Fixed: Spotify Not Working on Android Auto

By Adam Gorden Updated on June 7, 2023
When I first connect my Galaxy S10e to my 2017 Chevy Cruze, Spotify doesn't appear on my "preview" screen, even though I used it the last time I was connected. When I access Spotify from the audio (headphones icon) tab, it says "Spotify doesn't seem to be working right now". The only workaround I have found so far is to disconnect and restart the phone, and then everything works fine. But then if I disconnect AGAIN afterwards (like when I'm getting out of my car for any reason), the cycle begins anew.

-- User from Reddit

Spotify does not work on Android Auto, but lots of users don't know the causes. In fact, the Spotify Android Auto not working issue can be resulted from several reasons. When your Spotify account is in a unstable status, Spotify won't play on Android Auto. Or both Spotify and Android Auto on your phone are out of date, which needs to be updated to the latest version for working. Due to several reasons, Android Auto Spotify doesn't seem to be working right now.

spotify on android auto

If you want to play Spotify in car and control the playback on your phone while driving, Android Auto is the main go-to app. But there are times when Android Auto Spotify doesn't seem to be working. Until now, nobody can determine the reason for this problem. In this article, we are going to show you how to fix Android Auto Spotify not working and introduce the best alternative to play Spotify songs in the car when Spotify not working on Android Auto.

Part 1. Settings to Fix Spotify Not Working on Android Auto

Here are some related app and device settings that can cause Spotify not working on Android Auto. You can adjust them to make Spotify work as expected.

Adjust Spotify App Settings:

In the Spotify app settings for Android, there's an option called "Enable Device Broadcast" to enable device to control whether your Spotify activity is visible to other devices on the same network. When this setting is enabled, other devices with Spotify installed on the same network can detect your device's playback status and control the playback remotely. Make sure that Enable Device Broadcast Status is turned on.

Enable Device Broadcast Status

spotify device broadcast status on android

On Android, go to Spotify > Settings > Device Broadcast Status. If the Device Broadcast Status setting is set to off, toggle the switch next to it to set it on. If the Device Broadcast Status setting is set to on already, toggle the switch next to it to set it off and back on.

Adjust Android Device Settings:

Your Android device have battery optimization setting help restrict app activities to save power. Check if Spotify is being optimized in any way by the battery settings on your device, such as "Not Optimized". You are suggested to exempt Spotify from battery optimization to allow to work on Android Auto.

Set Not Optimize for Spotify App

On Android, go to Settings > Battery/Battery & power > Apps/All/All Apps, then scroll down to find and select Spotify. Once you access options related to battery optimization for Spotify, look for Don't Optimize, Not Optimized or similar, and then select Done/OK to save the changes. This will allow Spotify to operate without restrictions in the background.

Change Bluetooth Settings for Calls Only

If you use Android Auto with Bluetooth pairing, here's how you can change the Bluetooth settings specially for Calls and not Music. On Android, go to Settings > Connected devices/Bluetooth, and find the Bluetooth connect for your car's audio system and tap on the settings icon next to it.

Look for an option related to Bluetooth audio or Media audio and disable it. This will prevent audio/music playback from being transmitted through Bluetooth. From here also ensure that the option for Phone audio or Calls is enabled. This will allow call audio to be transmitted through Bluetooth.

Other Settings:

When you find Android Auto does not work for Spotify, another way you can try is to set Spotify as the default music service for Google Assistant.

Set Spotify as Default Music Service

To set Spotify as your default music player, say "Hey/OK, Google" to bring up Google Assistant or long-press the Home button. After that, tap on your profile picture at the bottom of the screen to go to Settings > Music > Default music library/player, and then select Spotify. This will set Spotify as your default music player.

Part 2. Troubleshooting Steps to Fix Spotify Not Working on Android Auto

If the settings mentioned earlier in this post won't help to resolve the problem, please try the troubleshooting steps here to fix it.

Step 1. Force Stop the Spotify App

spotify force stop on android

On Android, go to Settings > Application Manager, then scroll down to find and select Spotify. To force stop the Spotify app, tap Clear cache/data and then Force stop. To clear the app cache solely, tap Clear cache/data there or go to Spotify > Settings and scroll to Clear cache and tap on it.

Step 2. Restart Android Device

After that, restart the Android device. Press and hold on the power button until the power-off slider appears on the screen, swipe the slider to shut down the device. Once the screen blacks out, press and hold on the power button and the device will be restarted. You can go ahead and check if the problem is gone.

Step 3. Update the App & Device

If possible, download and install the app and device OS. To update the Spotify app, go to Google Play > Search, then search for Spotify and check to see if an update is available. To update Android's operating system, go to Settings > System/Software Update and check for any available updates to download and install the latest version.

Step 4. Clean Uninstall the Spotify App

If you still find Spotify doesn't work on Android Auto, please clean uninstall the Spotify app on your Android device.

For Android - 6.0 or above:

On Android 6.0 or above, go to Settings > Apps > Spotify > Storage & Cache > Clear Storage. Once done, back to Spotify's settings > Uninstall. Then back to the home screen of your Android device and go to the File Manager > Internal Storage\Android\data, then look for a folder called com.spotify.music and delete it. Finally, restart your device and download the Spotify app for Android from the official website.

For Android - before 6.0:

On Android 6.0 or earlier, go to Settings > Apps/Applications > Manage applications > Spotify > Clear Data. Once done, back to the home screen of your Android device and go to Storage > Android > Data, then delete a folder called com.spotify.music. Finally, restart your device and reinstall the app from the official website.

Part 3. Best Alternatives to Play Spotify in a Car

The most important thing is that if your car is not compatible with Android Auto, you can enjoy the features of Spotify Android Auto. Otherwise, the thing is no matter what way you use to play Spotify in the car, you'll need an internet connection and a Spotify premium account. The internet could be a bit laggy sometimes, and the premium subscription will cost you extra money when you just want to listen to your favorite songs. And next up we are going to show you the best way to play Spotify in your car without premium.

With the help of ViWizard Spotify Music Converter, you can download Spotify songs you like to your computer without subscribing to any premium plan and transfer them to your phone or other device for playing. Then you can play them in the car through Bluetooth or USB drive smoothly without any limitations and glitches.

spotify music converter

Key Features of ViWizard Spotify Music Converter

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* Security verified. 5,481,347 people have downloaded it.

  • Download Spotify songs, albums, playlists, podcasts, audiobooks
  • Convert Spotify music to lossless MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, M4A, M4B
  • Support playing offline Spotify music on any device at any time
  • Compatible with Windows and macOS, as well as, the latest Spotify

Step 1Browse Spotify Songs to Download

Once you open ViWizard Spotify Music Converter on your computer, it will automatically load the Spotify app. Then go to browse your music library in Spotify and select any song, album, or playlist to download. You can directly drag and drop your desired songs into the converter. Or you can add them to the converter by copying and pasting the music link into the search bar.

add spotify music

Step 2Adjust the Output Audio Parameter

Before starting downloading Spotify songs, you need to configure the audio settings first. Go to menu bar and select the Preferences option from the drop-down menu. There will pop up the settings window where you can choose the output format and adjust the bit rate, sample rate, and channel.

select output format

Step 3Start to Download Spotify Music to MP3

Now you can click on the Convert button at the bottom right of the converter. And ViWizard Spotify Music Converter will soon download and convert Spotify songs to your required format. After conversion, you can find those converted tracks in the history list and also locate the converted folder to get those music files.

convert spotify songs

Step 4Play Spotify in Car via Bluetooth or USB Drive

After downloading Spotify songs to your computer, you can transfer those converted Spotify music files to a USB drive for playing or play them in your through Bluetooth. No internet nor Spotify premium are needed through out this process. Now the Spotify not working on Android Auto issue will never bother you.

Summary

You're ready to play Spotify on Android Auto while driving, but Android Auto Spotify stops working. You can follow these method above to attempt to fix this Android Auto Spotify not working issue. You can also contact Google and Spotify to express the specific problem. If you have not got a satisfying reply, you are suggested using an Android Auto Spotify alternative - ViWizard Spotify converter to listen to Spotify in the car.

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