Why does my Spotify keep pausing? Do this to resolve the issue

With over 188 million paid subscribers in Q2 2022, we know many of you are active Spotify listeners. However, what happens if Spotify encounters problems? Does your Spotify keep pausing? This is actually a very common problem and we are here to give you some tips and tricks to fix it.

Read also: Upload songs to Spotify

Editor’s Note: The steps in this article were compiled using a Pixel 7 Pro with Android 13, iPhone 12 Mini with iOS 15.6, and a custom PC with Windows 11. Some steps may differ depending on your hardware and software.

Is someone else using your account?

This is one of the most common reasons why Spotify pauses music. While you can set up and sign in to your Spotify account on as many devices as you like, the music streaming service doesn’t let you play on multiple devices at once. This means that your music will stop if someone else using your account starts playing music.

There are two things you can do to prevent this. You can change your account password or log everyone out of your account. You need a browser for both methods.

How to change your Spotify password:

1. Go to your Spotify account page.
2. Click the Change Password option in the left column.
3. Enter your current password and then enter your new password twice.
4. Touch Set new password.

To log out of your Spotify account on all devices:

1. Go to your Spotify account page.
2. You would be in the account overview section. If not, select it.
3. Scroll down and touch Sign out everywhere.

If your Spotify keeps pausing after troubleshooting the account issues, it’s time to look at other possible issues. Spotty signal or slow internet connections are common causes of stuttering or frequent pausing, especially when streaming music or video. Streaming can be demanding on your internet connection.

Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do other than wait until you have a better signal or connect to a more stable internet connection. Of course you can also connect to a WiFi network. If you are already connected to Wi-Fi, try rebooting the router. We’ve also got a list of the best phone plans and internet providers, just in case you need to upgrade.

If Spotify’s servers go down, there’s a good chance you won’t be able to play anything at all, but it’s still worth checking if you’re experiencing performance degradation. You can check this by taking a look at the Spotify status Twitter feed. The company uses this method to announce any blackouts. You can also check out Down Detector, a crowd-sourced page where people report issues with all services, including Twitter.

Restart the device

We may have run out of solutions for external Spotify issues. Now it’s time to look at the actual device you’re using. Let’s start with one of the most common troubleshooting methods; restart the device!

To restart an Android phone:

1. press the Current and Volume up buttons at the same time.
2. Select Restarting.

How to reboot an iPhone:

1. Press and hold Current and Volume up buttons at the same time.
2. Where is Drag to power offslide from left to right.

If you are using a computer or browser, restart the computer or close and re-open the browser.

Related: How to hide and unhide songs on Spotify

Update the app

App updates often come with bug fixes, performance improvements, and more improvements. While running a slightly older version of an app shouldn’t normally be a problem, updating the application is worth a try.

Update Android apps:

1. Open the Google Play Store.
2. Tap your profile avatarin the upper right corner.
3. Touch Manage apps and device.
4. Select Updates available.
5. You can find and tap Spotify Update next to it (if available), or select Update everything to take care of all available updates.

Update iPhone apps:

1. Open the Apple App Store.
2. Tap your profile avatarin the upper right corner.
3. You can find and tap Spotify Update next to it (if available), or select Update everything to take care of all available updates.

Update your device software

Likewise, updating your device to the latest software version often brings performance improvements that can aid general use.

Update Android devices:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Enter System.
3. Select System update.
4. Tap on Check for updates.
5. The tool will let you know if an update is available. If so, follow the instructions.

How to Update iPhones:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Enter General.
3. Select Software update.
4. The device searches for updates. Touch Install nowif one is available.

Clear the app’s cache

The cache debate continues. Should you clean or keep your cache? Cache makes your experience faster by storing data locally and using it when needed, rather than downloading it every time you open something. This is why the cache is generally good, but it can get old and corrupted, often causing glitches. Clearing an app’s cache is good in these situations, just to see if corrupted files are cleared.

How to Clear App Cache on Android:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Enter Applications.
3. Tap on View all apps.
4. Search and select Spotify.
5. Touch Storage & cache.
6. Select Clear cache. You can also Empty storage space to give the app a clean start.

You cannot clear the app cache on iPhones. The next best solution is in the next section.

Uninstall Spotify and reinstall it

Although uncommon, installations can malfunction. This can cause general problems and performance issues. Maybe try uninstalling and reinstalling Spotify to see if all the kinks are resolved.

To delete apps on Android:

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Enter Applications.
3. Tap on View all apps.
4. Search and select Spotify.
5. Select remove.
6. Confirm by hitting Okay.

How to delete apps on iPhone:

1. Press and hold the button Spotify app.
2. Select Delete app.
3. Touch Delete app.