Spotify says it’s fixing the bug that caused Premium users to hear ads

Spotify has acknowledged an issue that’s causing some of its paid Premium subscribers to encounter ads when trying to play music. In an X post published on Thursday by Spotify’s customer service account, the company said it’s looking into the problem and linked to its Community website where the issue has been documented by users over the past four weeks.

However, the company clarified to TechCrunch that the current issue has a different cause from the bug that had been previously reported by users.

It said a small number of users were affected by the problem and its teams have deployed a fix. (The X account has not yet posted that the fix was released, as of the time of writing, and is still responding to user complaints by suggesting workarounds, like logging out and back in.)

According to user reports on Spotify’s site and elsewhere on the web, Premium users who faced the issue became frustrated as they were paying for an ad-free experience, but were still forced to hear ads. Suggested solutions, like logging out, haven’t worked, either, many said.

The issue had affected people across mobile, desktop, and web, the reports indicated.

Some of the users also noted the issue was not on their side.

For instance, they made sure their payment information was up-to-date before registering a complaint on Spotify’s site. Others had demanded a refund since they were paying for an upgraded experience they did not receive.

The issue with the buggy Premium tier follows news that Spotify will soon launch new subscription tiers, including a “superfan” offering that will include a deeper music and video catalog and other fan experiences. WMG is a partner in the new effort.

Spotify competitor YouTube this week launched a Premium Lite subscription, offering ad-free videos outside of music content. The more affordable $7.99 per month subscription won’t include access to YouTube Music or other features like background play and downloads.

Update: The company posted to X at 1:46 pm ET on Thursday to say issues were “all clear.”