things by adding or removing features to make Spotify better overall. We’re sorry that this means you’re not able to use Spotify like you wish to do at the moment.

We're constantly aiming to improve our features so we hope you’ll continue using it and find it gets better in the future. 

 Once again - thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it. Let us know if we can help with anything else. We're always one reply away.

[manzoon]

The same issue with Spotify desktop client on Ubuntu with Mullvad VPN, All worked fine until recently.

[AfrazChy]

Spotify doesn’t officially support VPN. But if you do use a VPN, NordVPN works the best. Sometimes certain VPN’s work for a while then it stops.

[arburty]

Thank you Jeremy for taking the time to reply to this thread on a Saturday after Thanksgiving.  Please note I really am glad a moderator is seeing this and getting back to us.  Though I could have waited a little longer for you to actually take the time to come back with any info relevant to the issue instead of the empty response given.  I do appreciate we are "being heard"  as long as that means you took any meaningful action internally towards fixing this. 

Another user suggested trying to find particular servers to use that allow for HTTP connections (insecure) but I'll probably look up and try that next.  I have installed and am now using the spotifyd daemon with spotify-tui, in the hopes of circumventing the issue, but the libraries that connect to Spotify also have issues with VPN.  For those, probably few of you looking to do the same just know you still have to turn off VPN but if you like terminal applications it's wonderful. 

I look forward to hearing back when our questions/problems are actually answered.  To help you out for next time, some of the questions that have arisen are:

Why is Spotify deliberately not allowing VPN's for paying users in countries where it Spotify is not blocked?

Is there a known configuration or VPN that works?
Is there anything actually being done to change this, and allow paying users to use common security features to protect their privacy?

When you say we are being heard (I guess you didn't technically say that), what has been done internally to make our voices heard? ; I'd hate it if we were being brushed aside with hollow words of empathy that could be posted to any thread with it's vague lack of specifics.

[calapi]

Hi folks!

I am using Cyberghost VPN and I found something interesting:

There is an Option called "Block content: Block DNS domains used for ads, trackers, and malware." As soon as you activate it, Spotify stops playing. Deactivate it- the music comes back on. Hmm...

Let´s not assume the worst and say: Spotify uses trackers 😉

[Mario]

Hey folks,

Just writing to confirm that VPN should be turned off to ensure a good performance of the app.

Hope this is helpful but don't hesitate to let us know if you have any further questions!

[XMK]

Hi Mario.

Understood, yet completely unhelpful as your advice misses the point of using a VPN. Spotify is completely functional using a VPN. The user just needs to iron out quirks. Tbf, you might as well suggest restarting the device.

Regards.

t