How to Keep Spotify Playing in the Background (Phone/PC)

Have you ever started a Spotify playlist, locked your phone, switched apps, or opened a video - only to find the music suddenly paused? Whether you're working on a laptop, scrolling on your phone, or just trying to enjoy uninterrupted playback, Spotify doesn't always behave the way you expect across different platforms.

In this guide, you'll learn how to keep Spotify playing smoothly in the background, no matter if you're using Android, iPhone, Windows, or Mac. We'll walk you through how to adjust system settings, prevent playback from stopping when switching apps, hide Spotify discreetly during work hours, and even unlock offline listening without ads or restrictions. From built-in tricks to third-party tools, this is your complete solution to uninterrupted Spotify playback anytime, anywhere.

Part 1. Keep Spotify Playing in Background on Android

On Android, whether you're multitasking, locking your screen, or switching between apps, Spotify can keep running smoothly, so long as the right settings are enabled. Here's how to configure your device to allow uninterrupted playback:

Step 1. Launch the Settings app on your Android device.

Step 2. Go to Apps > Manage Apps and find the Spotify app, and then choose it.

Step 3. Select battery saver and switch the background settings to No Restrictions.

Now, you can enjoy Spotify in the background on Android.

Part 2. Keep Spotify Playing in Background on iPhone

iOS offers several system-level settings that control how apps behave when running in the background. To ensure Spotify continues playing while you switch apps or lock your screen, just follow these quick adjustments:

Step 1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Step 2. Tap General, then select Background App Refresh.

Step 3. At the top, make sure Background App Refresh is turned on.

Step 4. Scroll down to find Spotify, and toggle it on.

Now Spotify can continue playing even when you switch apps or lock your screen.

Part 3. Allow Spotify to Play in the Background on Windows/Mac

On desktop platforms like Windows and macOS, Spotify typically runs in the background by default. However, adjusting a few system preferences can make multitasking smoother and help prevent accidental pauses or disruptions:

Step 1. Open Spotify on your computer.

Step 2. Open the Settings section from the drop-down menu.

Step 3. Move to the bottom and click Show Advanced Settings.

Step 4. Toggle the button on next to Close button should minimize the Spotify window.

And then, your Spotify app will keep playing songs when it's closed to the background.

Part 4. How to Avoid Spotify Playback Interruptions

If Spotify pauses unexpectedly when you open another app that plays audio or video, like YouTube, Instagram, or a voice recorder, it's often due to how your device manages audio focus or background permissions. Here's how to reduce these interruptions on different platforms:

On Android

Some Android apps may automatically override Spotify's audio, especially short video or messaging apps. You can prevent these interruptions with a few quick adjustments or by using third-party tools:

Step 1. On Samsung devices, install SoundAssistant from the Galaxy Store, enable "Multi sound", and set apps like WeChat or TikTok to avoid interrupting current playback.

Step 2. Use MacroDroid or Tasker to create an automation that mutes other apps when Spotify is playing.

Step 3. On some Android systems, go to Settings > Sound > Advanced and disable audio focus settings that pause ongoing media.

On iPhone

iOS doesn't allow third-party tools to control audio focus directly, but you can reduce interruptions with system settings and a custom Shortcut.

Step 1. Make sure Low Power Mode is turned off, as it disables Background App Refresh and may pause Spotify when the screen is locked.

Step 2. Create a Shortcut paired with Focus Mode (e.g. "Listening Mode") that launches Spotify, silences notifications, and minimizes pop-ups.

Step 3. Activate this Focus Mode before listening to music to keep playback smooth and undisturbed.

On Windows

Windows may let certain apps take exclusive control of your audio device or restrict background activity, which can interrupt Spotify playback. Adjust these two system settings to fix it:

Step 1. Right-click the speaker icon in the taskbar, choose Sound settings, then select your default audio device. Click Properties, go to the Advanced tab, and uncheck "Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device".

Step 2. Open Settings > Privacy > Background apps, and make sure Spotify is allowed to run in the background.

Step 3. Use the Spotify desktop app instead of a browser to avoid playback interruptions caused by background tab restrictions.

On Mac

To stop other apps from interrupting Spotify playback, you can use a free tool called Background Music. It lets you control audio focus and app volume independently.

Step 1. Download and install Background Music from the official GitHub page. Open the .dmg file and drag the app into your Applications folder.

Step 2. Launch the app. It will appear in the menu bar. From there, you can see and control the volume of all currently active apps.

Step 3. Set Spotify's volume to your desired level, then reduce the volume of other apps (like Safari or Zoom) to prevent them from taking over the audio channel.

Step 4. Keep Background Music running in the menu bar. It will automatically manage audio focus and keep Spotify playing even when other apps start playing sound.

Part 5. How to Hide Spotify but Keep Playing

If you're listening to Spotify at work and want to keep your desktop tidy, or simply don't want your boss or coworkers seeing the Spotify icon on your taskbar, you can hide the app while music continues playing in the background. Here's how to do it on your computer:

Step 1. Open the Spotify desktop app.

Step 2. Click the three-dot menu in the top-left corner, then go to Edit > Preferences.

Step 3. Scroll down and click "Show Advanced Settings".

Step 4. Under Startup and Window Behavior, enable the option "Close button should minimize Spotify to the system tray".

Step 5. Now, when you click the red close button on the top right, Spotify will disappear from the taskbar but keep running in the system tray (lower-right corner near the clock).

Part 6. Spotify Not Playing in the Background: How to Fix

If your Spotify app suddenly fails to play in the background, you can solve it by trying the following solutions.

1. Turn Off Battery Saver for Spotify

Sometimes the battery saver will automatically ban some apps running in the background in order to avoid wasting battery. Therefore, to prevent Spotify from being banned by Battery Saver, you can turn off it for Spotify.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Apps and tap More options to select Special access.

Step 2. Select Optimize battery usage from the dropdown menu and tap All apps.

Step 3. Find Spotify in the app list, and switch the option to deactivate Battery optimization.

2. Allow Spotify to Use Data in the Background

Spotify will play the songs successfully only with a network. If you don't connect to the Wi-Fi, you need to connect to your mobile data and your Spotify can continue to run.

Step 1. Go to Settings > Apps > Manage Apps and find Spotify.

Step 2. Choose Data Usage, and toggle the Background data setting on to allow Spotify to play while using data.

3. Check Ongoing Apps and Sound Channel

Sometimes Spotify may run in the background with other apps engaging with the audio output channel at the same time. In this case, you cannot listen to Spotify normally. Therefore, you need to close the apps that are possible to occupy the audio channel.

Besides, if you want to stream Spotify songs while driving, turn on the car mode on your Spotify app and toggle Keep app open on screen to green. That's because driver apps like Uber and Lyft can stop Spotify while they're opened, for these apps are using the voice prompt which will block other sounds on the phone.

4. Reinstall Your Spotify App

If you find the methods above cannot help you, you may need to reinstall Spotify on your device. Make sure you choose the latest version, or it won't play in the background either.

These 4 methods are the solutions to Spotify not playing in background. What if you want to get an ultimate way to deal with the problem and don't want to be worried about it happening again? The next part is for you. We will suggest you a wonderful third-party tool to fix it.

Part 7. Best Way to Play Spotify Songs in the Background

You may think that adjusting the settings and solving the problem again and again bother you a lot. Here we'd like to recommend to you an amazing method that can help you deal with the problem once and for all.

Tool You Need: TuneFab Spotify Music Converter

TuneFab Spotify Music Converter can convert Spotify playlists to the common formats that can be played offline on any device. Just as what's been mentioned, Spotify needs a network, and its app settings need to be adjusted. But with the converter, you don't need to run Spotify for its playlists and can just listen to them in your local folders. Here are some key features of TuneFab Spotify Music Converter:

• Various output formats (MP3, M4A, FLAC, or WAV audio)
• Keep music quality in up to 320 Kbps MP3 audio (44.1 kHz, 256 Kbps by default)
• Reserve all ID3 tags and Meta info (better output files management)
• 35X faster conversion speed (won't cost much time on waiting)
• Helpful customization is provided (adjust audio quality easily)

These are the main features of TuneFab Spotify Music Converter. Next, we will offer you a simple guide on how to use it. You will explore more useful functions and features while using it.

Use TuneFab Spotify Music Converter to Enjoy Flexible Playback

Before the steps, just download this great Spotify converter software.

Step 1. Log into Your Spotify Account

After launching TuneFab Spotify Music Converter, click the "Log in" button in the top-right corner and sign in to your Spotify account.

Step 2. Add Spotify Songs to the Conversion List

Once logged in, you can browse Spotify's music library as usual. To select songs, playlists, albums, or podcasts for download, either drag them directly into the right-side conversion panel or click "Add to the conversion list" on the cover art of the content you want.

Step 3. Select Output Format

In the conversion list, you can either set one output format for all tracks or customize the format per song. Available formats include MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and ALAC. Metadata such as song title, album name, artist, and cover art will be preserved during conversion for easy organization.

Step 4. Start Converting Spotify Tracks

Once everything is set, click the "Convert All" button at the bottom-right to begin.

You can stop the process at any time by clicking "Stop," but resumed conversions will restart from the beginning of each track.

Step 5. Access the Converted Spotify Tracks

After conversion finishes, navigate to the "Finished" tab. Click the folder icon beside each song to open the output directory and play the tracks offline.

Part 8. Conclusion

In this guide, we walked you through how to keep Spotify running in the background on Android, iPhone, Windows, and Mac. We also covered how to prevent interruptions, hide the app during work, and make Spotify more flexible to use.

For the most flexible and interruption-free experience, a better solution is to download your Spotify music and play it offline anytime. With TuneFab Spotify Music Converter, you can easily convert songs, playlists, and podcasts to MP3, M4A, FLAC, and more, so you can listen on any device, with any player, no ads, no connection, and no app limits.