Spotify is one of the best music streaming services available, especially if you’re into lesser-known artists. On the other hand, nothing ruins music faster than frequent pausing and buffering. This issue is common on Spotify and has many causes, but the good news is they’re all easy to fix.
If Spotify keeps pausing and interrupts your listening experience, here’s what to do.
Also, be sure to check out our YouTube channel from our sister site where we made a short video to go over the different options mentioned in the article.
Turn Off Low Power Mode
All mobile devices have a low power mode option that reduces background activity in order to conserve battery life. In many cases, low power mode cuts off background refresh for apps, shuts off automatic mail retrieval, and stops downloads. In other cases, it can interfere with your Spotify stream.
If you;re listening to Spotify with low power mode enabled, turn it off. On an iPhone, this is as simple as dragging down from the top-right corner of the screen and tapping the battery icon. You can also access low power mode by going to Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode.
Android devices handle this slightly differently. The setting on Android devices is called “Battery saver.” To access it, tap the Settings icon and then tap Battery saver. You should see a slider somewhere on your screen. Ensure it’s set to the Off position.
This setting can interfere with Spotify on any device, whether it’s a phone or a tablet. If you find Spotify keeps pausing while you’re listening to music, try turning off low power mode and ensuring you have sufficient charge.
Turn Off Data Saver Mode
Spotify has a built-in Data Saver mode that reduces the amount of data the app uses when you’re streaming over cellular networks. This mode can potentially interfere with playback quality and result in Spotify pauses.
To access Data Saver mode, tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen and then tap Data Saver from the list. Ensure the slider is set to Off.
Restart Your Device
One of the easiest ways to correct issues with Spotify pausing is to reset your device. You can perform a reset on a mobile device or select Restart from the Start menu on your computer, but it’s often better to completely power down the device for at least 15 seconds before restarting.
Doing this clears any data stored in temporary memory and is one of the most recommended ways to correct issues like this. Once 15 seconds have passed, turn your device back on and try Spotify again.
Keep Your Device Up to Date
There are times when Spotify doesn’t operate correctly after an update, especially after OS updates. Make sure to keep your mobile device fully up to date with the latest version of the OS.
One option is to enable automatic updates. Another is to manually check whether an update is currently available. To do this on iOS, go to Settings > General > Software Update. On Android, go to Settings, select System updates, and select Check for system updates.
Sign Out Everywhere
Several Spotify users have reported that signing out of their accounts on every device before logging back in can correct issues with frequent pausing in Spotify.
To do this, go to your account overview page. Once on this page, scroll down to the bottom and select the Sign Out Everywhere button. Once you do this, you will need to log back into your account.
Keep in mind that this option doesn’t include Spotify partner devices, so it won’t log you out of your PlayStation or Sonos devices.
If your Spotify account is in use somewhere else, it can result in choppy playback on your device. By signing out of your account from all devices, you’ll also eliminate the chance that another user may have unauthorized access to your account.
Connect or Disconnect From WiFi
Spotify allows you to choose from multiple quality levels to stream your music.
The base level for music is 160 kbps and requires upload and download speeds of 384 kbps. The next level is 320 kbps and requires upload and download speeds of 512 kbps. For lossless quality streaming, you need at least 2 Mbps down and 0.5 Mbps up.
These speeds need to remain at this level or higher consistently or the quality of your music will waver, often resulting in pauses. In many cases, 3G is not sufficient for lossless quality.
If you are streaming music at the highest quality possible and you are not achieving the results you want, try connecting to WiFi. If this isn’t possible, lower the quality of your stream. You should also ensure that Spotify is not automatically attempting to stream at a higher quality than what is capable.
To do this, open Spotify and tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Tap Music Quality and look under the Streaming header. By default, Automatic will be selected. Choose between Low, Normal, High, and Very high. If your app pauses often, select Low or Normal.
Reinstall Spotify
If you’ve tried these other methods and they do not work for you, remove Spotify from your device. On a computer, this means uninstalling the program. On a phone, delete the app. Remove all traces of Spotify and then re-download the app.
Errors can occur during installation that might result in playback issues. By removing the app and reinstalling it, you can work from a fresh, up-to-date install.
Check Your AirPods
If you use Bluetooth headphones, ensure that no setting may be affecting your experience. For example, Apple’s AirPods will pause the song if one is removed from your ear. If your Bluetooth device is malfunctioning, it may cause Spotify to pause.
To test this, listen to a few songs without your headphones and then listen with the headphones in. If Spotify only pauses when using the headphones, it is a good indication that something may be wrong with your Bluetooth device.
