Spotify faced significant technical difficulties on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, leaving thousands of users unable to access the popular music streaming service. Reports of the outage began flooding in around 8:55 a.m. ET, with over 50,000 complaints logged on Downdetector, a website that tracks service outages.
As of 9:16 a.m. ET, users across the United States and other parts of the world were encountering issues with both the Spotify app and website. Many reported receiving a 502 HTTP error message, indicating a server error that read, "Server Error. The server encountered a temporary error and could not complete your request. Please try again in 30 seconds." This message was a common sight for frustrated users attempting to access their favorite tracks.
The official Spotify Status account on X (formerly Twitter) acknowledged the situation at 8:45 a.m. ET, posting, "We’re aware of some issues right now and are checking them out!" However, as the morning progressed, the problems persisted, with users unable to utilize key features such as the search function and playback capabilities.
Reports indicated that the outage was not limited to the U.S. Users in major cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Houston, and Chicago, as well as international users from the UK, Europe, China, and South America, also experienced similar difficulties. Downdetector data showed that 61 percent of complaints were related to the app, while 24 percent were about audio streaming issues and 15 percent involved the website.
As the outage continued, users took to social media to express their frustration and share their experiences. Many joked about the situation, with some saying they might switch to competing services like Apple Music. One user humorously remarked, "Spotify down while at work... This is my 13th reason why," while another quipped, "Yes Spotify is down. Why having CDs, vinyls and YouTube is a must."
Some users speculated that the outage might be due to a hack, with comments suggesting that the issues could stem from malicious activity targeting the platform. However, Spotify has made no official statements regarding any security breaches.
This incident marks the most extensive outage Spotify has experienced in recent times, surpassing previous incidents where fewer than 10,000 users reported problems. Just last week, around 8,000 users faced issues, and in March, over 4,000 users reported similar problems.
In light of the ongoing issues, some users have demanded financial compensation for the lost streaming time, with comments like, "I am going to require financial compensation," and calls for Spotify to offer premium subscriptions for free as a form of apology. The frustration was palpable, with some users threatening to cancel their subscriptions altogether, saying, "Y'all got 20 mins until I become an Apple Music user."
As the outage unfolded, it coincided with reports of issues on other streaming platforms, such as BBC iPlayer, leaving many users without access to entertainment. The timing of these outages has raised concerns about potential broader technical issues affecting streaming services.
Spotify, which boasts over 675 million users worldwide, is facing pressure to resolve the issues swiftly and restore service to its vast user base. While the company has acknowledged the problems, many customers are left waiting for updates and solutions.
As of now, the situation remains fluid, with users hoping for a prompt resolution to the ongoing outage. Spotify has yet to provide a timeline for when services will be fully restored, but users are encouraged to keep an eye on the official status page for updates.
This is a developing story, and further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
