Top 9 Ways to Fix ‘Spotify Can’t Play This Right Now’ Error

Do you keep seeing the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ error when trying to listen to songs and podcasts? That can happen for various reasons, ranging from region-specific restrictions to corrupt app cache. However, there’s no need to let it dampen your mood, as it is possible to fix this somewhat cryptic error.

If you have ruled out issues with your internet connection and restarted the app to no avail, don’t fret. This guide has advanced fixes that will get you back to listening to your favorite songs and podcasts on Spotify.

1. The Song May Not Be Available in Your Region

Spotify may fail to play a song if it’s not available in your region or country. In that case, you will encounter errors like ‘Can’t play the current song’ or ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ no matter what you do. Such songs on Spotify are typically grayed out so you can easily identify them.

2. Turn Off Hardware Acceleration (Desktop)

When you enable hardware acceleration in Spotify, it allows the app to optimize its performance on your computer. However, this feature doesn’t always work seamlessly, particularly on older or incompatible hardware. You can disable this feature in the Spotify app to check if that gets the app to play songs as before.

If you are using Spotify on Windows, click the three horizontal dots menu at the top-left corner, choose View from the context menu, and click Hardware Acceleration option from the submenu to uncheck the option.

Mac users need to click Spotify menu in the top-left corner on the menu bar and uncheck the Hardware Acceleration option.

3. Change Streaming Quality

Another reason why you may encounter the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ error is if you have recently canceled your Spotify Premium plan or if it has expired. Also, check if the streaming quality is still set to Very high. To fix this, you need to allow Spotify to select the streaming quality automatically by following these steps:

Desktop

Step 1: Open the Spotify app, click the profile icon in the top-right corner, and select Settings.

Step 2: Click the drop-down menu next to Streaming quality to select Automatic.

Mobile

Step 1: Open the Spotify app on your Android or iPhone and tap the gear icon in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Audio Quality section and select the Automatic option next to Wi-Fi streaming and Cellular streaming.

4. Disable Crossfading

Crossfading is a nifty feature in Spotify that creates a seamless listening experience by fading out the current song while simultaneously fading in the next. However, this feature can sometimes cause issues like skipping songs, unplayable tracks, etc. Here’s how you can disable the Crossfading feature in Spotify.

Desktop

Step 1: Open the Spotify app on your computer. Then, click the profile icon in the top-right corner and select Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Playback section and disable the toggle next to Crossfade songs.

Mobile

Step 1: Open the Spotify app on your Android or iPhone and tap the gear icon at the top-right corner.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Playback section. Drag the slider under Crossfade all the way to your left to set it to Off.

5. Sign Out and Sign Back In

Signing out of the Spotify app and back in is an effective way to tackle any account-specific issues and resolve such errors. Here’s how you can go about it.

If you use Spotify on your desktop, click the profile icon in the top-right corner and select Log Out.

For those using Spotify on Android or iPhone, tap the settings icon in the upper-right corner and scroll down to tap Log out.

Sign back into your Spotify account and see if the issue is still there.

6. Clear App Cache

Spotify saves cache data on desktop and mobile devices to store your frequently played songs, search queries, and other information. Over time, this data could pile up and interfere with the app. For such instances, Spotify gives you the option to clear cache data within its settings menu. Here’s how to access it.

Desktop

Step 1: Open the Spotify app, click the profile icon in the top-right corner, and select Settings.

Step 2: Scroll down to the Storage section and click the Clear cache button.

Mobile

Step 1: Open the Spotify app on your phone and tap the gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner.

Step 2: Scroll down to tap the Clear cache option. Select Clear cache again when prompted.

7. Check Spotify’s Server Status

Spotify servers can also experience service outages at times, leading to difficulties in playing songs and unusual errors. You can visit Downdetector to check if Spotify’s servers are experiencing issues in your region. If it’s a server-side problem, the ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ error should resolve automatically within a few hours.

Visit Downdetector

8. Update the App

There’s a chance that Spotify fails to play songs due to an outdated app. Hence, it’s a good idea to update the Spotify app if you haven’t already.

If you’re using a Windows or Mac, click the menu icon at the top, go to Help, and select About Spotify from the submenu. If an update is available, you should see a ‘Click Here to Download’ link. Click on it to download and install the latest version of the app.

If you are using Spotify on your phone, head over to Play Store (Android) or App Store (iPhone) and search for the Spotify app. Tap the Update button to install the most recent version of Spotify and try using it again.

Spotify for Android

Spotify for iPhone

9. Reinstall the App

Lastly, you can consider uninstalling and reinstalling the Spotify app. The steps for removing the Spotify app will differ based on the OS your device is running.

Desktop

On Windows, press the Windows + S keyboard shortcut to access the search menu. Type Spotify in the search box, right-click on the first result, and select Uninstall.

On Mac, open the Finder app and select Applications from the sidebar. Right-click on the Spotify app and select Move to Trash.

Mobile

To remove Spotify from your Android, long press on its app icon and tap the Uninstall option. Then, tap OK to confirm.

If you have an iPhone, long-press the Spotify app icon and select Delete App. Then, hit Delete to confirm.

Download and install the Spotify app again. Following this, the error should not bother you.

From Silence to Symphony

Few music streaming services can rival Spotify’s vast music library and sophisticated algorithm. Although encountering errors like ‘Spotify can’t play this right now’ may be disappointing, they are often easy to resolve if you apply the appropriate fixes.