Spotify Keeps Pausing? Ways to Fix

Spotify contains around 80 million tracks. That means that most folks don’t have trouble finding something they like on the service. On top of that, there are curated playlists, podcasts, and a bunch of sharing and integration features built into the player.

It’s available in both desktop and mobile versions, works on any platform, and is constantly getting updated with new features and enhanced performance.

Pretty great, right?

So, why are there so many users complaining about Spotify randomly stopping playback? If you’ve been experiencing occasional pauses and plays in your Spotify, then rest assured you are not alone. Spotify keeps pausing? Ways to fix is a far more common problem than most users think.

So, I’ve decided to take an in-depth look at this problem. And, more importantly, a bunch of fixes for Spotify stops playing at random times.

Contents

Why Is This Happening?

Officially, no one knows why Spotify is pausing the playback for no reason. If the problem is somehow inherent in the player itself, it will take more time for it to be worked out. But Spotify has no official position on the matter.

Hopefully, one of the many fixes that have worked out for other users will work for you. So, let’s get started.

Sign Out Of All Devices

Have you ever heard someone say that you can’t be in two places at once? The same applies to Spotify when it comes to individual accounts.

The most common cause for Spotify randomly pausing and playing is that two devices are trying to access the same account at the same time. This is because it is not uncommon for users to share one account to save on the monthly subscription fee.

The thing is…

If you are listening to something on your laptop, and someone else is trying to listen to something on the same account, it will cause problems.

Wherever the other person hits play, your misc will stop, and vice versa. This results in a non-consensual play and pause war, between you and your mate.

If you are sure the other person accessing your account is not your BF or GF, then proceed with the Sign Out of All devices steps. This is likely to take care of the problem.

Here’s how to do it…

Note – You will need to access Spotify via a browser to perform these steps; the mobile app will not work.

Log into your Spotify account and head over to the Account overview tab. You can access it from your profile tab.
Scroll down the list of options on the right-hand side and then click on the white “Sign Out Everywhere” button.

What About Hacking?

If you are a solitary user and have not given your account details to anyone, then you may need to consider that you have been hacked. The best option, in this case, is still to perform the “Sign Out Everywhere” procedure. And to change your password as well.

Start by logging into your Spotify account via a secure window from any internet browser. A secure window (sometimes called private or incognito window) is a feature available on most browsers. In Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Opera, and Microsoft Edge, you can open a new private window with the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + N.
Navigate to your Account Overview page by clicking on the profile button. (The profile button is your Spotify name, as it’s displayed on the homepage).
Click on “Set Device Password.”
Set up a new, secure password. If you have other platforms linked to this account (Facebook, Apple, etc.), make sure to change the password for all of them.
You can also check for third-party devices that have been linked to the account by clicking on the “Apps” tab (Next to the icon that looks like a Puzzle Piece).
A list of connected devices will appear. If you see something there that you don’t like, click on “Remove Access.”

Turn Off Data Saver Mode

Data saver mode is a feature that is available on most smart devices. It works to minimize data usage on an app-by-app basis. Amongst other things, it also slows down your internet speed. This can sometimes get in the way of smooth audio playback, even at lower bit rates.

Open the Spotify Mobile app and navigate to the Settings menu (tap on the gear icon in the top right).
At the top will be the Data Saver section. Beneath it will be an option for “Audio Quality” with a toggle next to it; make sure this toggle is in the off position.

Check The Connection On Your Headphones /Earphones

If you are using a pair of headphones, wired earbuds, or wireless earbuds, you may want to check whether the pause and play problem is when you’re using that device. If so, then the problem could be with the device. Let’s look at some common issues that relate to “Spotify keeps pausing? Ways to fix”.

Wired Headphones

For wired headphones and earbuds, the problem usually lies with a faulty/damaged cable or the audio jack.

When inserting the audio jack, listen for the “click.” That sound signifies that it has been plugged in properly and will remain secure. If you can feel that it has a lot of wiggle room after being plugged in, the components are likely damaged.

If the problem is not the jack but the wire, then your best hope would be to get a replacement.

Wireless Listening Devices

In many cases, problems with wireless listening devices can be caused by some form of interference in the area. Many things in the environment can interfere with the connection between your earphones and the source device.

Interference can be caused by thunderstorms, broadcasting towers, microwaves, WiFi, and physical obstructions. Try minimizing the distance between the listening device and the source, removing or getting away from obstructions, and avoiding areas where there are large WiFi networks.

In the house…

You can try turning off any device that might emit electromagnetic waves. This will include your microwave oven.

If interference isn’t the problem, then you’ll need to troubleshoot other problems. These include Bluetooth connection, the pairing between the devices, and the battery of your wireless headphones or earbuds.

Close Other Apps/ Use Do Not Disturb Mode

If you have multiple apps or websites open that can play audio at the same time, it might cause interference with your Spotify playback.

Try closing all other tabs that have video or audio streaming. Also, try activating Do Not Disturb mode on your device; this will silence all other notifications.

Restart the App/Device

Sometimes, the simplest way is the best. When you’re device’s RAM or cache gets overwhelmed, it can lead to all kinds of trouble. The best thing to do is to give the app and the device a clean slate by restarting them. Close the Spotify app and then re-open it after a while.

Re-download All Your Offline Content

This issue is a bit more specific, but it’s important to cover all the possibilities. If you are in the habit of downloading a lot of your Spotify content for offline listening, then this might be your problem.

Sometimes, these downloads can get interrupted due to you moving outside of your WiFi range or a loss of power, etc. This can cause the files to become corrupted due to gaps in the information, thus causing problems with Spotify playback.

To fix this issue, you’ll need to delete all the content and then redownload your files.

Here’s how:

Open Spotify and navigate to your library.
Here you will find your downloaded playlists and songs. To the right of each song and playlist will be the like, download, and options buttons. If the download button is green, then it’s been downloaded. Click or tap on this button and wait for it to turn grey.
After the download icon has turned grey, you can re-download the song or playlist by clicking or tapping it once more. Wait until it turns green.

Turn Off Low Power Mode/Battery Saver

Most modern devices come with a battery saver or Low Power mode. This will maximize battery but will also cause some apps to not function at all or to not function at full capacity. Spotify can be affected by this setting on some devices, so it’s worth testing just to be sure.

For iOS Devices

Open your Settings app (Gear Icon).
Scroll down to “Battery” and tap to open. At the very top of the next screen will be a “Low Power” mode setting with a toggle switch; place it in the off position.

If you want faster access to this setting, you can add it to the shortcuts in your control panel. Simply open settings and navigate to Control Center, Customize Controls and then add the low power mode toggle to the bar.

For Android Devices

Open the Settings app (Gear Icon).
Navigate to “Battery and Device Care.”
Tap on “Battery.”
Make sure the toggle switch next to “Power Saving” is in the off position.

Restart Your Device/ Computer

If you have come this far and have still not had any success, then it might be time to give your whole system a reboot. Restarting your device will not only get rid of any potential bugs, but the device will also get a chance to check for and install any necessary firmware updates.

The process for performing a restart may be different depending on your device. Most Android devices can be restarted by holding down the power button and then tapping on the restart icon twice. Alternatively, you can go to “Power” in the settings. For iOS devices, the process is roughly the same.

Check The Internet Connection

Having a poor internet connection can cause problems with any streaming service, and Spotify is no exception. This can easily happen on shaky WiFi networks or when using mobile data in an area with poor reception.

The simplest test would be to go online using a browser and load a website. If you notice it takes a long time to load, and the response on the website is not as quick as it ought to be, there is likely some kind of connection issue. To be sure, try testing with more than one website.

Turn Off Your Device’s Hardware Acceleration

This is another one that might seem a bit specific, but it’s good to know anyway. If you are using Spotify mainly on your computer or laptop in the form of an App, this could be for you.

Hardware acceleration is a feature that comes standard on most computers and laptops these days. It allows your machine to utilize the GPU or Graphics Processing Unit for many tasks to improve performance. By default, this feature is turned on most of the time.

This feature may be useful most of the time. But, it can be quite troublesome when it comes to using Spotify. This is especially true on older machines that can’t handle the strain that hardware acceleration places on the components.

Here’s how to turn off the hardware acceleration on your device:

Start by opening the Spotify app and tap or click on the three dots in the upper left corner.
Click on “View” and then select “hardware acceleration.”
You will be greeted with a prompt warning about loading times being longer when the feature is turned off. You will also have to perform a restart for the changes to take effect. Click on OK to proceed.

Delete Spotify Cache

Cache files are temporary files that get created by programs to improve loading times when it comes to files that get accessed frequently. While these files are useful, they do build up over time. And after a while, they can cause problems with the device’s RAM and performance.

An overfull cache file can cause Spotify to pause and play erratically. Here’s how to clean the cache for Spotify.

For iOS Devices

Start by opening the Spotify app and opening the Settings menu by tapping on the white gear icon.
Navigate to Storage and then click on “Clear Cache.”

For Android Devices

Open the Spotify app and click on the white gear icon to open the settings menu.
Navigate to the Storage category and tap on the “Clear Cache” option.
You will be asked to confirm the deletion of the files via a popup. Click on OK to proceed with the deletion.

For Computers Running On Mac and Windows

When it comes to using Spotify on computers, the Mac and Windows versions of Spotify are so similar that the process for getting rid of the cache is the same.

Start by opening the Spotify app and then clicking on the Profile button (Your Name). Then, select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
Scroll down to the Startup and Window Behavior area. There will be a heading that reads “Offline Storage Location”; copy the file path that is given there.
Open a file explorer or the Finder and paste the file path into the address bar, then press enter to navigate to the cache file location.
Delete all the files in the cache folder location and restart your Spotify app.

Uninstall and Re-Install The Spotify App

If you have come this far and are still asking, “Spotify keeps pausing? Ways to fix,” one of your final resorts is to remove the Spotify app and do a fresh install. This should not only clear up potential bugs, but it will also ensure that you are running the latest version of the app.

Important Note – Doing this will also get rid of all your playlists, likes, and offline content. So, it should only be done as a last resort.

Windows 11

Open the Start menu by either pressing the Windows Button or by clicking on the start button on the taskbar.
Type the word “settings” to begin a search and then click on the Settings app when it gets returned as a search result.
On the left-hand pane, click on “Apps.”
Select “Apps and Features.”
Scroll down the list of programs until you find Spotify.
Click on the three dots to the right of the name and select “Uninstall” from the drop-down menu.

Have Other Questions About Spotify?

If so, take a look at our detailed articles on How to Change Spotify Username, How to Turn Off Shuffle on Spotify, How to Download Songs on Spotify, Spotify Lyrics Not Working, and Why Spotify Logged Me Out for more helpful tips and tricks.

Also, you will want to get the most out of Spotify. So, check out our in-depth reviews of the Best Headphones For Rock & Metal Music, the Best Headphones for Music, the Best Headphones for Hip-Hop, the Most Comfortable Headphones, and the Best Headphones Under $200 you can buy in 2023.

And don’t miss our comprehensive reviews of the Best Wireless Outdoor Speakers, the Best Tailgate Speakers, the Loudest Portable Bluetooth Speakers, the Best Waterproof Speakers, and the Best Party Speakers currently on the market.