Have you ever faced the issue of Playback Restricted on Spotify? It is a common issue that many Spotify users already faced including me but if you’re experiencing this problem for the first time then don’t worry I have the solutions.
Before we get into this you’ll need to know why Spotify restricted your playback, in terms of possibilities there are multiple reasons such as Account Restriction, Regional Restriction, Device Restriction, and more for not accessing certain songs and other features in Spotify.
However, if you don’t understand why your Playback is Restricted on Spotify then you’ll need not to worry about it.
So, let’s deep dive into the potential causes and the solutions.
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Before we discuss the causes and the solutions you’ll need to know what Playback Restricted on Spotify Mean is.
Playback restricted means you’re limited or not accessing certain content on Spotify due to some specific reasons. If you have faced this issue then Spotify found something wrong on your side so that it would not give the permission to play your favourite tracks or other content on the platform.
There might be an issue with your licensing agreements, device restrictions, and account types.
Why is Spotify Playback Restricted?
As we discussed earlier, there might be multiple possibilities as to why Spotify restricted our playback on its platform such as Account Restriction, Device Restriction, Parental Controls, and Licensing agreements.
One of the common reasons behind playback restriction is Account Restriction, as you know Spotify has two types of accounts they offer, Spotify Free and Spotify Premium Account.
Although you’ve limited access to Spotify content with the Spotify free account and sometimes you’ve chosen to play certain tracks that are not accessible for free users and then Spotify restricts your playback.
On the other hand, Spotify premium users also faced the same issue but for other specific reasons such as Device restrictions on Amazon Echo and Xbox devices.
Reasons why is Playback Restricted on Spotify
Here is a list of possible Reasons Why Spotify Playback Restricted:
- Account Restriction
- Device Restriction
- Licence Agreements
- Regional Restrictions
- Parental Controls
- Net Work Issues
- Caching Issue
- Software Bug or Temporary Glitches
1. Account Restriction
Account Restriction is one of the common reasons for Spotify to restrict playback on its platform. There are two types of account Spotify provide users Free and Premium account.
While Free accounts have limited or fewer features compared to Premium Account such as you can’t skip ads between songs as much, once you cross the number of skips allowed you’ll face playback restriction.
2. Device Restriction
Another common reason why Spotify playback is restricted is due to Device Restriction issues they have faced while accessing songs or tracks.
Some certain devices such as some car stereos and old Smartphone’s or tablets won’t be able to run the latest version of the Spotfiy app which might be limited or restrict their playback on those devices.
3. Licence Agreements
Spotify must obtain licenses from the copyright holders of their songs, tracks, or podcasts in order to stream on the Spotify platform.
However, some certain albums and songs are not available for playback on the Spotify platform due to license agreements and expirations and as a result, you can’t able to play those tracks even if they are available for stream.
4. Regional Restrictions
Regional Restriction is another possible reason you might be faced with the playback-restricted issue because of regional licensing agreements. Some tracks and albums are not available in all regions due to certain types of copyright laws and license restrictions.
So, if you’re trying to access songs or albums that are not available in your region then Spotify placed the playback restriction on your streaming.
5. Parental Controls
Spotify offers users a parental control feature, which may restrict your playback on the Spotify platform. If you enable parental control on your account then you can face playback restrictions on certain songs and tracks.
6. Offline Restriction
You may also face playback restriction issue on Spotify due to offline restriction as Spotify allow users to play offline saved songs without any internet connection but sometimes this can also limit the playback restriction for specific devices.
7. Software Bug or Temporary Glitches
In some cases, Spotify restricts our playback of certain content due to some temporary glitches and software bugs. If you find that in your case then restart or reinstallation the app can troubleshoot the issues.
8. Explicit Content
If you’re not older than 18 years it might be also a possible reason for not streaming some explicit content and it leads to your restriction of playback.
How to Turn off Playback Restriction on Spotify?
If you’re facing the issue of Playback restriction on Spotify account then you’ll need do some checks to turn off the playback restriction.
So, here is what you need to do:
Make Sure You Have Premium Account
As you know that Spotify free accounts have limited access to its contents and features also having annoying ads and playback restriction on songs and albums. To enjoy uninterrupted playback services unlocking all the features make sure you upgrade your free account to Spotify Premium.
Check Device Compatibility
If you’re using devices with playback restriction, like Amazon Echo Dot and Xbox play station, then try using different devices.
Ensure You Have Latest version of Spotify App
Another solution to turn off Playback restriction on Spotify is to up-to-date the Spotify app to a latest version. This method can really help you to fix any software bugs and glitches that are effecting playback restriction on your account.
Contact Spotify Support
If all the above-discussed methods are not working in your case then you should contact the Spotify support team and explain your problem, they definitely help you out in this situation.
How to get rid of playback restricted on Spotify?
I have already mentioned almost every possibility to get rid of playback restricted on Spotify issue. However, if your problem still persists and can’t be solved after trying the above solutions, then you can restart and reinstall the Spotify app.
Sometimes uninstalling and completely deleting the app’s data and cache memory can be helpful in resolving the issues you’re facing.
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How to fix playback restricted on Spotify Android?
As we stated earlier, there are multiple potential causes for being faced with Playback restriction issues on your Android device, and one of the common solutions is to clear the Spotify app Cache and Data.
To fix playback restriction on Spotify Android, follow the below simple steps:
- Open your Smartphone’s Settings.
- Then scroll down and find the “App Management” option.
- Now, click on the App List.
- Find the Spotify App by search the name of the app.
- Next, tap on the Storage Usage option.
- Finally, click on the Clear Data and Clear Cache option.
After that, uninstall and reinstall the Spotify app on your phone and log into your account to check if the problem has still occurred or is fixed.
How to get rid of playback restricted on Spotify iPhone?
Just like the Android device, you can also easily get rid of playback restrictions on Spotify iPhone by clearing the Spotify app’s Cache and Data.
Here is what you need to do in order to clear Cache and Data on iPhone:
- Open your iPhone’s Settings.
- Now click on the General option showing in the list.
- Once you click there an option appears named “iPhone Storage” Tap on it.
- Next, scroll down and find the Spotify App to clear Cache and Data.
- Then click on the Offload App option to clear the application’s all data from your device.
- After that, tap on the Delete App.
- Again install the Spotify app from Apple App Store and do a fresh start.
How to fix Playback Restricted on Spotify Ps4/Ps5?
If you face Playback restriction on Spotify PS4/PS5 then there might be several reasons for that issue occurring including licensing agreements, device restrictions, outdated Spotify app, and Account restrictions.
Make sure you have checked all the above-discussed methods to turn off playback restrictions on your Spotify account. One of the main reasons why Spotify restricted your playback on your consoles is Account Restriction and Device Compatibility.
Before doing those methods ensure that your Spotify Account is already linked with your Ps4 or Ps5 console.
The following steps will help you to find out whether your Spotify account is linked to your PS4/PS5 or not:
- Open your PS4/PS5 Console and navigate to the Settings.
- Scroll down and click on the “Users and Accounts” option.
- Under this option you’ll see Link With Other Services option, tap on it.
- Once you click you’ll see Spotify app tap on it to see if your account is linked or not.
If you’re Spotify is already linked with your console then check other methods to fix playback restrictions on Spotify if your account is not connected then link it first and check if the issue persists or not.
People Also Ask
There are multiple potential causes such as internet connectivity, account restriction, device compatibility, and other software bugs and glitches for not accessing playback on Spotify.
Upgrading to a premium membership on Spotify unlocks all the features including your playback restriction.
To enable playback settings on Spotify, first open the Spotify app navigate to the Settings Icon, and then scroll down and tap on the Playback option.
No, you do not need a Spotify Premium account for playback, but there are certain limitations to playback on the free Spotify account.
As we already discussed there are several possibilities including you reaching your free skips on songs, the song or album is not available in your region for some licensee agreements, or your Spotify app is outdated.
If Spotify playback is restricted on Alexa then it could be possible for licensee agreements or device restrictions. However, there is another cause certain songs and albums are not available on Alexa devices.
Conclusion
Most Spotify users face the playback restriction issue due to various reasons such as account restriction, device compatibility, outdated apps, offline mode, parental controls, and licensing agreements.
As per my research, one of the most common reasons for playback restriction is account type, which means you’ll need to have a premium account to resolve the account restriction issue.
However, to troubleshoot other issues make sure you have updated the Spotify app to the latest version, try to switch to a new device, and check the licensee agreements and availability of your region songs or podcasts you want to listen to.
Finally, we have discussed a detailed comprehensive guide to solve the problem of Playback Restricted on Spotify, if you have any other questions or suggestions on that topic feel free to ask me in the comment section.
