Why does Amazon Music keep stopping on Android?
The issue of Amazon Music repeatedly stopping playback on Android devices is a frustrating problem for many users. This can occur for a variety of reasons, interrupting your listening experience. In this article we will outline some of the main causes of Amazon Music stopping on Android and provide potential solutions to resolve the issue.
Connection Issues
One of the most common reasons why Amazon Music keeps stopping on Android devices is due to connection problems. Interruptions in your internet connectivity can disrupt the music streaming and cause it to stop abruptly.
Some potential connection issues that can lead to buffering and interruptions in Amazon Music include:
- Weak WiFi signal – If you are connected to WiFi with a poor signal, it may not be strong enough for continuous music streaming. Move closer to your router or access point for better connectivity.
- Switching between WiFi and mobile data – When your device switches connections, such as from WiFi to mobile data, it can cause a brief disruption in the music playback.
- VPN use – Connecting to a VPN routes your traffic through a remote server, which can slow down your connection speed and lead to buffering issues.
To resolve connectivity problems, try moving to a location with better signal strength, disabling your VPN connection, or setting Amazon Music to avoid using mobile data in the settings. You can also try resetting your router or access point if the WiFi signal is consistently poor. Maintaining a stable, high-speed internet connection is key for avoiding disruptions to music playback on Android devices.
App Issues
There are a few common bugs or glitches within the Amazon Music app itself that can lead to freezing, crashing, or other playback issues. One of the most reported problems is the app freezing or becoming unresponsive when trying to play music or change tracks (Amazon Customer Service). This seems to happen most frequently when the app is running in the background. Trying to reopen the app after it has frozen may cause it to crash entirely.
Another bug causes the album artwork and metadata (artist, track info, etc) to fail loading or display incorrectly, leading to issues with selecting and playing tracks (Amazon Music Help). This metadata failure can prevent the app from properly identifying and playing the requested media file. Restarting the app will usually resolve this temporarily.
In some cases, the Android app also suffers from memory leak issues that can slow down performance and lead to freezing over time as RAM is consumed (Reddit). Force closing the app and reopening can temporarily fix this memory leak behavior.
Background Usage
One common reason Amazon Music stops playing on Android devices is due to background app activity interrupting the music playback. When other apps send notifications or perform processes in the background, it can pause Amazon Music even though the app is still open.
Background processes like app updates, emails/messages, location services, etc. can all trigger Amazon Music to be paused or stopped while running in the background. This is because Android manages background resources and may halt music playback to free up RAM and processing power for the foreground app or notification.
As noted in a Stack Overflow post, Android will often pause media playback when another app comes into the foreground or a notification appears. The only way to prevent this is if Amazon Music requests a special audio focus, but this may not always work reliably.
In summary, background interruptions from other apps and services are a key reason you may find Amazon Music has suddenly stopped or paused, even though it’s still running in the background. This is due to the way Android multitasking works rather than an issue with the Amazon Music app itself.
Device Compatibility
One potential cause of Amazon Music stopping or failing to play properly on Android devices is compatibility issues with certain hardware. According to Amazon’s help site, Amazon Music is compatible with a growing list of Android devices. However, some older or lower-end Android models may lack full support.
For example, very old Android versions may not be able to run the latest Amazon Music app properly. There could also be driver or firmware bugs that affect music playback on specific Android device models. Issues like audio dropout, lagging, or freezing of the Amazon Music app may occur if the hardware is not fully compatible.
Amazon Music relies on hardware features like RAM, processors, audio drivers, and Bluetooth/WiFi connectivity that allow smooth music streaming and playback. If an Android device lacks robust compatibility in those areas, even if the Amazon Music app itself installs and opens, music playback performance may suffer.
Checking Amazon’s list of supported Android devices for Amazon Music and ensuring your device is relatively modern and up-to-date can help avoid compatibility-related playback issues. However, even some supported devices may see problems depending on factors like Android OS version, installed apps/services running in the background, and device condition.
Android Version Issues
Some issues with Amazon Music stopping or not working properly may be due to incompatibilities with certain Android versions. According to the Amazon forum, the Amazon Music app requires Android 5.0 or higher to run properly.
Users with older Android versions like 4.4 KitKat or lower may experience problems with playback stopping randomly or the app crashing frequently. Upgrading to a newer Android version like 7.0 Nougat or higher can help resolve these problems.
There also seem to be some ongoing problems with specific Android versions like 8.0 Oreo according to user reports (Amazon Forum). The app may have bugs or issues on Oreo that cause repeated crashes or failure to play songs.
Trying the usual troubleshooting steps like reinstalling the app, clearing cache, or rebooting the device may temporarily fix things. But a more permanent solution would be to upgrade to a newer Android version like 10 or 11 if possible.
So in summary, using too old of an Android OS version or specific problematic versions like 8.0 Oreo can lead to technical issues with Amazon Music on Android devices.
Account and Permissions
One potential cause of Amazon Music stopping or not working properly on Android devices is incorrect account login credentials or missing permissions. To ensure you are logged into the right Amazon account within the app, open Settings and confirm you see the expected username and email address. If you are logged into a different account, logout and log back in with the proper credentials.
The Amazon Music app requires certain permissions to be enabled in order to download and play music properly. The key permission needed is storage access. To check your app permissions settings on Android, go to Settings > Apps > Amazon Music > Permissions. Make sure that storage permission is enabled. If not, turn it on and try using the app again.
As noted in the Amazon forum, you may get an error message in the app saying “Amazon Music needs storage permission to download and play music” if this permission is disabled. Enabling it should resolve playback issues.
You can also reference Amazon’s guide on app permissions to understand what access is required for full music functionality.
Media File Corruption
One potential cause of Amazon Music stopping or failing to play songs on Android devices is corruption of the media files themselves. When a music file becomes corrupted, the Amazon Music app may not be able to properly read it or play it back. This can result in playback failures, songs getting stuck or frozen, or the music stopping unexpectedly.
There are a few ways media file corruption can occur. Downloading issues during first syncing of an album or playlist can cause missing or damaged files. Problems with storage on the device, such as a faulty SD card, could also lead to file errors over time. Device crashes, power failures, or force closing the Amazon Music app while a song is playing may interrupt and corrupt partially downloaded or cached songs.
The main solution for corrupted music files in the Amazon Music app is to manually re-download them. This can be done on a song-by-song or album-by-album basis as problems occur during playback. Alternatively, signing out and back in to the Amazon Music app or uninstalling and reinstalling it can prompt a full re-sync and download of all media files afresh. This clears out any corrupted songs and retrieves new undamaged copies from Amazon’s servers.
To avoid media file corruption issues, it’s recommended not to force close the Amazon Music app while songs are actively streaming or downloading. Let any downloads complete fully before switching apps or turning off your device. Also check your storage and SD card health to make sure read/write issues are not leading to file errors over time.
Clearing App Cache
One effective troubleshooting step for issues with Amazon Music stopping or skipping is to clear the app’s cached data. Over time, corrupt media files or outdated data can accumulate in the cache and disrupt playback. According to sources like Android Police, clearing the cache essentially gives the app a “fresh start” by deleting temporary files.
To clear the Amazon Music cache on Android, go to Settings > Apps > Amazon Music and select Storage. Then tap “Clear Cache” to delete the files. It’s also recommended to restart your device afterward to completely clear out any remaining corrupted data. This forces the app to re-download fresh files and should resolve any irregularities causing it to stop unexpectedly during music playback.
If issues persist even after clearing cache and restarting, the app data itself may also need to be cleared. This will sign you out and delete all offline content, so only do this if clearing just the cache does not fix it. Overall, a routine cache clear and restart helps eliminate erratic app behavior and ensures smooth, uninterrupted music playback.
Conclusion
In summary, Amazon Music can stop or freeze on Android devices for a variety of reasons. The most common causes include connection issues like poor WiFi or mobile data, problems with the Amazon Music app itself needing to be updated or reinstalled, background usage restrictions, incompatible Android versions, account and permission problems, and corrupted media files. To fix the issue, it’s recommended to check your connection strength, update the app, adjust background usage settings, clear the app cache and data, make sure you’re running a compatible Android OS, confirm Amazon account credentials are correct, and delete and redownload any problematic media files. With a few simple troubleshooting steps, you should be able to get Amazon Music working properly again on your Android device.