Is Spotify Down... Or Is It Just You?

When the music goes silent, there are a few quick ways to check and see if it's Spotify's problem or yours. If it's yours, there are several things you can do to get those tunes back fast.

How to Tell if Spotify Is Down

If something's gone wrong with Spotify and you think it might be the service itself, check these places first for confirmation:

1. Go to the Spotify Status X (formerly Twitter) account or the corporate X page for Spotify. The corporate page usually won't tell you much but if something truly major is happening, they do post a message here. You can also check the SpotifyCares X page.

2. Check a third-party "status checker" website like Downdetector or Outage.Report. Either one will tell you if Spotify is working for everyone else or not.

   

3. Take a look at the Spotify Facebook page. This is a long shot but it might yield some information.

What to Do When You Can't Connect to Spotify

If Spotify isn't down but you still can't connect to it, something else is going on. It could be internet issues or something specific, like your headphones aren't working right or your network connection is down.

1. First, be sure your account is in good standing. If you haven't paid the bill, you won't get access to Spotify no matter what else you try.

2. Be sure your device isn't set to Airplane mode. That mode disables all networking activities so accidentally turning it on can block you from calls, texting, and internet activities including Spotify.

   On Android phones, swipe down to review the setting menu. If Airplane mode is not active, the icon will be greyed out. If it's not, tap it to turn it off. You can adjust Airplane mode on iPhones from the Control Center.

3. If you're experiencing buffering problems, you might have reduced data speed. This can happen if you have used your high speed data allotment or if you're in an area not served by 4G LTE. Your cell phone provider can help you with boosting that.

4. Sometimes, the issue is within the specific app, such as the Spotify app for iPhone. If you think that might be the case, try turning off mobile data and Wi-Fi on your device to open Spotify in offline mode. You can then switch to Wi-Fi again to try and get back online with the service.

   One workaround to try when the Spotify app isn't working is to use open.spotify.com on your device. As you log in, do not open the app; just begin streaming music from the website.

5. Next, check for things like internet connection errors, app bugs, bluetooth connection issues or missing updates. Learn how to fix things like that when Spotify isn't working.

6. Still can't access Spotify? It's time to get customer service involved. There's no phone support but you can chat or email with Spotify.