[Fixed] Spotify crashing when playing podcasts or audiobooks on Android? Try these workarounds

Update 22/05/24 02:41 pm (IST): User reports indicate that the problem has now been fixed. However, the official status is still set as ‘Under Investigation’. That said, make sure your app is up-to-date and then try playing a podcast or audiobook again. If it still crashes, then try doing the following, as suggested by a user:

1. Clear cache and data

2. Uninstall

3. Reboot phone

4. Install

5. Reboot phone

Original article published on May 21, 2024 follows:

Spotify users on Android devices have been facing a frustrating issue over the past day, with the app crashing whenever they try to play podcasts or audiobooks. The error message “Something went wrong with Spotify” appears, and the app force closes, preventing access to this popular content. Here’s a screenshot shared by a user of the error for reference:

If you’re experiencing the “Something went wrong with Spotify” error message when trying to play podcasts or audiobooks on the Android app, here are some potential workarounds to try:

Use the Spotify mobile site: The only surefire way to continue listening to podcasts and audiobooks at the moment is through the Spotify mobile site. While not as convenient as the app, it should allow you to access your content without crashing. Many users confirmed that they resorted to this for the time being.

Don’t enlarge the viewer: Some users have reported that they can still play podcasts on the app by not enlarging the viewer. Try adding episodes to your library by pressing the “+” button, then going to “My Library > My Episodes” and only pressing the small “play” button. Attempting to enlarge the viewer may cause the app to crash.

Play from the home page: According to reports, podcasts seem to work when played from the “New Episodes” section on the Spotify Home page. However, trying to play specific episodes from a podcast’s channel may cause the app to crash.

Over the past day, many Spotify users on Android devices have been reporting issues with the app crashing when attempting to play podcasts or audiobooks. The error message “Something went wrong with Spotify” appears, and the app force closes.

Here are a few examples of user experiences:

The app crashes every time I try to play a podcast. I have tried all recommended troubleshooting steps I could find and was able to get it to play music again, but still cannot play podcasts. Occurs on both Wi-Fi and Cellular data, and if the podcast is already downloaded or streaming. Issue started this morning. (Source)

I don’t know about anyone else, but I can’t get Spotify to play ANY podcasts right now. It crashes every time I try to start any podcast. Music plays fine, podcasts… *crash. (Source)

This started this afternoon. I pay for premium. I can listen to music, but the app crashes whenever I start a podcast or audio book. I’ve tried everything: reinstalling, restarting phone, checking updates for both, clearing cache, etc. (Source)

The issue seems to be affecting a wide range of Android devices and versions of the Spotify app. While music playback appears to be unaffected, any attempt to play a podcast or audiobook causes the app to crash. I, however, was not able to replicate the bug on either of my Android devices (Pixel, 8, Pixel 7a, and Realme X2 Pro), so it’s possible that the bug is just randomly affecting certain users.

Luckily, Spotify has acknowledged the issue and has confirmed that the bug is currently under investigation. However, there’s no ETA for a fix.

In the meantime, the workarounds listed above may help you continue accessing their podcast and audiobook content until a proper solution is released. Just keep an eye out for an update for Spotify in the Google Play Store.