Imagine this:
You’re 30 minutes away from home.
So, to not bore yourself…
You pick up your phone and open the Spotify app to listen to your favorite tracks.
But when you try to play a song, Spotify won’t work.
How would you fix it on the spot?
Read on to discover:
- 9 effective ways to fix Spotify that isn’t working offline.
- 5 easy steps to clear the Spotify cache to fix app glitches.
- How to clean reinstall Spotify on iOS and Android devices.
- And a lot more…
Why is Spotify not working offline?
Spotify isn’t working offline because the tracks aren’t available for offline streaming. Or the Offline Mode setting isn’t set. It won’t play offline music if the app is outdated and the device is malfunctioning. This can also happen if Spotify can’t detect the file location of the downloaded songs.
Spotify not working offline: 9 fixes
#1: Ensure that the tracks downloaded
Spotify offline streaming can only work if:
- You’re subscribed to the premium plan.
- You’ve downloaded the tracks you want to play.
That being said…
If you can’t play your tracks offline, make sure that they’re downloaded for offline streaming.
To download a Spotify track:
Step 1: Search for and play the song you want to download.
Step 2: Tap the three-dots icon on the top-right corner.
Step 3: Click “Add to Playlist.”
Step 4: Select the playlist you want.
Step 5: Go to that playlist page.
Step 6: Tap the download icon under the playlist name. Look for a pointing-down-arrow icon. Doing this downloads all the tracks from the same playlist.
Step 7: Wait for the download to finish.
The playlist is downloaded if the download icon has turned green.
#2: Enable “Offline mode”
“I’ve already downloaded my favorite tracks. But I still can’t play it offline….”
If that’s the case, check whether the “Offline mode” setting is enabled.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Turn off your WiFi or cellular data.
Step 2: Open your Spotify app.
Step 3: Tap the gear icon on the top-right corner. This will lead you to the setting page.
Step 4: Scroll down until you find the “Offline mode” setting. It’s under the “Playback” section.
Step 5: Tap the Offline mode button once to toggle it off.
#3: Enable “Airplane mode”
If you’re still having problems playing your downloaded tracks offline…
Enable the Airplane mode on your device.
Note: Airplane mode turns off all your device’s wireless functions, such as WiFi, cellular data, and Bluetooth.
And it’s originally intended to be used when boarding a plane. So that your device won’t interfere with the aircraft’s communication system.
But you can also choose to enable it to save battery. Or temporarily turn off notifications from incoming calls and messages.
The reason:
The offline mode on Spotify will only work if your device is disconnected from the internet.
And enabling the Airplane mode helps force-disconnect Spotify from your internet connection.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Open your device.
Step 2: Scroll down from the top of the screen to access the Quick Access Panel.
If you’re using a laptop or PC, click the Quick Access Panel on the bottom-right corner.
Step 3: Tap the Airplane mode button to enable it. Look for an airplane icon.
#4: Turn off the device
Still didn’t work?
This time, try to turn off and on your device once.
Note: In this guide, turning off the device means putting it in “sleep mode.”
Doing this can help resolve app glitches. And communication errors between your device and the Spotify app.
Here are some clear signs that your app has glitches. The app:
- Crashes upon launching.
- Returns to the login page whenever you try to log in.
- Is lagging/freezing when you’re navigating your playlists.
- Won’t play any song when you tap the play/shuffle button.
Follow these steps to turn off your device:
Step 1: Turn off your device’s internet connection.
Step 2: Close the Spotify app completely. Remove it from the background apps.
Step 3: Press the POWER button of your device once to turn it off.
If you’re using a laptop or PC, put your device in sleep mode.
Step 4: Wait for at least 30 seconds.
Step 5: Press the POWER button again to turn on the device.
For laptops or PCs, press any key on the keyboard.
Step 6: Relaunch the Spotify app.
#5: Restart the device
Or you may also restart the device.
As doing this can help completely refresh the system of the Spotify app.
Note: A restart only turns off and on the device. It doesn’t delete important data aside from RAM. Which consists of your “most-used” data such as auto-saved email and password.
To restart an Android device:
- Press and hold the POWER button.
- Continue holding until the options appear.
- Click “Restart.”
To restart an iOS device:
- Press the VOLUME INCREASE button.
- Press the VOLUME DECREASE button.
- Hold the POWER button for a few seconds.
- Release once the Apple logo displays.
To restart a laptop or PC:
- Tap the Start button.
- Click the POWER icon.
- Select “Restart.”
Check out: Is iOS or Android Better for Home Automation? 7 Tech Facts
#6: Clear the app cache
Clearing the cache can also help fix app errors.
So, if you can’t still play Spotify offline at this point, try this solution.
Note: Doing this deletes junk files on the Spotify app. And not your downloaded songs.
Here’s what you should do:
- Open the Spotify app.
- Go to settings.
- Scroll down to the “Storage” section.
- Click “Clear Cache.”
- Tap “Clear Cache” again to confirm.
Or you can also watch this video for visual instructions:
#7: Update the app
Is your Spotify app up-to-date? If not, make sure to update it immediately.
Why?
Having outdated software can cause some of the app functions not to work. Including the offline streaming feature.
Here’s how to do it on Android and iOS devices:
- Go to the device’s app store.
- Enter “Spotify” on the search bar.
- Click “Update.”
“I’m using a Spotify desktop app. How can I update it?”
If there’s an update available for your app, a green dot will appear next to your username.
Suppose your app has it…
Click on your username. Then, tap “Update Now.”
#8: Re-download the tracks
When was the last time you opened your Spotify app online?
If it has been more than a month, re-download your tracks.
The reason:
Your downloaded tracks will be automatically deleted if you haven’t been online for 30 days.
When this happens, you can’t stream your favorite tracks offline.
To re-download your Spotify tracks:
Step 1: Open the Spotify app.
Step 2: Go to Settings>Storage section.
Step 3: Click “Remove all downloads.” Then, tap “Remove” to confirm.
Step 4: Go to your playlist.
Step 5: Click the download icon.
Then repeat steps 4 to 5 until all your desired tracks are downloaded.
#9: Save app data on internal storage
Note: This fix only applies to devices with an SD card. If yours doesn’t have one, jump to the next solution below.
Sometimes your Spotify app can’t play your downloaded songs because it can’t locate its file folder.
To resolve that, move the Spotify data file from the SD card to your device’s internal storage.
Here’s how to easily do it:
Step 1: Press the hold the Spotify icon on your device.
Step 2: Select “Uninstall.” Then, wait for the process to complete.
Step 3: Remove the SD card from your device.
Step 4: Reinstall the Spotify app on your Android or iOS device.
Step 5: Re-insert the SD card on your device.
BONUS: Clean reinstall the app
Suppose the abovementioned solutions didn’t resolve anything…
Clean reinstall the Spotify app.
Note: This is similar to uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Except that a clean reinstall ensures that all the Spotify files on your device are deleted.
Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Clear the app cache and data.
On an Android device: Click Settings>Apps>Spotify>Storage & Cache>Clear Storage.
On an iOS device: Click Settings>General>iPhone Storage>Spotify>Offload the app.
Step 2: Stay on the same page to uninstall the app.
On an Android device: Press “Uninstall.”
On an iOS device: Press “Delete App.”
Step 3: Go to the File Manager. And delete the “com.spotify.music” folder. (This only applies to Android devices).
Step 4: Shut down your device. Then, wait about 5 minutes before restarting it.
Step 5: Reinstall the Spotify app.
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