Why does Spotify stop playing when screen turns off?

Spotify stopping playback when the screen turns off on various devices can occur due to power saving measures or restrictions placed on the app's background activities. Some key factors contributing to this behavior include:

1. Power Management: Both Android and iOS devices have built-in power-saving modes that can limit background processes, which may cause Spotify to pause when the screen is off. Adjusting these settings to allow unrestricted or non-optimized operation for Spotify often solves the issue.

   • Android: Navigate to Settings → Apps → Spotify, and select "Unrestricted" under "Battery" or "Don't optimize" under "Battery optimization".
   • iOS: Go to Settings → Battery and toggle off "Low Power Mode," ensuring "Background App Refresh" is enabled for Spotify.

2. Auto-Lock: Setting a short auto-lock duration can lead to Spotify pausing soon after the screen turns off. Extending the auto-lock timeout or setting it to "never" can alleviate this issue.

3. Disabled Background Activity: Ensure that Spotify is allowed to run in the background on both platforms. On Android, enable "Allow background activity" within the app's settings; on iOS, grant background app refresh permissions for Spotify.

4. Reinstallation: Sometimes, issues persist despite following the previous steps. In such cases, consider uninstalling and reinstalling the Spotify app, which clears cached data and potentially resolves bugs related to playback.

By addressing these potential causes, users can typically restore continuous playback even when their screens are locked.