Why is Spotify Showing This Error?
There could be many reasons why Spotify is showing you this error. The song or playlist might not be available in your region, connectivity issues, an outdated app, or issues related to local files or your computer. However, there are easy fixes to all these issues and we will take you through them individually.
Fix “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now”
We will be discussing 9 methods with an easy step-by-step guide that will help you troubleshoot and fix the issue so that the error message does not appear anymore. So without any further delay, let us jump into the list.
1. Update the Spotify App
Spotify constantly provides updates to add support for new playback formats and fix bugs, errors, and other technical issues. So if you are running an older version of the Spotify app and facing the error, we suggest you download and update to the latest version as it could be due to compatibility issues.
2. Re-Login to Your Spotify App
Spotify may sometimes fail to verify that the user has premium membership and it will not be able to play downloaded songs showing the error. You can remedy this by logging out of Spotify and then logging in again.
Log Out Of Spotify Mobile App
Step 1: Press the gear icon on the Spotify app homepage. Step 2: Scroll all the way down and tap on Log out. You will be logged out of your account.
Log out of Spotify Desktop App
Step 1: Click on your Avatar as shown in the image below. Step 2: Here, select the Log out option. Once you are logged out, log in again. This should fix the error.
3. Change Music Playback Quality
Premium subscribers of Spotify can enjoy high-quality audio streaming and downloads but certain songs might not be available in this quality which is why you might be seeing the error message. So we recommend you set your streaming quality to Automatic in Spotify settings.
Change Music Playback Quality on the Spotify Mobile App
Step 1: Open the Spotify app, and press the Gear icon. Step 2: Scroll down to Audio Quality. Step 3: Tap on the WiFi and Cellular streaming options and select the Automatic option. Step 4: Tap on the toggle under Auto adjusts the quality to enable it.
Change Music Playback Quality on the Spotify Desktop App
Step 1: On the Spotify desktop app, click where your Avatar is displayed as shown below. Step 2: Select the Settings option. Step 3: Scroll down to Audio quality and click on the drop-down menu next to Streaming quality. Step 4: Select the Automatic option. Step 5: Click on the Toggle next to Auto adjust quality to turn it on. This will let Spotify automatically adjust the audio quality based on your internet connection and the availability of the song.
4. Hide Unplayable Songs
Spotify constantly adds new songs and removes some of the pre-existing ones due to issues with the song label or artist. So if you have that song downloaded in your Library, Spotify will not be able to play that song resulting in the error message. This is why you should disable the option to show unplayable songs. Step 1: Press the gear icon on the Spotify homepage. Step 2: On the Settings page, scroll down to Show unplayable songs under Playback. Step 3: Tap on the toggle to turn it off. Now Spotify will hide unplayable songs in your library.
5. Disable Hardware Acceleration
Hardware acceleration helps improve the performance of the Spotify desktop app. It uses your graphics unit to help the app run better but it can also lead to performance issues on less powerful hardware and old computers causing Spotify to show the error message. So if you are using a laptop without a dedicated graphics card or running an old computer then we recommend turning off hardware acceleration. Step 1: click on the three dots at the top left corner of the Spotify desktop app. Step 2: Hover the cursor over the View option and then click on Hardware Acceleration. Step 3: A dialogue box will appear asking you to restart Spotify to apply changes. Select OK. Hardware acceleration will be disabled after the restart and you should be able to play songs on the Spotify app.
6. Turn Off Song Crossfading
Crossfading overlaps the first few seconds of the next song as the current song comes to an end. It is a feature that uplifts the music listening experience during song transition. But this can also lead to playback errors. You can turn off or set the crossfade value to 0 to fix the issue. Here is how you can change or turn off crossfade on Spotify.
Turn Off Song Crossfading on the Spotify Mobile App
Step 1: Press the gear icon in the top right side of the Spotify homepage. Step 2: Scroll down to Crossfade and drag the slider to the left till it says Off.
Turn Off Song Crossfading on the Spotify Desktop App
Step 1: Click on your Avatar on the top right side. Step 2: Select the Settings option. Step 3: Here, scroll down to Crossfade songs under Playback and turn off the toggle. Songs will not be crossfade anymore which should prevent the playback error.
7. Lower The Audio Sample Rate of your Computer
Sample rate can be defined as the number of sounder samples in a second. The higher the sample rate, more precise the sound which is why audiophiles prefer higher sample rate. If the sample rate of your audio output device is high, it might not work properly with your computer which results in the Spotify error. Lowering the sample rate of your default audio format may fix this issue. Step 1: On your computer, click on start and search for Control Panel. Step 2: Here, click on Hardware and Sound option highlighted in green. Step 3: Click on Change system sound under the Sound option. Step 4: Select Playback. Step 5: Right click on the Speaker option and go to Properties. Step 6: Go to the Advanced tab and click on the drop down menu under Default Format. Step 7: Select a lower sample rate like 44100 Hz. If you have more options then we recommend sample rate of 192000 Hz. Step 8: Click on Apply and then press OK. You can test the sound on Spotify and check if the error reappears.
8. Delete Spotify Local Cache Files
Spotify creates temporary files of songs and podcasts that you have listened to, your profile, and your password so that the app can access them faster next to you want to listen to your favorite song. These cache files can stack up and might get corrupted, causing the error. So we will look at how you can delete the local cache files on your phone and PC.
Delete Spotify Cache Files on Mobile App
Step 1: Press the gear icon on the Spotify app. Step 2: On the Settings page, scroll down Clear cache option located under Storage. Step 3: A prompt will appear, select the Clear cache option. Step 4: Local cache files will be deleted. Close the app and reopen it.
Delete Spotify Cache Files on Desktop App
Step 1: On the Spotify homepage, click on your Avatar. Step 2: Select Settings. Step 3: Scroll down to Offline storage location. Here you will be able to see where the cache folder is located. Step 4: Note down the folder location and open the File Explorer. Step 5: Click on the address bar and type the folder location as mentioned in the Spotify app. Step 6: Delete all the files and folders present in the Storage folder. After deleting all the files, restart the Spotify app and check if your songs are playing properly.
9. Re-install the Spotify App on your Device
If all the above options did not work for you then there could be a problem with your current installation. We recommend that you uninstall the Spotify app and re install it. This will help get rid of any bugs, glitches and you will have the latest version on your device.
Final Words
This brings us to the end of our article on nine ways to fix the “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now” error. Spotify is a fantastic music streaming service, but just like other services and applications out there, you might face some issues every now and then. I hope the above-listed method helped solve your issue.
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