Why does my phone keep turning off my music?

Having your music or audio unexpectedly stop playing on your phone can be very frustrating. This issue seems to commonly occur for users across various phone models and platforms. There are a few potential root causes that could lead to this problem.

In this comprehensive guide, we will provide an overview of the key reasons why your phone may be stopping or interrupting your music playback unexpectedly. We outline both software and hardware issues that could be at fault, along with troubleshooting tips and potential solutions you can try.

Whether you’re using the native music app, Spotify, or another streaming service, the solutions provided here should help resolve audio interruptions. Read on to understand why your phone keeps turning off your music and what you can do about it.

Common Causes

There are a few common reasons why music may randomly stop playing on your phone, including battery saver settings, overheating, and app crashes.

Battery Saver Settings

Many Android phones have battery saver or power saving modes that restrict background activity to conserve battery life. This can sometimes cause music apps to abruptly stop playing music when the phone’s screen turns off. Check your battery settings to ensure music apps are allowed to run in the background.

Overheating Issues

If your phone overheats from heavy usage, the system may automatically close music apps to try cooling itself down. This overheating can lead to music stopping randomly. Make sure your phone has proper ventilation and close any intensive apps to prevent overheating.

App Crashes

Sometimes there are bugs or software issues that cause crashes within music apps themselves. App crashes will lead to your music stopping suddenly. Try uninstalling app updates or reinstalling the app completely to fix crash issues.

Battery Saver Settings

Battery saver is an Android feature that helps extend battery life by limiting background activity and certain features when the battery charge drops below a set level (usually 15-30%). When enabled, battery saver may temporarily disable syncing, location services, and 5G connectivity.

To adjust your battery saver settings, go to Settings > Battery > Battery Saver and toggle it on. You can then customize when battery saver activates, as well as which features are limited. Setting it to turn on at 30% or 50% is a good balance to still get notifications and updates while saving battery power.

Some key settings that can help when battery is low:

• Restrict background activity and syncing
• Turn off Always On Display
• Limit CPU speed and performance
• Lower screen brightness

If you find your music app is still closing when battery saver is on, you can allow certain apps to run unrestricted. Go into battery optimization in settings and set your music app be unrestricted. This will allow it to run as normal even when battery is low.

Overheating Issues

Overheating is one of the most common issues that can cause your phone to shut off music playback. Modern smartphones have built-in sensors to monitor internal temperature, and once the device overheats past a certain threshold, it will shut down non-essential functions to prevent hardware damage. Music apps are usually the first thing to close when this happens.

There are a few main reasons that contribute to overheating issues on phones:

• Playing music while charging your phone, especially when using the device at the same time, generates excess heat.
• Using the speaker instead of headphones when listening to loud music increases temperature more quickly.
• Direct sunlight or ambient heat exposure causes phones to reach high temperatures faster.

To prevent overheating and interruptions while using your phone to play music, follow these tips:

• Avoid charging your phone and using apps simultaneously. Wait for your phone to reach 100% before heavy use.
• Use wired or wireless headphones instead of the speaker when possible.
• Keep your phone shaded and not exposed to excessive heat or sunlight.
• Let your phone cool down if you get a warning message about temperature.

App Crashes

One of the most common reasons an iPhone may stop playing music is if the music app itself crashes or freezes. Apps like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, and others can sometimes have issues after a buggy app update which causes them to crash unexpectedly.

Clearing the app cache and data is one way to troubleshoot crashing music apps on an iPhone. To do this, go to the Settings app -> General -> iPhone Storage. Tap on the problematic music app and select “Offload App” to clear cached data. Then reinstall the app from the App Store. This essentially gives you a fresh install which can resolve crashing problems caused by buggy updates.

Software Updates

The source of your phone interrupting your music could be outdated software. Installing the latest operating system (OS) and app updates on your phone is important to fix bugs and improve performance. As one source explains, “If music apps on your phone or tablet are not allowed to run in the background, your audio may stop if the phone or app goes to sleep” (Samsung).

Software updates include under-the-hood improvements to allow apps like music players to run properly in the background without interruptions. Frequent updates also patch bugs and security flaws that could be the underlying cause of why your music keeps stopping randomly. So be sure to install the latest OS and app updates as soon as they become available to enjoy an improved listening experience.

Restarting & Troubleshooting

Power cycling your device can help fix temporary issues with apps and music stopping. To do this, completely shut down your phone by holding the power button until it turns off and then turn it back on. After your phone reboots, try the music app again to see if the issue persists.

If music still stops playing after restarting, the next step in the troubleshooting process is to isolate if it is a system or app issue. You can do this by testing different music apps and different media sources:

• Open multiple music streaming apps like Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, etc. and see if your music stops in any of the apps.
• Play local music files or podcasts to see if the issue occurs with all media or just streaming apps.
• Connect wireless headphones or speakers via Bluetooth and test if music stops when using a different audio output.

This step of testing different combinations of music source and audio output can help determine where the specific problem lies. If music stops across all apps and sources, it is likely a phone system issue that may require a software update or factory reset. But if it only occurs with a single app or audio output method, you can narrow in on that problem area.

By methodically restarting, testing, and isolating the issue, you can get closer to resolving music stopping on your phone.

Adjusting App Settings

When certain apps open on your phone, they can sometimes pause your music playback or cause it to stop entirely. This is often due to the app utilizing a lot of system resources or not being optimized to run smoothly in the background. There are several app settings you can adjust to prevent interruptions to your music:

According to an Apple discussion thread, issues with music stopping often occur when opening resource-intensive apps like games or social media platforms. Customizing background app refresh, notifications, and additional settings can help.

For example, in your phone’s Settings app, look for options to disable background app refresh or background usage for specific problem apps. You may also be able to prevent apps from closing when your phone’s screen locks. Experiment with which settings work best to allow music playback without interruption.

Additionally, check the settings within your preferred music streaming app itself. See if there is an option to allow uninterrupted music playback when other apps launch. This will essentially prioritize its audio above other background processes.

Taking the time to customize your app notifications and settings can go a long way towards preventing abrupt stops in music playback when opening other apps. Test different combinations to find the right balance for your usage needs.

Alternative Music Apps

Trying different music apps can be a good workaround if your current app keeps stopping music playback.

Some top-rated Android music apps to consider include Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and Deezer, among others. These apps offer features like unlimited access to streaming music and podcasts, offline listening, and custom playlists.

According to PC Mag, Spotify is considered the best Android music app with benefits including an extremely large catalog, excellent playlists, and integration with other apps like Samsung’s Bixby. Amazon Music and YouTube Music are also highly rated and provide the ability to upload your personal music library for free.

Additionally, many of these apps offer free tiers so you can test them out before paying for premium access. This allows you to experiment with different options and determine if changing music apps resolves your issues with music stopping unexpectedly.

When to Get Professional Help

There are certain situations when your phone’s random music stopping may require professional attention:

If a factory reset and troubleshooting steps don’t resolve the issue, the problem could be a hardware defect like a faulty audio jack or motherboard issue. Getting the phone serviced by a repair technician may be necessary.

Dropping your phone or exposing it to liquids can sometimes damage components and cause music to stop playing properly. You may need repairs or full replacement in cases of physical damage.

For older phones, the constant stopping of music could indicate aging hardware that needs to be upgraded or replaced. Seeking professional advice can determine if a new phone is the solution.

Reaching out to your mobile carrier, manufacturer or a reputable phone repair shop can provide guidance on your options. Costs vary depending on the repair needed – from a new headphone jack to a full device replacement.