Spotify is one of the most popular music streaming apps that you can download from the Google Play Store. It works with most Android devices available in the market today such as the Samsung Galaxy S10. Although this is a solid performing app there are times when certain issues can occur. In this latest installment of our troubleshooting series we will tackle the Spotify does not play when screen is off issue.
Here’s what to do when your Spotify app stops playing music when your Galaxy S10 screen is off
Before performing any of the troubleshooting steps listed below it’s best to restart your phone. This usually fixes minor glitches as it will refresh the phone software.
There are several factors that can cause this particular problem ranging from a setting issue to a corrupted app data. Listed below are the recommended troubleshooting steps that you need to do to fix this problem.
Prevent Spotify app from sleeping
The Galaxy S10 has a setting that makes certain apps stop working in the background when the screen is off. While this can be a great feature to save on battery life there are times when you will want an app to work even when the display is off. This is also one of the most common reasons behind this problem. To fix this you will need to allow the app to work even when the phone is in sleep mode.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap on Device Care (previously called Device Maintenance)
- In the bottom left corner select Battery
- Find the Spotify app
- Make sure the Put app to sleep (Put this app to sleep immediately when it’s not in use) option is off.
You can also do this from the App info screen
- Go to Settings then Apps
- Select the Spotify app
- Tap on Battery
- Toggle on Allow background activity
Restart your phone then check if the Spotify pauses playing music when the screen is off.
Turn off battery optimization for Spotify
The Galaxy S10 has several great features to extend its battery life. One such feature is battery optimization which is usually applied to certain apps. You should make sure that Spotify is excluded from this feature.
- Go to Apps > Spotify > Battery
- Select All
- Find Spotify and toggle off Optimize battery usage.
Check if the Spotify stops playing issue still occurs.
Allow Spotify to use mobile data
If your phone is not within range of a Wi-Fi network then there’s a chance that your music will stop playing. To prevent this from happening you will need to make sure that the app can use your mobile data subscription.
- Go to Settings.
- Go to Apps.
- Select your app
- Tap on Mobile Data.
- Toggle on Allow background data usage
Check if the playback issue still occurs.
Clear the cache and data
There are instances when corrupted data within the app itself can cause this problem. If this is the culprit then you will need to clear the cache and data of the app.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Apps.
- Tap the Spotify application in the list.
- Tap Storage > CLEAR CACHE > CLEAR DATA > DELETE
If the issue still persists then try to uninstall the app then install a fresh version from the Google Play Store.
- From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
- Tap Settings > Apps.
- Tap the Spotify application in the default list.
- Tap UNINSTALL > OK.
- Open the Google Play Store
- Search for Spotify then install it.
Wipe the cache partition of the phone
There are cases when the cached data stored in the dedicated partition of the phone can become corrupted. When this happens this will usually cause certain issues to occur on the phone. To eliminate the possibility that this is what’s causing the problem you will have to wipe the cache partition of the phone from the recovery mode.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the Android logo displays, release all three keys.
- An ‘Installing system update’ message will show for 30 – 60 seconds before the Android system recovery menu options appear.
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
- Press Power key to select.
- Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them and press the Power key to select.
- When the wipe cache partition is complete, Reboot the system now is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Try to check if the issue still occurs.
Perform a factory reset
In case the above steps fails to fix the problem then chances are this is caused by a software glitch. The best way to deal with this right now is to perform a factory reset. Make sure to backup your phone data before doing the reset.
- Backup data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Samsung account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Samsung credentials to finish the master reset.
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
- When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Download the Spotify app from the Google Play Store then check if the issue still occurs.
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