Spotify has acknowledged an issue that was causing some paid Premium subscribers to hear ads while trying to play music. In an X post on Thursday, Spotify’s customer service explained that the company was investigating the problem and directed users to its Community website, where the issue had been documented by many over the past four weeks.
The company clarified that this problem had a different cause than the previously reported bug. Although only a small number of users were affected, Spotify has since fixed the issue.
Users reported that Premium subscribers grew frustrated after paying for an ad-free experience, only to encounter ads on mobile, desktop, and web. Many noted that their account details and payment information were up-to-date, ruling out user error as the cause. Some even demanded refunds because they felt they were not receiving the ad-free service they had paid for.
This incident comes just as Spotify prepares to launch new subscription tiers, including a “superfan” offering that promises an expanded music and video catalog along with exclusive fan experiences, in partnership with WMG. Meanwhile, competitor YouTube recently introduced a Premium Lite subscription, offering ad-free videos outside of its music content at a more affordable rate.
Spotify posted on X that all issues had been resolved confirming that Spotify Fixed the problem.