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Spotify Dropping out, Other Music Services OK

I have created a diagnostic report, 122658598, within about 5 minutes of the spotify service dropping.

It only drops for a brief moment, skips a song, and then it’s fine again for another half hour or so.

Appreciate any help you can offer!

Thanks,

Chris

 

Edit: I rebooted my router and changed the channel to 6. I will create another diagnostic if spotify drops out again.

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63 replies

A

@Doug Rees Thank you for bringing your concerns to us here and welcome to the Sonos Community. I understand that you are describing issues with how your Spotify is playing on your Sonos system. What happened after trying the steps in the posts marked Best Answer? Your supplied diagnostic report number is showing communication issues for Sonos on your network. You may have re-booted certain equipment but Sonos products show not being re-booted in over 30+ days.

Please follow up with your full network topology with the model names and numbers of the products that are wired or wirelessly connected on your network for any modem, router(s), extenders, access points or switches (managed or unmanaged). After you gather that needed information then please power re-boot off your wifi equipment for 30 seconds with no lights on it, meaning no battery backup, then power it back up. While this equipment is powering back on then power re-boot off your Sonos units for the same time with no lights and plug them back in to power, no button pressing is needed. While we are powering on then re-boot the device(s) running the Sonos app and when reconnected please test the music playback for 30+ minutes and follow up with the testing results and a new diagnostic report number.

Your diagnostic report also indicates you are using two or more routers and an extender. As the marked Best Answer indicatives you would want to clear up/reduce any wifi interference and test using Sonosnet with the Bedroom Play:1 as the wired Sonos product to the router.

M
Userlevel 4
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Same issue here.  If it was network interference I would expect it to impact all services, but it is only Spotify.

J

I too, am having issues with Spotify continuing to drop or not connect through the Sonos app.  Spotify works great by itself through my phone no matter where I am around my house.  I just signed up for Amazon music (as its free for a limited number of songs since I am already a Prime member) and am not having any issues.  All throughout this forum I see people having the same issue.  I hear about the connectivity interruptions as being a solution.  I still have yet to see anyone state why this only seems to be a problem with Spotify and it has only been an issue in the past few months.  At this point I’m trying to determine if I should completely switch over to Amazon and ditch Spotify (which is a pain given I have used Spotify for quite some time).I created a diagnostic report 1492164453.

M
Userlevel 2
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Piling on… Same issue here with similar timeframe as start of this thread.  After years of perfect operation with Sonos + Spotify + eero and now having the occasional drop outs with spotify + sonos ONLY exactly as described above.   Other music sources and Spotify without Sonos works great. 

It cannot be a coincidence that all of our networks are suffering from interference suddenly at once.  I’m in a low/no interference environment with a well covered WiFi AP topology.  All other real-time applications work perfectly, so WiFi network interference is highly unlikely to be the issue.  

Could there be something else causing packet loss for spotify?

One weird thing I noticed: when on my mac and looking at the Error Logs in the Sonos mac app, the song that appears to be having the problem is not the current one playing, but the next one in queue.  I am seeing a mixture of the below errors, but going back and playing these songs works fine…

5/30/20, 4:05 PM
Unable to play 'Morning Light' - the connection to Spotify was lost.

5/30/20, 5:13 PM
Unable to play 'Pelicanism' - the song is not encoded correctly.

5/30/20, 5:16 PM
Unable to play 'Fantasy' - the connection to Spotify was lost.

Something is up that i think requires Sonos engineers to dig into.  Happy to help provide more details or troubleshooting steps as needed.

Diagnostic number 1964097200 captured moments after the last above error.

A

Thanks for posting the diagnostics @jbarba and @Mattyv123. Sonos the information I provide can help others in this troubleshooting process

@jbarba: I have taken a look at your diagnostic and I am seeing communication issues between one of your wireless nodes and the main Orbi node. Because Mesh network relay the connection to each other, miscommunication can cause issues such as buffering in Sonos. I would like you to try plugging one of the Sonos players into the main Orbi node and test the connection. Sonos creates a privatized network and in that state, we can help determine if the nodes are causing the issues.

@Mattyv123: I have also taken a look at your diagnostic and it appears that Sonos is receiving multiple network interruptions that are causing the dropouts. I would recommend that because these players have been online for awhile, to reboot all Sonos players and the Eero nodes, main node, and modem/router. If the interference is not improved, I would also like for you to hardwire one of the Sonos players into the main node and assess if the communication improves.

G

Same here - Totally fine and now all of my Sonos have issues with Spotify. Google Music, SoundCloud, GlobalPlayer are all fine.

It’s got so bad that I’ve plugged my Play:1 and ZP100 the wired network and I still have issues.

 

Sunday, 31 May 2020 - 19:14 Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin, London
Unable to play 'Bait And Switch' - the song is not encoded correctly.

Sunday, 31 May 2020 - 19:18 Greenwich Mean Time : Dublin, London
Unable to play 'For A Fool' - the connection to Spotify was lost.
 

A

Same here.  The problem is only on Spotify.  It is happening on 2 different Sonos systems in 2 different buildings miles apart.  It is happening on both wired and wireless connections.  It is happening on Play 1, Play 5, and Connect units.

M
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Hi @Adam S 

Thanks for the reply and feedback. I’ve spent the last few days troubleshooting as you have suggested and trying to narrow the problem down to a single speaker or isolate to an issue with a group. I haven’t reached a final result yet, but I will tell you that eero and Sonos reboots have note fixed the problem. 
 

Given the feedback from @awolfe and @Gsan in the past week - who seem to be having the exact same problem as others on this thread, even on hardwired connections - I think pretty clearly indicates something is up with Spotify specifically with a global impact, regardless of network connectivity.  The intermittency of the problem and perhaps some other variable(s) unique to this cohort may be squelching complaints from the broader user base. 

One thing I have noticed is that the erroneous songs are definitely for the next in queue song, not the one that is skipped during playback. This causes the current song and the next song to be skipped. @Gsan @awolfe @jbarba can you corroborate this?

@Adam S my opinion is we are in bug territory worthy of an engineering triage. The timing (starting in last 2 months) and the specificity of the problem (only impacting Spotify streaming service otherwise perfect performance) and the consistency of reports from the community (this thread) suggests a software and not an environmental problem. 

Thanks again for your help and hopefully we can get this solved. 

PS I guess we’ll find out Monday, but does the S2 overhaul some how change how playback works so perhaps we are going to enter a new phase of complexity with another variable introduced?

 

A

The most common problem that I have is that sound simply stops on one speaker.  The time counter continues.  Sound comes back after a while.  If I pause and restart, it plays fine for a while.

If I use Spotify on another device (like a computer) on the same network it, no problem there.

M
Userlevel 2
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The most common problem that I have is that sound simply stops on one speaker.  The time counter continues.  Sound comes back after a while.  If I pause and restart, it plays fine for a while.

If I use Spotify on another device (like a computer) on the same network it, no problem there.

I’ve noticed that too on a single speaker as well. However far less of an intrusive problem than the skipping. 
 

Also no problems with Mac clients etc. will try Spotify connect and see if that changes anything

M
Userlevel 2
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@Adam S OK, my last update after a weekend of testing…

I am now pretty confident the issue only happens when you start playback from Spotify using the Sonos app, but the issue does not happen when using Spotify connect from the Spotify app.

I tested with the exact same Spotify playlist playing to the exact same Sonos speaker group.  When using the Sonos app to kick off the playlist, it would randomly skip songs as reported in this thread.  This would happen 2-4 times per hour.  However, playback was flawless for hours on end when the same playlist was started in the Spotify app.

Since both methods stream the same songs directly from Spotify servers, I think there is no way the network path is to blame here.  Instead, there must be some fault in the Sonos controller when dealing with the queue (see not about not reporting errors on current song that is playing back, but the next song) causing the problem to happen.

@Gsan @awolfe and others: can you confirm these findings with your set up as well and report back? 

A

I actually had the opposite experience.  Much worse with the Spotify app.

 

Yesterday, I connected wired Ethernet to the speaker I use most on the system at my office.  Both the Sonos app and the Spotify app played flawlessly - about 5 hours total.  Maybe Spotify on Sonos is just more sensitive to wireless issues than any other source.  I’m going to try that with my other system as well.

A

Never mind.  I am still getting dropouts - just less often.

G

I’ve been listening to my Sonos for a couple of hours tonight, sending music via the Spotify app and it’s fine. I haven’t had time to listen via the Sonos app today but last night it was terrible. I had to give up in the end and use my wife’s Google Music account (which is also fine).

A
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I too am having issues with Spotify in particular. I’ve been using other services (Amazon, Pandora, Google Play Music) for years without issues, but we’ve recently switched to Spotify and now I get constant dropouts and skipped tracks. I’ve never had this issue before - and can in fact still use other services without issue - but Spotify seems to be the issue. This is using the Sonos app if I try the Spotify app things are even worse. 

I see all the chatter about connections, WiFi, interference, etc. but I’m hard-pressed to believe that with everyone just having issues with Spotify specifically, any of those things have an effect on the issue. I’m all ear for suggestions. I’m using Sonosnet with a wired Playbar. 

M
Userlevel 2
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A few changes on my side environmentally: I have upgraded to S2 and removed an old Play:5 first gen and replaced with a new Play:Five (it is a beautiful piece of hardware!), however the issue remains.

Spotify playlists started from the new Sonos app skips occasionally while the same playlists work great from the Spotify app via Spotify Connect to the same Sonos speaker group.

That said, I did notice that I've seen a few instances of “Unable to playback current song” on my macOS Spotify app, without having Sonos involved at all.  Combined with the accepted observation that the impact is the Spotify source only, I’m starting to think perhaps the issue is actually with Spotify infrastructure.

Perhaps there is some problem on the Spotify side with media on occasion that is better handled by the Spotify apps (in most cases) than Sonos?  From my experience, Sonos playback is super sensitive to media failures (caused my networking or source issues) and will skip songs at first indication of a problem.

@Adam S any word from your side? I’ll try to see if I can’t capture the problem in action on the Spotify side and pull that thread a bit.

E

I’m a fitness instructor and for the last two weeks I was finally able to start teaching in person. The one gym uses Sonos.  For the past two weeks any instructor that uses Spotify has had their tracks skipping and then freezing or stopping.  You can imagine how disruptive this is when you are trying to teach a fitness class and your tracks are skipping. It is not happening to the instructors that have Apple Music - only Spotify users.  This is a recent problem as I taught my classes at this same gym at the beginning of March and didn’t have a problem. 

M

 Hello I have been problems with Spotify and sonos for about a month.  In summary,  when I play Spotify through the sonos app songs will regularly skip or not play.  I get various error messages.  I am however able  to play Spotify on sonos perfectly when I connect through the Spotify app.  All of my other services work perfectly through the sonos app.  I have changed wireless channels on my router and sonos system and even upgraded my bridge to a boost.  I have read online many people are having this same problem.  Are you aware of it and what can or is being done to fix?  Is this a sonos problem or Spotify problem?  Thanks.

A

Hey everyone. Sorry about the delay.

If this issue is not resolved or improved when having a Sonos player plugged into the router, the issue may be internal communication related and will require more investigation. I can try to take a look at some diagnostics when submitted. But ultimately, if you are in Sonosnet (hardwired) but the tracks are still skipping significantly, you may want to call in or email us for individualized troubleshooting. The reason for audio cutouts in general are really dependent on many variables and we would need to find out what they are. Hope everyone is being safe and enjoying their weekends!

M

Hi Adam.  I did send a direct message at about 9:30 am today and have not received any help as of yet.  If you could assist I would appreciate it.  I just submitted this diagnostic.  552580970

M

To clarify,  sent a direct message on twitter with diagnostic code 1868650338

A

Hi @Music44. Thanks for letting us know. I do not currently see a DM from you, but I have taken a look at your diagnostics and there appears to be some range issues. Do you see the skips and buffering on certain speakers more than others? 

Where is the Boost located in relation to the other players?

I also noticed that it’s been awhile since a reboot of the Sonos system has been done. I would recommend rebooting each Sonos player (including the Boost) and router/modem. Following this, please assess if the issue is still present and if so, please submit another diagnostic.

M

313141951 is code.  I couldn’t connect a speaker directly to router because I am running out.  I am however absolutely convinced their is some problem with Spotify/sonos based on everything I have done to try and fix.  I reset every unit I I have (many as you see) have reconnected by bridge and set up boost as satellite.  Changed placement of all potential sources of interference and changed wireless channels.  Reset router.  One thing to be aware of.  The sonos app seems to periodically freeze and reset when using Spotify.  Only app it does this with.  Please keep me updated.  Online I see many people reporting same problem.  Thx

A

Thanks for the reply.

Although I cannot release an official statement regarding a current issue with Spotify, I have seen multiple threads regarding similar issues. This may be a result of a system communication issue. I would be happy to provide an update once it becomes available to me.

Regarding the Bridge, it is generally not recommended to have a full Sonos system operated by a Bridge at this point. The low communication signal that I see on the diagnostic may be a result of keeping the Bridge in the router. This can lead to audio interruptions and buffering problems as well.

M

Thank you.  Please update when you have information one way or another. 

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