Spotify lockscreen controls not working on Samsung phones, company investigating

It goes without saying that applications that have a large user base often get into limelight when an update either introduces a bug or breaks an existing functionality, getting the team behind the app on heels to fix things up. But there also are times when certain issues prolong for long, yet go unnoticed.

One such case has now come to our sight. It has to do with one of the most popular music streaming services across the globe, Spotify, that recently expanded the ambit of their service and made itself available for music lovers in India.

Cutting the long story short, and coming straight to the issue that a lot of Spotify users have been reporting for about a month now is that the app controls (like skip or pause) are acting buggy and not working when accessed from the device’s lockscreen.

Complaints majorly from Samsung phone users with devices like Galaxy S10, S9, S8, S7, Note9 started populating the official Spotify community and other online discussion platforms like Reddit and Twitter after installing the app update back in March and continue to do so till date.

Basically, Spotify users aren’t able to change music from lockscreen (or notification center) anymore, unless they unlock the phone. Take a look at how a couple of complainants word this buggy behavior:

I had a galaxy s8 and just bought a galaxy s10 but since my galaxy s8 after samsung last update I can’t change Spotify music on lock screen anymore, in neither of the phones! I can see the lock screen control, read the music but when I press pause or change the music it does not work, i tought it was only in galaxy s8 but the s10 is doing the same, show the lock screen control but does not work when i press to change or pause any music.

I recently purchased a Galaxy S10, I have spotify playing and the screen locks, it’ll show the: song you’re listening to, previous song, Play/pause button and next song. For some reason those controls don’t seem to work when I’m on the lock screen.

The app acts in a similar manner when operated through a device connected to the phone via Bluetooth, like car. Here’s how some of the complainants explained the use-case:

Since the last Spotify update, the lock screen buttons on my phone to pause or skip do not work. Neither do the bluetooth connected steering wheel buttons in my car. This is not limited to me – other phones in our house are having exactly the same issue (another S7 Oreo and an S9 Pie). I have deleted the app, restarted the phone, reinstalled the app and it’s still the same. The lack of this function in the car means unwanted tracks cannot be skipped as it is illegal to touch a mobile phone while drivin – the new in car view is therefore useless.

I had an update and everything is working fine except for Spotify. It works but my lock-screen controls do not work. I used to be able to lock my phone, press down on home and skip/pause/advance my songs but as of then I can’t. I have to unlock the phone, ope the app and manage it from there. This is not ideal when driving.

Meanwhile, some of the affected users who took to Twitter to bring the matter to light said:

Going by users reports, ‘lockscreen controls not working’ problem was triggered by app version 8.5.0 and later, and hasn’t been resolved till date. It’s worth mentioning that while majority of the affected users own a Samsung device, a few with phones from other OEMs have also reported the same.

Here’s what an affected Huawei P20 Pro user said:

So there could be a possibility that the issue isn’t limited to Samsung devices only, but we couldn’t locate many reports from users with devices from other OEMs.

Is this issue known?

Keeping user reports aside, what’s good is that Spotify is at least investigating this problem, and here’s what they said about a month back while addressing a complainant at Spotify community:

We’re still looking into this, and will get back to you as soon as we have updates.

Complete statement:

One of the Spotify community moderators also said something similar:

We are aware of an issue with the control buttons and are currently investigating it.

But all that was weeks back. Since then, there’s no update on the matter. Meanwhile, this single thread itself has about 900+ upvotes and users continue complaining. The only solution that seems to help is to downgrade to an earlier version of Spotify app.

Hoping whatever is causing the lockscreen controls glitch gets fixed soon. Rest assured, we are keeping a tab on the matter, and will update as and when any now development comes to our sight. In the meantime, just in case you are also facing the issue, drop a comment and let us know.

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