Spotify Won’t Play Certain Songs: Solutions for Your Device and App

Spotify won’t play certain songs due to several reasons ranging from problems with your device to issues with its application. This article explores all of those main issues and problems that can potentially cause Spotify to not play certain songs.

In addition, there will also be an explanation regarding possible solutions and fixes with which you can bring back the normal operation of the application. This article can be a great help for you whenever you notice that certain songs are not playing on Spotify.   

Why Spotify Won’t Play Certain Songs?

Spotify may not be playing certain songs for you due to various reasons, including:

• Potential glitches and bugs in its application.
• Insufficient storage in the device.
• An outdated application. 
• Crossfade feature and hardware acceleration.
• The mode of the application and desktop firewalls. 
• You may also have changed your subscription level.
• Country restrictions.

– Glitches and Bugs in the Application

Spotify has a large consumer base as an application around the world and is supported by various kinds of devices. Therefore, the occurrence of glitches and bugs is more likely to happen in it that can prevent you from performing different functions. One of them is playing certain songs that is also likely to be noticed and fixed quickly by Spotify.

– Insufficient Storage of the Device

The storage can be insufficient on the drive of your device, and, as a result, Spotify may not be able to continue playing certain songs. It is recommended that your device has 250 MB of free space on the minimum level to ensure smooth streaming for playing songs. 

In most cases, it is normal for premium users to be able to download a large number of files that often leaves little to no space on their devices. In this way, they are unable to download songs on Spotify so that they can be played later. 

– Outdated Spotify Application

An outdated application does not function at an optimal level and performs efficiently enough to ensure a smooth experience for you. With a disrupted flow, it is likely that an outdated application may not play certain songs.

Each update brings some new features and fixes some bugs and glitches. When not updated for a long time, you will not only miss new features but also will have recurring issues that can’t be fixed.

– The Crossfade Feature of Spotify

As a technical feature, crossfade enables a smooth transition between songs so that they do not immediately start playing over each other. However, there can be specific errors with this feature that disrupt the smooth transition of the current song.

They can cause a haphazard flow of songs that have varying tones in comparison to each other.

– Enabled Hardware Acceleration

As a performance feature, it provides the capability to weak hardware, like an outdated system, to stream content with a smooth performance. On most systems, this feature is enabled by default and can cause issues with songs playing on Spotify due to certain mechanical faults. This can include stuttering with audio lagging around the tune and songs getting skipped and not even played at all.

– Offline Mode of the Spotify Application

This mode of your application restricts the songs that can be played while it is enabled. It only allows you to play those songs that have already been downloaded and are specifically set for usage in it. You cannot play songs from an internet connection if the application is in this mode. 

Keep in mind that low internet quality and a weak Wi-Fi signal may cause problems as well.

– Blockage by the Firewall of Your System

The firewall setup on your system may be disrupting your Spotify from performing optimally and playing certain songs. A firewall enables a blockage of specific permissions for various applications, and yours may have done the same with Spotify. 

In this way, applications are unable to execute some of their functionalities, like Spotify can’t play songs, as they have to make some changes to the system with those permissions.

– Changes in the Subscription Level

Keep in mind that different subscription levels of Spotify allow different qualities of music for their users. For example, only premium users are allowed to play at High Quality, and the users with free versions can’t play any song on that quality level. Therefore, you can consider this as the problem only if you have recently changed your subscription level and forgot to update the quality level allowed.

– Country Restrictions 

There can also be country restrictions that won’t allow playing specific songs. This happens when the owner of the song’s copyrights or the song publisher decides in which specific countries the song can be played.

How To Fix Spotify Don’t Play Specific Songs Issue?

Spotify won’t play certain songs can be fixed if you perform the below actions:

• Restart Spotify and delete unimportant files. 
• Update the application.
• Disable the crossfade feature.
• Switch off the performance feature and disable the mode of the application.
• Resync it and give permission to make changes to the system. 
• Change the quality level and reinstall Spotify. 

– Checking the Social Media Handles of Spotify

The occurrence of glitches and bugs in the application is a type of systemic issue that is, in most cases, acknowledged by companies. For most time, they will announce the issues on their social media channels, or the followers and users will raise this issue and point it out in the comments.

Therefore, you should always be on the lookout for their response about the issue on their social media handles. In this case, you are not required to do anything to solve the problem except wait for Spotify to fix the relevant backend complications.

– Restarting the Spotify Application

Restarting is a common procedure that works almost all the time in which applications and programs are first turned off and then turned back on. You can also attempt to remove those glitches and bugs by restarting the application to see if it plays those songs. For a Spotify desktop application, you can end its task from Task Manager to ensure that it shuts down completely.

Since certain songs not playing on Spotify is common, restarting the application can be considered a practical procedure to solve the issue. With no other method for confirmation, you can refresh the mechanism of your application by restarting it to check if it plays those songs. After the simple steps of this procedure, Spotify will most likely start functioning as usual in the case of glitches and bugs with no other complications.

– Deleting Unimportant Files, Photos and Applications

You can delete unimportant files from your device, including photos and applications, to make additional space for the songs on Spotify. Some downloaded songs on Spotify can also be removed with their space freed to enable you to bring new songs. 

To do this, you first have to open your application and select the “choose Local Files” option present beneath the Settings option. The next step involves turning off those files, followed by the closure of the application. After this, it has to be restarted to complete the procedure of deletion. By restarting, you can check the application again to ensure if it is playing the songs you wanted.

– Updating the Spotify Application

You must ensure that the application is updated to the latest version so that any chances of the problem caused by it can be prevented. You can do that by turning on automatic updates for Spotify from the Settings option. In addition, you can also manually check the availability of newer versions of Spotify from your App Store and Google Play Store for iOS and Android, respectively.

In the case of available updates, you can simply select the relevant option for the store to download them automatically. The downloading process for updates is the same as that of any normal application in which you only have to wait until the completion. After the completion, you can launch the latest version of the application to see if the issue persists. If the issue wasn’t resolved, move to other solutions below.

– Disabling the Feature of Crossfading in Spotify

Disabling crossfading is the ideal way to solve the problem caused by it, as you can open your application to select the “Preferences” option. You have to locate the Playback header by scrolling down where the crossfade feature can be both enabled and disabled. You must disable the feature if it is turned on so that its impact on the issue can be checked. In this way, you are resetting it the elimination of the playback problem for certain songs.

Here is the step-by-step procedure for disabling the crossfade feature:

• You first have to open the application and enter your account details so that you can get logged in. 
• After that, you have to choose the Settings option and then select the button named “Show Advanced Settings.” 
• Finally, you have to find out the option with which you can switch off the crossfading feature and then check if the songs are playing after this procedure.

– Switching off the Performance Feature

You can attempt to switch off this feature if Spotify can’t play current songs and enable a better experience. For this, you first have to open the application and select the “File” option on Windows and the “Spotify” option on a Mac. 

Then, the option for the performance feature has to be chosen from the menu. After this, you just have to switch off its setting to complete the process.

– Disabling Offline Mode of the Application

You must disable the mode of the application so that you can stream songs from the internet that are not downloaded. You can do that by selecting the “Spotify” option present in the top left corner of your application. 

This opens up a new screen for you in which there will be a checked mark beside the mode if it is enabled. You have to ensure that this checkmark is removed to disable it.

– Resyncing Your Spotify Application

Exclusive usage of Spotify in the mode requires you to log back in after a maximum of thirty days, or it stops playing the downloaded songs. This may be your reason if you have not logged in to the application for more than thirty days. 

The solution is to resync the application by connecting it to the Internet and logging in. You can enable the mode again if it suits you and then continues to play the downloaded songs only.

– Giving Permissions to the Application

It is important to remove the blockage from your firewall if it is not allowing Spotify to play certain songs. For that, you have to give the permissions required by its application when the firewall alerts you about the relevant requests.

Whenever you download Spotify for the first time, you should allow it to make changes to your system by giving permissions like accessing your speakers.

– Changing the Quality Level of Streaming

You just have to change the quality level of music streaming so that songs can be played after a change in the subscription level. A change from the premium level to the free level is most likely the cause in this case.

You first have to open the application on your device and click on the dropdown arrow present in the top right position of your name. From there, you have to open Settings and then choose the “Automatic” option beneath Music Quality. With this, you can change the quality to a lower level if you have changed to the free subscription.

– Reinstallation of the Spotify Application

The can be considered as the last resort if nothing else solves the problem of certain songs not playing. In this s reinstallation of your applicationolution, you have to ensure all the files related to Spotify are deleted so that they can be downloaded again with a refresh. The downside is that you will have to go through the effort again of downloading all of your songs.

• Reinstallation on a Mac device

You have to open Finder to choose the “Go” option and hold the “Option” button so that the Library one can be selected. Then, the com.spotify.Client folder can be deleted in the Spotify cache section.

Going back, the Spotify folder should be deleted in Application Support followed by the application dragged to Trash. Then, Trash can be emptied to completely remove Spotify so that it can be downloaded again with a refresh.

• Reinstallation on a Windows PC

The “Programs and Features” option can be chosen from Control Panel, followed by the selection of the “Spotify” and “Uninstall” options respectively. After this, the onscreen instructions can be followed to complete the procedure of uninstalling Spotify so that it can be downloaded again.

• Reinstallation on an Android device

The Settings application has to be opened to select the “Apps” option and locate Spotify from a list of applications. After clicking its button, you have to choose the “Storage” and “Clear Data” options, respectively, for a clean reinstall.

Then, the “Uninstall” option can be selected so that the mobile app can be downloaded again from Play Store.

Conclusion

This article dissected the problem of certain songs not playing on Spotify and presented main solutions as well to solve it.

Take a look at its takeaway points:

• Insufficient storage on your device can cause Spotify to not play certain songs.
• There can be glitches and bugs in the mainstream application of Spotify resulting, in some songs not playing.
• You can delete files, photos, and applications to add storage for Spotify to play the songs.
• You have to wait for Spotify to acknowledge the glitches and bugs as it will fix them, and you do not have to do anything in response.

These solutions are bound to fix your problem, and you can come back here any time if it happens again.