Why “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now”?

 

If we analyze a list of the leading music streaming apps, Spotify will certainly be at the top.

The king of music apps is as efficient as it gets, but nothing is perfect and Spotify can fail without further notice.

Some are small bugs, and others are common error messages that many users have encountered.

If you have received a message that says “Spotify Can’t Play this Right Now” when trying to use the Spotify application, then this guide is for you. Read further to learn more about:

• What does “Spotify Can’t Play this Right Now” mean?;
• How to fix “Spotify Can’t Play this Right Now;”
• What to do if this Spotify bug persists on your account.

What Does “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now” Error Message Mean?

“Spotify Can’t Play this Right Now” means that the app is unable to play songs - as simple as that.

It might be a problem related to a slow Internet connection, but this isn’t always the case. So, why does this problem appear?

1. You Are Trying to Play Music Unavailable on Your Location

The first reason is that you might be trying to play unavailable playlists in your area. When you sign up to Spotify, your country region is automatically set by the platform.

In this case, the aforementioned error message is not a but; it’s just a platform limitation.

There are ways to fix this by using a VPN, but that’s another story and is discouraged by the platform.

2. You Are Using a Free Membership of Spotify for More than Six Months

We need to pay for everything nowadays, huh? Playing songs on Spotify is great, but this applies mostly if you have a Premium account.

The true Spotify experience is meant for Premium users, not for Free ones. After using the Free version for a while, you will see that you can’t play a current track even if you want it.

It is also impossible to turn off Shuffle on Spotify and use other features when you have the app running - that’s how Spotify works!

3. Spotify Account or App Issues

If Spotify is not working, it is our duty to find a quick solution for it. When it comes to playing music, Spotify works magnificently most of the time, but bugs and issues can appear.

In the case of the “Can’t Play This Right Now” message, this is a problem that happens more in the desktop version and the Spotify Web Player than on mobile phones.

Worry not - let us guide you to a proper fix so Spotify can work properly again!

How to Fix “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now”

Whether you use the mobile or desktop app, we are going to provide you with 7 solutions that have proven to work for other users in the past.

Follow these steps and you will get rid of “Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now” in no time!

1. Update the Spotify App

Perhaps the message is caused because you are not using the latest version of the app.

All apps need to be always updated, whether you use the computer version or the mobile one.

1. On Android, go to the Google Play Store and type in “Spotify” on the search bar to update it;
2. If you use an iOS device, go to the Apple App store and look for Spotify on the menu bar:
3. Last but not least, macOS and Windows users must go to the Apple Store or Windows Store, respectively.

After updating the app, simply restart Spotify and check if the message has been removed.

2. Clear Local Cache Files

Users that have experienced this same error message have mentioned that their local disk storage or phone storage is now full.

Here, clearing up the cache files is the smartest thing you can do.

1. On your computer, open Settings, select “Local Files,” on the drop-down menu, and toggle off “Show Local Files.” This will clear the cache on your local drive:
2. On your phone, open the Settings option, and in the drop-down list, select Storage. Finally, tap on “Delete Spotify Cache” and check if the message disappeared.

3. Disable Hardware Acceleration on Your Spotify Account

Hardware acceleration is a feature that allows your computer to make a smooth transition between Spotify and other apps.

It helps your computer go faster, but it can also mess with some songs.

Therefore, we need to disable Hardware Acceleration on Advanced Settings.

1. Open the main Spotify menu on your computer;
2. Go to hardware settings and on the app;
3. Here, deselect Hardware Acceleration and close Spotify. This should do the trick!

4. Change Music Streaming Quality

We know how awesome the high quality streaming feature is - the music quality is amazing!

However, this might make your computer or phone run slower, whether you use the Web Player or any of the apps.

1. Open Spotify on any device:
2. Go to Spotify Settings and scroll down until you find Music Quality;
3. In Quality Level, select “Automatic.” Then, try to play the Spotify playlist or song where you were getting the error message.

We know that changing streaming quality is not always good, but it’s a great way to get rid of the “Can’t Play This Right Now” error.

5. Set Crossfading Value to Zero

The Spotify app has a feature that automatically crossfade songs when going from one song to another. This feature can mess with the Spotify app sometimes, so let’s disable it.

1. Open Settings on the Spotify App;
2. Select “Show Advanced Settings;”
3. Go to “Playback” and toggle off the Crossfade option.

6. Show Unavailable Songs on the Playlist

Perhaps you downloaded some songs from the Spotify app, and now they are messing with your playlist. Since this song cannot be played, your best shot is to “show it” again.

1. Go to Settings and open “Display Options;”
2. Here, select “Show Unavailable Songs;”
3. Quit Spotify and check if the message disappeared.

7. Reinstall Spotify

Finally, if you have tried all the aforementioned fixes but nothing worked for you, then delete the Spotify app and install it again.

Worry not, you will not lose your credentials or saved songs - they will all be there once you reinstall the app.

If you follow all the above methods one by one, we assure you that you will get Spotify up and running again in no time! Get more handy tech tips here, at GrowFollowing.

FAQ

Can Changing Playback Devices Help Me Fix Spotify?

It might work, but it’s uncertain. You can change your playback speaker by clicking on the volume icon on the Spotify app menu. Here, just select another device and check if that does the trick.

About the author

Karen

Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.