How do I get usable version of Spotify on my old iPhone?

[John249]

Hi everyone!,

I have an iPhone SE that I bought in 2017 (iOS 10.3.2 (14F89) - never updated it) on which, until recently, I was running without issues some pre-2019 version of Spotify (I haven't been able to figure out exactly what version, though I assume it's the one I got on the phone right around the time I bought it, that I also..never updated). Per the January email, and much to my disappointment, the app stopped working in March.

Still committed to eking out as much remaining life out of this phone as I can, I got Youtube Premium for music, but kept having the thought (and am only acting on it now) that maybe there was a way to download an older version of the Spotify app on the phone (a post-2019 version, but not so post-2019 that it can't be run on iOS 10.3.2). So I did some investigating and found some posts about this technique where you visit the "Purchased" tab in your App store and, miraculously, if you've downloaded the app on another Apple device (or the one from which you're accessing the store) then...sometimes?..you're able to get the latest compatible version of the app for your older phone (assuming there is one, and, in my case, that it's post 2019). I haven't deleted the app from my phone yet. I've visited the "Purchased" tab and what I see, weirdly, is the option to "Open" Spotify 8.6.56 (a way later version (2021) than what I have on my phone, from what I can tell), and when I click this I am just kicked to the dysfunctional app login page (it might list this version of Spotify because it's the one I downloaded on an iPad or for my slightly newer Macbook Pro (2018) at some point?). This is also what I see when I go to the "Updates" page on the App store. No link to download a later version of the app or to update. Just the option to open the current version I have.

So my question is (and I understand if no one has a clue, given the age of the operating system and the device, as well as, presumably, the ancient version of Spotify I'm currently on), were I to delete the app from the phone entirely, might I see listed in the "Purchased" tab the option to download the latest version compatible with the iOS and just have to download that? The reason I haven't just gone and done this yet is that I am so technologically illiterate that I have a sense some expert on this forum can read this post, know exactly what the options are (if there are any), and give me them, including such things as, "there's no way there'll be a version that will work on that phone," etc)...and then I save myself from the possible unintended effects (if there are any?) of deleting the phone version, which was until it stopped working my home base where I'd made all of my playlists, etc. (now I use the Web Player on my laptop and a later version of the app on an iPad).

Thanks so much for reading, and sorry for the length..

John

[Billy-J]

Hey @John249, thanks for reaching out to the Community!

I am sorry to hear about this. You can view Spotify’s supported versions and operating systems here. As of this writing, the current iOS version that Spotify supports is iOS 15, and there isn’t a way to downgrade to a prior version of Spotify once it’s unsupported. Spotify will always notify you through email and in-app notifications if any unsupported versions will affect a device you own so you can plan accordingly. 

If you need anything else, just let me know! 

[John249]

Hi!

Thanks for this helpful feedback. So, just to make sure I understand you correctly, you're saying that even if it were the case that when I deleted my version from my phone there appeared under my purchased tab (or could appear, depending on certain actions I could take) an earlier version of Spotify than the latest available, this version will never, on any device, be one that can be used on a version of iOS that is earlier than 15? I see 15 was released in Sept 2021. Wouldn't that mean there's a two year window before 15 where Spotify was releasing updates to its app (after the beginning of 2019) that can still be used? Maybe those versions can't be downloaded but can be used on phones that have them? Just as my version worked until March, but I assume would never have been available as a discrete download earlier than some date in the distant past. Still, I'm confused by the irreconcilability of your saying that iOS 15 is the earliest iOS version supported by Spotify and the Spotify email about this topic, which explicitly says that any versions released after 2019 will still be supported. 

Thanks again,

John

[Billy-J]

Hey @John249,

Typically when the Spotify app stops working on older iOS versions, users can still use the application but any issues or changes made in the app may not be supported through Spotify. There’s more information as to how Spotify confirms support for its app and devices here. The app doesn’t necessarily just shut down on you, but if parts of the app do not function properly it may be because Spotify doesn’t support it anymore.

Downloads of previous versions are not available through Spotify and thus aren’t supported.

Hope this clears things up.

[John249]

Ok, I see! Thanks a lot for this info.

John