Paying for Spotify Premium? You might be hearing ads anyway [Update]

UPDATE: 2026/03/18 14:34 EST BY KARANDEEP SINGH OBEROI

In a community post, Spotify acknowledged the issue and indicated that it has rolled out a fix.

Thanks for your patience while we looked into this issue.

We’re happy to say that this should now be fixed for everyone! If this continues to happen on your end, please make sure to log out and log in again, that should do the trick.

If you pay for Spotify Premium primarily for its ad-free listening perk, and the rest of the benefits only come second, this new bug with the music streaming app is your worst nightmare.

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The ongoing issue, which comes soon after the app's Wear OS update brought a new look and gesture controls to smartwatches, is a widespread one. It is forcing Premium users to encounter ads.

The bug/glitch was brought to our attention by the folks over at 9to5Google. Indications about the issue, however, are everywhere. Reddit users started reporting the issue earlier today, and the same goes for users on X and even DownDetector.

Reports started emerging shortly after 11:30 am ET today.

Additionally, some users suggest that the app displays their account status as 'Free,' potentially stripping other Premium benefits as well.

Although an exact cause of the issue remains unknown, Spotify has, in tweet replies, acknowledged the issue. The streaming giant also suggested users try logging out and back into their accounts, though that doesn't seem to have fixed the issue.

UPDATE: 2026/03/18 14:34 EST BY KARANDEEP SINGH OBEROI

In a community post, Spotify acknowledged the issue and indicated that it has rolled out a fix.

Thanks for your patience while we looked into this issue.

We’re happy to say that this should now be fixed for everyone! If this continues to happen on your end, please make sure to log out and log in again, that should do the trick.