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"Unable to Play Track" - I'm getting fed up.

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"Unable to Play Track" - I'm getting fed up.

I'm becoming more and more frustrated with this annoying message.

 

I've been using Spotify for months, and for me it is the perfect solution for my music. I have a Premium subscription.

 

However, it's getting beyond annoying that I get songs in my playlist and now I just magically cannot play them. "Unable to play track" has been going on for long enough. One song will work on my computer, but will be "unable to play track" on my iPhone 5 (iOS 8). Or it'll work on my phone, but not computer. Attached is the error message on my computer, it's basically the same on my phone except a popup.

 

Songs are from two methods: Spotify's own library (why you guys have it, then give me this message is beyond me), or downloading the track/owning it on my computer and syncing it to Spotify.

 

I really would like the answer to this annoying problem.

 

Also, my versions since this seems to be a requirement:

 

Computer: Spotify 0.9.4.185.g7545a404

iPhone 5: Spotify 0.8.0.57

Spotifyerror.png
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Marked as solution

You tend to get this error when:

- You try and play a local file on a mobile device when it hasn't been synced (doesn't apply here).

- The locally cached version of the track your Spotify app has is corrupt, either when it was downloaded or something has happened to it (virus scanners spring to mind). 

 

I know its a pain because you have to resync content, but does a clean reinstallation of the client/app clear the error? 

 

Peter

Peter
Spotify Community Mentor and Troubleshooter

Spotify Last.FM Twitter LinkedIn Meet Peter Rock Star Jam 2014


If this post was helpful, please add kudos below!

View solution in original post

Marked as solution

Hi. Could you try reinstalling the spotify app on your iphone to see if that fixes things.

View solution in original post

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Hi. I can't tell from that screenshot if Endless has a local file symbol against it ot not. If you have it as a local file, spotify will try to play it in preference to streaming to sve your bandwidth and, if your file is corrupt or DRM poprotected, you will get the error you're seeing. I'd guess it plays on your mobile device as it is streaming from Spotify.

 

You could try unlinking the track from the right click menu. If that doesn't work, move it out of the folders scanned by spotify or delete it, restart spotify and it will then stream from the spotify catalogue and all will be good.

Endless is from the Spotify library. Most of my problems seem to come from Spotify's library (on my computer. It is FAR more frequent on my iPhone).

 

For example: Krewella - Ring of Fire. It's from your library. Unable to play.

 

I don't see "unlink" from right clicking the song, unless I'm doing something wrong. Would this be the solution to my iPhone problems?

Bump.

Marked as solution

You tend to get this error when:

- You try and play a local file on a mobile device when it hasn't been synced (doesn't apply here).

- The locally cached version of the track your Spotify app has is corrupt, either when it was downloaded or something has happened to it (virus scanners spring to mind). 

 

I know its a pain because you have to resync content, but does a clean reinstallation of the client/app clear the error? 

 

Peter

Peter
Spotify Community Mentor and Troubleshooter

Spotify Last.FM Twitter LinkedIn Meet Peter Rock Star Jam 2014


If this post was helpful, please add kudos below!

I'll edit this post in a few, but does that include my iPhone app? Would I also have to resync my songs/accounts together between the two devices?

 

Edit: Worked on the computer, will try on my iPhone later, thank you very much for helping everyone! 🙂

I am getting this error on my iPhone even though I have offline mode turned off.

I am not playing any songs from my local library. All the songs are from spotify. It was working fine before I upgraded to premium. All I want to do is to stream songs from spotify. I won't use offline mode at all.
Marked as solution

Hi. Could you try reinstalling the spotify app on your iphone to see if that fixes things.

That seem to work. Guess the app doesn't know when it goes from free to premium

I had Spotify Premium, but then my wallet was stolen, so I had to cancel my credit card. My monthly payment failed and Premium was turned off automatically. I then updated my new card to reinstate Premium. I was getting the "Unable to Play Track" error all day. Super annoying. I found this post, decided to uninstall the app, and reinstall it on my iphone 4s. It seems to have fixed the problem.  

 

Buggy.

 

@Dborkqu I had exactly the same thing happen to me. Either my wallet was lost or stolen (I was SLIGHTLY drunk in the pub!) and had to cancel my Debit card. My Monthly payment failed just today but I cannot yet change my card (Annoyingly have to wait seven to ten Working days WHY is that so long?) and now certain Tracks will simply not play past two/three seconds and exactly the same message. 

I have had a Spotify Premium account for quite some time and often run into the issue of a track simply not playing on the Spotify App.  I'll go to the artist, the song, hit play...and nothing.  Happens quite a bit.  Sometimes, it resolves after a week or two...sometimes, not at all.  Any solutions?  I'd like to think that my paying for Premium goes toward the upkeep of Spotify and their endeavors.  Help make a believer out of me.

 

-SGT Eric Williamson

 United States Army, Retired

Just delete the Track from the Play-List and add it again.

I too am getting this message more and more frequently - NOTHING in spotify's help either - more and more people getting this.....
Frustrated and going to go elsewhere at this rate

Hi all,

 

I have the non-premium (aka free version) -- I tried uninstalling / re-installing on my iPad just now -- this did not work.

 

The song I'm trying to play is not on my ipad -- It's 's from an album called "Time to Relax" from "Relaxing Piano Music Consort".  

 

Interestingly, I not only get the "unable to play track" message -- I'm also experiencing lags -- where the music will stop playing for 20-30 secs -- come back in for 2 or 3 secs or more -- then stop again.  Super annoying.

 

I have checked my download network speed -- that is not an issue (I'm on cable modem -- 15 Mbps speed -- and seems to be working just fine everywhere else.

 

HisRocker.

 

 

Tried restarting the iPad by holding the home and lock buttons together until the apple logo appears on screen?

Peter
Spotify Community Mentor and Troubleshooter

Spotify Last.FM Twitter LinkedIn Meet Peter Rock Star Jam 2014


If this post was helpful, please add kudos below!

SOLUTION: for some people that had premium and choose the "extreme" stream quality, once you go back to a free service you have to change the stream quality to normal, that should fix it

if you are coming fom a premium and downgraded to free and also had the extreme audio quality selected, just select the normal audio quality, that should fix the issue

I also keep getting 'Can't play the current track' but with all of the tracks bar local tracks. I have been using spotify for months and it has worked perfectly fine up until the past month. I can use it on my iphone but not on my Mac any more. Please could somebody help fix this problem?


@ejavier8205 wrote:

if you are coming fom a premium and downgraded to free and also had the extreme audio quality selected, just select the normal audio quality, that should fix the issue


Worked for my friend that recently downgraded, thanks!

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