Podcasts keep pausing on iPhone

[Ruby122]

Plan

Free

Country

USA

Device

iPhone SE

Operating System

iOS 15.2

My Question or Issue

I am having an issue with listening to podcasts on my iPhone. I am able to listen to about 15-20 minutes of a podcast and then all of a sudden, it stops. When I press the play button again, it keeps pausing every minute afterwards. I have reinstalled the app 5-6 times, I have cleared the cache in the app, I don't have it on Low Power mode or Data Saver mode, I have restarted my phone after it pauses, and I just recently updated the software. The version of Spotify that I'm using right now is 8.6.94.351. Can somebody please help?

[Yordan]

Hi @Ruby122,

Welcome to the Community and thanks for reaching out!

Does the issue happen by itself? Or does it occur when you're listening to podcasts in the background while using other apps?

You can check if the Background App Refresh is turned on:

1. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and make sure it's turned on.
2. Scroll down to the Spotify app and make sure it's toggled on as well.

In case you use any battery optimization apps or profiles, try disabling them to see if the issue is still present.

Let us know how it goes.

Cheers!

[Ruby122]

Hello! I cut on the Background Refresh button for Spotify and the podcasts are still pausing. The issue happens by itself (I’m not using any other apps while I’m listening to the podcasts). I also don’t have any battery saving apps on my phone. Is there anything else I could do?

[Ver]

Hey @Ruby122,

Thanks for getting back to us.

Could you please share with us the following? We'll look into this further.

• Are there any changes when you try with another account on the same device?
• Did this occur, for example, after an update?
• A video recording of the issue.

Keep us posted.

[Ruby122]

Hello! I tried with another account and I'm still having the same issue. I also just did the recent update of Spotify yesterday and the podcasts play fine at first but then after 30 minutes, it starts pausing every minute. I don't have any issues listening to music on Spotify right now.

[Novy]

Hey @Ruby122

Thank you for keeping us in the loop. 

If this same issue happens with another account, it could be related to residual files that may affect the proper function of the app.

As you already mentioned a reinstall process, make sure you’ve performed a clean reinstall with the steps listed here. If not, please reinstall the app following them.

If the issue persists, there could be another device connected to your phone. Verify if you have a bluetooth device linked to your phone or if your account is opened in another device at the same time.

Lastly, check if the same issue happens using a different WiFi network or mobile data.

Let us know how it goes.

[Quantavion]

Sometimes I play a podcast it literally stops every ten seconds and there’s no reason for it, I’ve done everything from deleting the app, turning off low power mode, clearing cache and so on. It just doesn’t stop. I’m extremely **bleep** about it.

[Yordan]

Hi @Quantavion,

Does this occur on specific podcast episodes or on all podcasts in general? Also, are you using an external bluetooth/Wifi playback device? Try switching to a different Wifi network / turning on Mobile data to see if the issue would persist.

It's worth logging out and signing back in twice in a row since it triggers an internal refresh of the app that may help here. You can also try downloading the podcast and turning on Offline Mode to see if you'd experience the same behavior:

1. Download the podcast, then reboot your device.
2. Once it boots back up, open Spotify and turn on Offline Mode in the app's Settings.

If possible, try logging in to another device as well (a friend's or a relative's would do).

Let us know how it goes. Cheers!

[PleaseFixPodcast]

I have the same issue with podcast randomly pausing. None of your solves above work. This is extremely frustrating as I pay for Spotify premium and cannot use it to listen to postcast. My Spotify is connected to my Sonos speakers, I never have issues with music, it only happens with podcasts.0

[AlejaR]

Hey @PleaseFixPodcast,

Thanks for your reply here and for the info shared.

In this case, would you mind clarifying to us what troubleshooting steps you have tried so far? That way, we can avoid repeating any suggestions. 

On another note, just to confirm, is this just happening when the playback comes from the Sonos device or does it happen when playing podcasts from a different device? We'd suggest checking the firmware of your Sonos speaker is up-to-date.

Just to confirm, are you using a different device to control the playback on your Sonos? If yes, please send us the make/model and OS of that device along with the Spotify version you're running there.

Lastly, did you notice if this started to happen after a specific event such as an OS update? If yes, please send us the details.

Keep us in the loop!

[N0WorldOrder]

I am also having the same problem.  Updated and current Iphone 13 Max. >60GB of storage available, strong signal, doesn't matter if downloaded or stream.  The issue is ONLY podcasts and not music.  I can have any and all podcasts pausing every 30 seconds but switch over to music (playlists, downloads, radio) and everything is fine.  Strictly a podcast issue.

[Eni]

Hey @N0WorldOrder, 

Thanks for getting in touch about this here in the Community. 

First up, it's well worth running a clean reinstall of the app on your iPhone to get rid of any cached files that might be causing trouble. 

If a clean reinstall using that guide didn't do the trick, there're also a few other things we can try. Can you make sure that Spotify has all necessary permissions enabled?

1. Open your Settings menu.
2. Scroll to the bottom to find Spotify and open the app settings.
3. Enable everything you see.

It's also a good idea to exclude the app from any Battery optimization software that might be active on your smartphone.

Let us know how it goes. 

[1216269237]

I am having the same problem on iPhone 14. Only happening with podcasts, pauses every 20 seconds or so. No issues with listening to music. Very annoying. 

[MihailY]

Hey @1216269237,

Thanks for reaching out.

Please try the troubleshooting mentioned in this this thread and let us know your device's OS version and Spotify version so we can investigate further.

It would also be helpful if you could send us a video of the issue or describe the steps to reproduce it.

Cheers,

[OpArmy]

Hi I am also having the same issue on Android as well. All that's needed to replicate the issue is to start any podcast and wait until the app shuts down sometimes it doesn't but it is random, after unpausing the first time it seems to crash every 10 or so minutes.

Spotify: 8.8.88.397

One Ui: 5.1.1

[OscarDC]

Hey folks,

Thank you for your messages.

In order to look into this further with the relevant team, and in case you haven't sent it yet; let us know the following info:

- Your device and OS version

- Exact Spotify version

- Link or URI of the affected content

Also, and if possible; could any of you record a short video where we can take a better look? You can attach it to your next response by using the Insert Video option in the post editor. You can also upload it to YouTube or Google Drive and share the link with us (make sure the video has the permissions for anyone to see it).
 

We'll be on the lookout.

[nikkijoy]

I am having this same problem. It started suddenly yesterday. I have previously listened to podcasts all day on Spotify for years without any issue. Now, a podcast suddenly stops about 2 minutes after beginning and then after I hit play will stop again every 30 seconds. My iPhone is a 14 Pro. My iPhone software is up to date (17.3.1). I have done a Clean Reset of Spotify, followed all the steps in this forum, and the problem is persisting after re-downloading the app. Happens on all podcasts (this morning, listening to The Daily). Please address immediately. 

[AlejaR]

Hey @nikkijoy,

Thanks for posting here and welcome.

We understand you've already tried resetting the app on your iPhone, but we'd like you to perform, if you haven't yet, a clean (more thorough) reinstall of the Spotify app. By doing that, the app can be up-to-date, and you can make sure the cache is not leading to this inconvenience. You can see the steps for a clean reinstall here.

If the above doesn't do the trick, we'd like to check, does this happen over WiFi? 3G/4G? Both? Let us know if this occurs when you're listening to podcasts and the app is in the background or when you’re directly on the app. It'd also be really helpful if you share with us the exact Spotify version you're running on your device.

Lastly, and just to confirm, is your device connected to a Bluetooth device such as headphones or a speaker? Or does this happen when the playback comes from your mobile device?

Keep us in the loop!

[Norqdo]

Hi! I have this stopping glitch across any and every app where long audio listening occurs. It will stop every few seconds for an hour. I have to turn the app on constantly then it stops doing that and returns to normal. I have done deep troubleshooting re:

-wifi consistency (not it)

-wifi strength and speed (not it)

-turned off microphone across all apps inc siri

-denied notifications by every app.

-contacted Apple, and Bell, my ISP provider

I can only send out these logs to you and the world hoping you will see something in them .