Spotify Issues in 2025 Cause Users to Seek Out Best Alternatives

You are not alone—Spotify is facing multiple issues in 2025. If you’re one of the users who made the most of the premium app features with a modded and cracked version of the service, then you’ve likely found yourself unable to access music through the app. This is because of Spotify’s mod crackdown, which began around March 3, when users began to complain that the app was down for them.
Even if you are a Premium subscriber, things are not looking any better as many users have complained about a Spotify Premium ad bug that forces advertisements on them despite paying for the app. It’s hard to argue against Spotify’s APK ban in 2025 because it has been a long time coming, but considering the service is a little broken to begin with, users aren’t looking to start paying for the app right now. Is it time to start looking for the best Spotify replacements so you can keep listening to music when you please? It might be.

Image: The many Spotify issues in 2025 are causing users to seek out an alternative app for music listening.
Spotify Issue in 2025: An APK Ban and Ads on Premium
Is your Spotify mod APK not working? Violating the company’s terms and conditions can have that effect. Spotify is a free music listening service that allows users to listen to a vast assortment of music from a range of artists, but the price of offering these services for free is usually the influx of advertisements.
The ad-supported tier of Spotify used to be bearable back in the day, but the frequency of ads with the restriction of the most basic features in some regions has led many to rely on modded versions of the app to listen to music. This does not make it legal to use a modded Spotify APK to access the features, but it is what many have done.
Spotify APK Ban in 2025: What You Need to Know
Modded APK versions of the app have provided users with access to music services for years now, without ads or having to pay for it with money. Despite the risks of downloading these mods from unknown, unsafe sources, some users have remained staunchly against the company’s pricing hikes, particularly when artists on the app aren’t as fairly compensated for their music as they should be. This does not sit well with Spotify.
Late last year, users in other regions like India found themselves at the receiving end of Spotify’s mod crackdown. While they were able to open the app on their smartphones, they found that their playlists, albums, or tracks in general refused to load or play. It’s unclear how many users succumbed to Spotify’s free mod issue and subscribed to a paid Premium account instead, but we believe that the majority turned to replacement apps or stayed with the free version.
Announcing the death of my spotify account today the mod is not working anymore with it i gotta switch now pic.twitter.com/T5MAjWLXk7
— 🦇・୧🥀୨~𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐞~୧🥀୨・🇵🇸 (@Belovedjesters) March 3, 2025
Piracy may not be the solution, but it is the answer for many. We expect that things will be the same now, with Spotify replacements gaining popularity in 2025. It is most likely that affected users will wait for the modded APKs to readjust and come back with a solution or switch to a modded version of YouTube Music or another similar app. Spotify has not released an update on the APK ban and how many users it predicts have been affected.
Why Am I Getting Ads on Spotify Premium?
While users of the modded Spotify app have been voicing their complaints online, a Spotify premium ads bug has also resulted in issues for paying users. The Spotify community page has been inundated with users who pay for the premium version of the app complaining about hearing ads on their accounts. The complaints began to pour in early in February and Spotify took a week to inform users that it had identified and resolved the issue.
@Spotify Why am I being forced to listen to multiple adverts when I pay for a Premium Account?
Even says ‘Ad Free Listening’ under my account settings…. What gives?? This has never happened before pic.twitter.com/EFZvycF5M8
— Lewis Martin (@LewisMartin_) March 6, 2025
@Spotify currently on ad #3 in a row despite being a premium user… pic.twitter.com/2iE32CVLql
— adrianna 🇺🇦🇵🇸🐀 (@adriannarlee) March 6, 2025
Over a month into the issue, a real fix for the problem still hasn’t been found as users are still posting about the Spotify premium ads, whether they’re on the individual plan or family plan. Spotify has replied to these concerns stating that the problem has been fixed and users need to “log out of the app and back in again 2-3 times in a row in order to force a resync.”
@Spotify what is up with the glitches this morning?? Playing ads when I have premium, playing whatever songs it wants, not playing what I click on…I have deleted the app, contacted support, nothing is working??
— Whitty (@witsofwhit) March 6, 2025
If you’re among the users affected by the Spotify issue in March 2025, you may want to try the company’s suggested solution of logging in and out of the app a few times to see if it gets resolved. If the problem persists, it’s best to join the other users on the community forum to urge Spotify to find a fix. Users are threatening to cancel their subscriptions if it is not resolved soon.
We’re aware of some issues with the app right now and are checking them out! We’ll keep you posted here: https://t.co/lOcqE1o9Oe
— SpotifyCares (@SpotifyCares) March 6, 2025
Between the Spotify Premium ads bug and the timing of the modded app issues, users are growing more certain of their decision to move away from the app. We can help with finding the best Spotify alternatives available right now.
Finding a Spotify Replacement in 2025: Which Music Streaming App is Best For You?
With the range of Spotify issues in 2025, whether you’re a user of the free version, modded version, or Premium version, you may be on the lookout for a new music-listening app. There is a wide range of Spotify replacement apps in 2025, but they are not all free.
The easiest move right now would be to switch to Spotify Premium to retain access to all of your playlists and liked songs without a hassle. If you still want to give another app a shot before you decide where to invest, these are the Spotify alternatives in 2025.
- YouTube Music: Ad-supported free version available. A YouTube Premium subscription can get you ad-free YouTube and YouTube Music so you don’t have to worry about adblockers anymore
- Amazon Music: Ad-supported free version available. The ad-free version is included with an Amazon Prime membership but you can subscribe separately as well.
- Pandora: Ad-supported free version available but limited region availability
- Deezer: Ad-supported free version available but best suited for mobile. Deezer HiFi paid plan offers CD-quality sound
- Tidal: Free 30-day trial available. Offers high fidelity sound and lossless audio
- Qobuz: Free 30-day trial available. Offers better sound quality than Spotify but with a smaller catalog of music
- Apple Music: Free 30-day trial available for new users. Best for iOS users with one of the biggest music libraries
- SoundCloud: Ad-supported free version available with minimal advertising. Limited catalog of mainstream music but is great for discovering new, smaller artists
There are also platforms like Trebel, iHeart Radio, Bandcamp, and Stingray Music to consider as they serve a unique purpose in the world of music listening, so you’re certain to find at least one platform that works best for you.
What’s Next For Spotify?
Users have long complained about the decline in quality of the app’s recommendations and music discovery capabilities which haven’t been resolved. Spotify has looked into AI integrations to facilitate some of its tools and features, but users are generally unimpressed with anything AI. Spotify has also failed to deliver on its promise of Hi-Fi lossless audio time and again, leaving users waiting for the upgrade which will possibly come with an increase in price.
The Spotify price hikes in recent times without any improvement in features or quality have been disappointing for users, but there isn’t a service out there that is as easy to use while also maintaining its content on music for everyone. This is why the Spotify mod crackdown was even necessary because users were more comfortable with finding possibly malware-inflicted workaround to using the app rather than switching to a different free service instead.
Will Spotify be able to resolve the Premium ad bug soon and give users back some peace of mind? Will it be able to maintain its dominance in the world of music streaming? We’ll have to see.
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