Why is my Spotify sound crackling?

Spotify crackling refers to a distortion in the audio playback, causing it to sound choppy, fragmented, or glitchy. This frustrating issue prevents users from enjoying a smooth listening experience. While Spotify cracking affects users across various devices, it seems to be most common on mobile.

The Spotify audio can start crackling for a variety of reasons. Connectivity problems like a poor WiFi or cellular signal can interrupt the music stream. Outdated apps, incompatible devices, and audio quality settings may also play a role. Corrupted song downloads or glitches within the tracks themselves are another source. Finally, issues on Spotify’s end, like server overload, have been known to cause temporary crackling.

This article will explore the main causes and solutions for fixing crackling sounds on Spotify. Diagnosing the root of the problem is the first step toward restoring clear, uninterrupted audio.

Connectivity Issues

One common cause of crackling or choppy audio in Spotify is connectivity issues. Spotify relies on a stable internet connection, whether WiFi or mobile data, to stream music smoothly. Problems can arise when switching between WiFi and cellular data connections, if the signal strength is weak, or if bandwidth is being throttled.

Many users report crackling audio when their phone switches from WiFi to cellular data, especially when the mobile data signal is weak. As this Spotify community thread describes, audio may cut out constantly when relying on spotty cellular data. To avoid this, go into your phone’s settings and restrict background mobile data for Spotify so streaming only occurs on WiFi.

Speed and bandwidth also impact streaming quality. As Spotify notes in their help article, music is buffered and streamed in real time based on your connection speed. Slower speeds or bandwidth throttling from your ISP can lead to degraded audio. Make sure you have a fast, stable internet connection when streaming music to prevent crackling or choppiness.

App Issues

One common cause of cracking or poor audio quality in Spotify is an issue with the app itself. The Spotify app needs to be kept updated to the latest version in order to fix bugs and improve performance. If your app is out of date, you may experience audio glitches or other problems. Check for app updates in your device’s app store and install the latest Spotify version.

If the app is up to date, you can also try reinstalling Spotify to resolve any corrupted files or settings. First, uninstall the app completely. Then, re-download Spotify from the app store and log back into your account. Reinstalling can refresh the app and clear out any problematic cached data.

You can also attempt to clear the app cache and data. On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Spotify > Storage and tap “Clear Cache” and “Clear Data.” On iOS, uninstall Spotify and reinstall it to clear the cache. This forces the app to start fresh which may solve audio issues.

Sources:

[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/S21Ultra/comments/pirrau/audio_issues_using_spotify/

[2] https://www.fresherslive.com/latest/articles/spotify-down-or-not-working-why-is-my-spotify-not-working-1000027302

Audio Quality Settings

One of the most common causes of crackling or distorted sound in Spotify is related to the audio quality setting. Spotify allows you to choose the streaming quality under Settings > Audio Quality. There are three options:

• Low (24 kbit/s) – Uses the least data
• Normal (96 kbit/s) – Spotify’s default setting, uses moderate data
• High (160 kbit/s) – Highest quality, uses the most data

The Low setting uses the least bandwidth but provides lower audio quality. This can lead to artifacts, distortion, and crackling sounds during streaming. The High setting provides the best audio quality but uses more data. Using cell data on the go, the Normal setting balances quality and data usage.

Try changing the Audio Quality to High if you are on a strong WiFi connection and still experience crackling. Make sure to download tracks for offline listening if you plan to listen in areas with poor connectivity. Spotify’s default Normal setting works well for most, but increased quality requires more bandwidth and data usage. Testing each setting can help minimize disruptions in playback quality.

Device Issues

Older or outdated devices may run into compatibility issues with Spotify that can cause crackling or distorted audio [Source](https://www.viwizard.com/spotify-music-tips/how-to-fix-spotify-crackling.html). This is because newer versions of the Spotify app are optimized for newer operating systems and hardware. Older devices may struggle to process the audio properly, leading to glitches.

The speakers or headphones connected to your device can also be a factor. Lower quality or damaged speakers can introduce audio artifacts even if Spotify is working perfectly. Try connecting different headphones or external speakers to see if the problem persists. Clean your headphone jack and headphone contacts as dust buildup can cause crackling. If the issue only occurs with one set of speakers or headphones, the problem likely lies with that hardware.

For the best experience, use a newer smartphone, laptop, desktop, or streaming device when listening to Spotify. Make sure any connected audio devices are working properly and produce clear sound with other apps. If crackling only occurs in Spotify, your device itself is likely not the culprit.

Corrupt Downloads

One potential cause of crackling or distorted audio in Spotify is corrupt or incomplete music or podcast downloads. Downloaded Spotify content is stored locally on your device in the Spotify cache. If these files become damaged or corrupted, it can lead to playback issues.

To fix this, you can try deleting the cached tracks and re-downloading them by going to Settings > Storage and clicking “Delete Cache.” This will remove any potentially corrupted downloads and force Spotify to freshly download the tracks again next time you play them. You can also check that your Spotify download settings are optimized – go to Settings > Download and ensure the quality is not set too low, which can sometimes cause audio issues.

For podcasts, delete the episode from your Library or Downloads tab and then re-add it to download a fresh copy. If you are still getting crackling after re-downloading, it points to an issue with the actual file rather than a corrupt download.

Checking for and removing any corrupt downloads is an easy fix that may resolve Spotify audio distortion problems if they are being caused by damaged files.

Glitches in Tracks

Sometimes issues can occur with specific tracks causing crackling or skipping during playback. This seems to happen most often when a new album or song is released and many people are trying to stream it at once. Overloading the servers can lead to glitches for some listeners.

According to this Reddit thread, some users have experienced problems with songs playing out of order in playlists or repeating unexpectedly. Issues like these are usually temporary bugs that get resolved in later app updates.

The best way to address glitches in individual tracks is to report them directly to Spotify. You can use the in-app reporting feature to notify them of any tracks that aren’t playing properly. Describe the issue in detail and include the song name, artist, album, and any other relevant information. Spotify’s engineering team monitors these reports to identify and fix playback problems.

With hundreds of millions of tracks on the platform, some glitches are inevitable. But Spotify is usually quick to address widespread technical problems that affect streaming quality. Reporting specific track issues helps them pinpoint and resolve bugs faster.

Account Settings

One potential cause of crackling or poor audio quality on Spotify is related to your account settings. In your account settings, you can control the streaming quality and bitrate. The default setting is usually around 96kbps for free users and 160kbps or 320kbps for Premium subscribers, depending on the device.

Check your audio quality settings in your account and make sure it is not restricted or set too low. You may need to upgrade to a Premium account to enable higher quality streaming. According to Spotify’s support article, Premium subscribers can stream up to 320kbps, while free users are limited to 160kbps.

Additionally, some users on Reddit report improved audio quality by switching to the desktop app and selecting the “Very High” quality streaming option in settings. However, this requires Premium access. If you are still hearing crackling after maximizing audio quality settings, there may be a different underlying cause.

Contacting Spotify Support

If you have tried troubleshooting on your own and the sound crackling persists, it’s time to reach out to Spotify’s customer support team for additional help. Spotify offers support through multiple channels:

• The Spotify Community forums allow you to post questions and engage in discussions with other Spotify users. The forums have active participation from Spotify moderators who can provide official help (https://community.spotify.com).
• You can send an email to Spotify customer support by filling out their contact form on the Spotify Support site and selecting the appropriate topic. This allows you to provide details and attach files related to your issue (https://support.spotify.com/us/article/contact-us/).
• Spotify is active on Twitter and you can tweet @SpotifyCares to report issues and ask for assistance. Tweets are monitored closely and direct messaging can be used for follow-up.

When contacting Spotify Support about sound crackling, make sure to provide details like when the issue started, what devices are affected, troubleshooting steps you’ve tried, and any error messages. Screenshots, logs, or audio samples can help Support diagnose the problem. Persistently engaging with Support is key to resolving pesky technical issues.

Summary

To recap, the most common reasons you may experience crackling or distorted sounds from Spotify include:

Connectivity issues like a slow internet connection (Source). Restarting your WiFi router can help.

Problems with the Spotify app itself, like an outdated version (Source). Updating the app usually resolves app-related issues.

Incorrect audio quality settings, like a bitrate that is too high for your device or internet speed (Source). Adjusting the audio quality settings in the app can help.

Issues with your playback device, like an outdated sound driver (Source). Updating drivers and restarting the device typically fixes device issues.

The most common fixes are restarting your device, updating the Spotify app, adjusting audio quality settings downward, updating device drivers, and checking your internet connection speed.