SoundCloud often stops playing when you lock your phone or turn off the screen. Many users report issues such as music pausing, cutting out, or failing to continue in the background. This happens on both iPhone and Android and is usually caused by background restrictions, battery settings, or app-related issues.
So, does SoundCloud still play when your phone is locked? Yes. While both Free and Go/Go+ users have background play capabilities, Free users often face more interruptions due to ad-loading errors. Take a look at the comparison table below for more details on SoundCloud playback for Free, Go, and Go+ plans.
| Feature | SoundCloud Free | SoundCloud Go | SoundCloud Go+ |
| Background Play | ✔️ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Offline Listening | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Ad-Free | ❌ | ✔️ | ✔️ |
If your SoundCloud stops playing when the screen is off, follow this guide to troubleshoot your settings and discover a permanent way to enjoy seamless, ad-free playback without interruptions.
Part 1.Why Does SoundCloud Keep Pausing or Stopping?
When SoundCloud randomly pausing as soon as you lock your phone or turn off the screen, it is rarely a problem with the song itself. Instead, it is usually a conflict between the app's requirements and your phone’s system settings.
Here are the most common reasons why SoundCloud keeps pausing in the background:
- Aggressive Battery Optimization: To save battery, both Android and iOS may restrict or close background apps. If SoundCloud is not set as an exception, it can stop playing when the screen turns off.
- Restricted Background Data: If background data usage is limited to reduce mobile data consumption, SoundCloud may stop playing once it is no longer active on the screen.
- App Cache Glitches: Over time, cached files can become corrupted or outdated, which may cause playback issues such as stuttering, freezing, or stopping when the screen is locked.
- Low Power Mode: When Low Power Mode (iOS) or Battery Saver (Android) is enabled, background activity is often reduced or disabled, which can interrupt SoundCloud playback.
- Unstable Network Connection: A weak or switching connection between Wi-Fi and mobile data can interrupt buffering, causing SoundCloud to pause when the screen is off.
- Ad-Loading Errors: For free users, playback may stop if an ad fails to load correctly in the background, causing the music to freeze until the app is reopened or refreshed.
Part 2. How to Fix SoundCloud Pausing When Screen Is Off (iPhone & Android)
If SoundCloud keeps pausing when your screen is off, you can usually fix the issue by adjusting a few simple settings on your device. Below are the most effective solutions for both iPhone and Android users.
Quick Fix Summary:
- iPhone (iOS): Disable Low Power Mode / Enable Background App Refresh / Play SoundCloud in Safari / Clear App Cache
- Android: Allow Unrestricted Battery Usage / Disable Battery Optimization / Clear App Cache / Use Chrome for SoundCloud
- Ultimate Solution: Download SoundCloud tracks to MP3 using ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader to play them on your phone's default player smoothly without any pausing issues.
2.1 Fix SoundCloud Pausing on iPhone
1. Disable Low Power Mode
Go to the Settings app, and scroll down and tap "Battery." Turn off "Low Power Mode." By doing so, you are telling your iPhone to prioritize application performance over battery savings. Therefore, it may minimize pauses on SoundCloud to the greatest extent possible.
2. Enable Background App Refresh
Go to "Settings > General > Background App Refresh."Find the SoundCloud app from the list. Toggle it to off to allow the app to run when locked. Also, do not swipe up the SoundCloud app preview in the App Switch.
3. Play SoundCloud in Safari
Open the Safari app on your iPhone. Visit soundcloud.com and sign in to your account. Select the song you want to play. If a pop-up window asks you to open the SoundCloud app, stay in Safari. Turn off your phone screen and you will see a play window on your lock screen, hit the play button.
4. Clear App Cache
Open "Settings > General > iPhone Storage > SoundCloud." Tap "Offload App," and then reinstall it from the App Store. This clears cached data that may cause playback glitches.
2.2 Fix SoundCloud Pausing on Android
1. Allow Unrestricted Battery Usage
Go to "Settings > Apps > SoundCloud > Battery. " Choose Unrestricted to let SoundCloud run freely. This may reduce battery power, and will allow the SoundCloud application to run fully in the background.
2. Disable Battery Optimization
Navigate to "Settings > Battery > Optimize battery use. " Find SoundCloud and set it to "Don't optimize." This also tells your Android phone to put performance ahead of battery optimization.
3. Clear App Cache
Open "Settings > App manager > SoundCloud > Storage." Tap "Clear data" and "Cache cache" to remove temporary files that may disrupt playback.
4. Use Chrome for SoundCloud
Open the Chrome app and go to soundcloud.com. Sign in to your SoundCloud account and start playing the desired tracks and playlists in Chrome. Chrome can often bypass pauses caused by app errors or glitches.
Part 3. Listen to SoundCloud Without Pausing or Ads (Best Solution)
In addition to unexpected pauses, Free SoundCloud users also have to deal with ads. While playback issues can often be fixed through device settings, ads cannot be fully removed unless you upgrade to a paid plan.
However, there is a better way to enjoy a seamless experience. ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader offers a permanent fix to both playback pauses and ad interruptions. By downloading your favorite tracks directly to your device, you bypass the SoundCloud app’s background restrictions and network glitches entirely.
Key Features of ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader:
- Fix All Playback Bugs: Once downloaded, you can play SoundCloud music using your phone’s native music player, which is 100% stable in the background and never pauses when the screen is locked.
- Remove Ads Automatically: Enjoy your playlists without a single ad interruption, even on a Free SoundCloud account.
- Lossless Sound Quality: Extract and convert SoundCloud tracks to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, or M4B while preserving the original high-fidelity audio.
- Batch Download Technology: Save entire playlists, albums, or podcasts at once.
- Keep Metadata & ID3 Tags: Automatically preserves artist names, album covers, and titles for easy management of your local music library.
Download songs, playlists, albums, and your music libraries from SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, Amazon Music, Pandroa, and Line Music as MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A, and M4B foramts with original audio quality and full metadata information.
How to Download SoundCloud Music with ViWizard
Step 1Set Output Format
Download and install ViWizard Streaming Audio Recorder. Launch it and click the menu icon (☰) at the top right and selecting Preferences > Conversion. Open the dropdown menu for format and choose a mobile-friendly format like MP3. You can also adjust the bitrate, sample rate, channel, and codec for optimal sound quality on your phone. Click OK to apply.
Step 2Choose SoundCloud
Return to the main interface of ViWizard software. The ViWizard Streaming Audio Recorder supports 9 music streaming platforms so you will see 9 music icons displayed on this page. However, to download music from SoundCloud, you need to click on the SoundCloud icon to access the built-in SoundCloud web player.
Step 3Select Music
After ViWizard opens the built-in SoundCloud player, browse the songs, playlists, or albums you want to download. Once you're on the content page, click the "+" button in the bottom-right corner. Next, ViWizard will detect all available tracks on this page. In the pop-up window, click Add to List to queue them for download.
Step 4Download Music
Hit the Convert button and ViWizard start to convert the SoundCloud tracks to the setup format you choose and download them to your computer. After conversion, go to the History tab and click the folder icon next to the track to locate your downloaded audio files. Lastly, transfer them to your phone and you can enjoy uninterrupted, ad-free, offline playback, even with your screen off.
Step 5Transfer and Play the Downloaded Music on Your Phone
Once the SoundCloud tracks are downloaded, you can easily transfer them to your phone and play them offline using a media player.
- For Android Users: Connect your phone via USB and copy the music files into your "Music" folder. We recommend using VLC Media Player or the default Samsung Music app. These players are optimized for background play and will not be affected by SoundCloud app glitches.
- For iPhone Users: Connect your iPhone to your computer and use iTunes or Finder to sync the downloaded MP3 files. Once synced, you can open them with the Apple Music app. Since these are local files, they will play perfectly in the background without any pausing issues.
Read More : SoundCloud to Apple Music: Full Guide to Transfer Songs Easily
By following these steps, you’ve effectively bypassed every limitation. No more ads, no more network dependency, and most importantly, no more annoying pauses when your screen is locked.
Part 4. FAQs about SoundCloud Pausing and Background Play
Why does SoundCloud stop playing after 30 seconds or 1 minute?
You're probably listening to a Go+ Premium track without a subscription or without logging in. That means you can only enjoy a 30–60 second preview of those tracks.
Does using a VPN cause SoundCloud to pause or skip?
Yes. A VPN can cause lag or buffering if the server is slow, or it may trigger a reconnecting error if your IP address changes mid-stream, causing the track to skip.
Why does SoundCloud pause when I open another app?
This is due to Audio Focus. Mobile systems prioritize the sound of the app you are currently using; if the new app has any audio or auto-playing video, it will automatically pause SoundCloud.
Why does the music stop when I switch tabs in Chrome?
Chrome’s Memory Saver and Energy Saver modes help save RAM by discarding inactive tabs. To keep your SoundCloud tab active, just right-click it and select Pin, or you can turn off Memory Saver in the Chrome settings for soundcloud.com.
Why does the music pause when I unplug my headphones?
This is a standard system feature on iOS and Android designed to prevent your music from suddenly blasting through your phone’s speakers in a public place.
Conclusion
Does SoundCloud still play after turning off your phone? Yes! This is a common problem that doesn't have much to do with subscriptions, but has to do with battery optimization of the mobile device and the cache stored by the app. To fix this issue, you can turn off low-power mode, reinstall the SoundCloud app, try using the SoundCloud web player through a web browser app, etc.
If you want a seamless, ad-free SoundCloud experience, ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader is the tool you must try! We're not saying it's the best choice for everyone, but its impressive batch download capabilities and audio quality processing will make you fall in love with it.
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Dave Henry, a multimedia technologist at ViWizard, focuses on delivering the best solutions for digital media challenges, including audio and video conversion, media optimization, and troubleshooting.
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