Audiobook sync

[abhishekpradhan]

Plan

Premium

Country

United States

Device

iPad Air

Operating System

iPad OS 18.6.2

My Question or Issue

When I listen to audiobooks on my Android phone I make certain progress and am able to resume. This is also possible when make progress on my iPad and then switch back to Android. 

Tho problem I am seeing is when I make progress on my Android phone and then go to my iPad the progress seems to be lost and it resume from the point at which I was last listening to on the iPad.

Ideally Spotify should sync audiobook progress across devices. This issue seems to only occur going from my Android phone to my iPad. Any progress made on the iPad is clearly reflected on my Android phone.

[Dessi]

Hi there @abhishekpradhan,

Thanks for reaching out!

It's strange that this only happens with one of your devices, so it might be worth trying some troubleshooting for your iPad to rule out if it really is device-related. Performing a clean reinstall of the app is a good start, since it will ensure any damaged cache is removed. You can then try logging out of your account and back in a couple of times in a row to force a sync. 

There also might be some background processes that are interfering with the app's performance, so it's a good idea to make sure the background app refresh is on in your iPad's settings and that Spotify's granted all necessary permissions.

Let us know how it goes.

[abhishekpradhan]

That didn’t seem to work. I reinstalled the app and logged out and in again, I also checked that Spotify has the necessary permissions.

Here’s what I can tell: the app see’s the I’ve played through the chapter and gone to the next one, in the Android version this would automatically set my “resume” location to the latest one. On the iPad app even though it sees that I’ve already finished the chapter etc, my resume location hasn’t changed, so if I press play it will “resume” from where I last stopped listening on my iPad.

Attached is a screenshot to clarify.

[Vasil]

Hey again @abhishekpradhan,

Thanks for sharing these details with us.

Have you tried having both apps open simultaneously? Does the Now Playing view on the iPad sync in that case or does it remain the same?
 

I'd also recommend checking if Background App Refresh is toggled on for Spotify. You can do this in Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Spotify. Something else that's worth trying is resetting the iPad's network settings.

In case you're using a VPN, I'd suggest disabling it as well, and I'd make sure there are no battery saver settings affecting the iPad app.

Hope this helps! Keep us posted on how things go.

[abhishekpradhan]

So it does stay in sync when both apps are turned on but that’s not a realistic scenario. I’ve made sure that background app refresh is turned on (turning it off and on just in case) but there’s still a sync issue. Attached are some screenshots showing the problem which still exists. There’s also no VPN and battery is fully charged.

[Dessi]

Hey @abhishekpradhan,

Thanks for checking and for your reply!

We can confirm that continuing where you left off across devices only works if both devices are online during the switch, so we're afraid it's expected that the progress won't sync if that's not the case. We’re regularly looking for opportunities to enhance the user experience for everyone, so your feedback on this is greatly appreciated! 

The Community is here if there's anything else you need help with.

[erica53mars]

Hello,

I’m experiencing an issue with audiobook progress syncing between devices. When I listen to an audiobook on my Android phone, my progress is saved correctly and I can resume without any problem. If I listen on my iPad and then switch back to Android, the progress also syncs properly. However, the problem occurs when I make progress on my Android phone and then switch to my iPad the audiobook resumes from the last point I listened to on the iPad, as if the progress made on Android was lost. Ideally, audiobook progress should sync seamlessly across all devices. This issue appears to only happen when switching from Android to iPad, as progress made on the iPad is always reflected correctly on my Android phone.
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