Why doesn't my music show up on my lock screen Samsung?

It can be frustrating when music you are playing on your Samsung device does not show up on the lock screen. This is actually a relatively common problem among Samsung device owners. The media controls don’t appear on the lock screen, so you have no easy way to pause, play, or skip tracks without unlocking your device first.

There are several potential reasons why your music may not be showing up on your Samsung lock screen. The good news is that in most cases, it’s possible to fix this issue with a few troubleshooting steps. This guide will walk you through the most common solutions to try to get your media controls working properly again on the lock screen.

Check That Music is Playing

The first step is to open your preferred music app like Spotify, Apple Music, or Samsung Music and start playing a song. Make sure the music is actually playing out loud and not just paused or muted. Once a song is actively playing, double check that your phone detects that music is in fact playing before locking the screen. Often there will be a music notification in the status bar, or an audio waveform visualization indicating the music is going. Verify the music keeps playing for at least 15-30 seconds with the screen on before locking to test that the phone recognizes media is playing.

Enable Media Controls on Lock Screen

One of the most common reasons that music does not show up on the lock screen is that the media controls are disabled. To enable media controls on the lock screen:

Open the Settings app on your Samsung device.
Tap on “Lock Screen”.

Make sure the “Show media controls” option is enabled (the toggle should be blue).

This will allow music apps to display playback information and control buttons on your lock screen. With media controls enabled, your music should now be able to show up on the lock screen when playing audio.

Update Media App

One potential solution is to open the music app on your Samsung device and check if there are any available updates:

Go to the app store listing for your music app, such as the Samsung Music app on Google Play. Check if there is an Update button available. If so, update to the latest version of the app.

App updates often contain bug fixes and improvements that could resolve issues like music not showing on the lock screen. By updating to the latest version, you ensure you have the most optimized experience.

Clear App Cache and Data

A simple solution that may resolve the issue is to clear the cache and data for your music app. This will delete any temporary files and reset the app to its default state which could allow music controls to start working properly again.

Here’s how to clear the cache and data for your music app on your Samsung device:

Open the Settings app on your phone.
Tap on “Apps” or “Application manager”.

Scroll down and select your music app (like Spotify, YouTube Music etc).
Tap on “Storage”.
Tap on “Clear Cache” to delete temporary files.

Tap on “Clear Data” to reset the app.

Once completed, reopen your music app and check if media controls now appear on the lock screen when you play a song. Clearing app data and cache can often resolve odd bugs and issues that occur over time with continued usage.

Restart the Device

Sometimes a simple device restart can resolve issues with music not showing up on the lock screen. Here are the steps to try a full restart:

Hold down the Power button on your Samsung device until the “Power off” prompt appears.
Tap “Power off” to fully power down the device.
Wait about 30 seconds before powering your device back on. This allows time for any cached data to clear.

Press and hold the Power button again until the Samsung logo appears to turn the device back on.
Once the device has fully restarted and loaded, open your music app and begin playing a song.
Double check that the media controls and song information now appear on your lock screen.

Restarting helps clear out any glitches and resets all running apps and services. If your music still doesn’t show on the lock screen after a restart, you may need to investigate other troubleshooting methods.

Check App Permissions

One possible reason your music may not be showing up on your Samsung lock screen is if the music app lacks certain permissions. Here’s how to check and make sure your music app has all the required permissions enabled:

Go to Settings and select “Apps”. Then, find your music app in the list (like Spotify, Apple Music etc.) and select it. In the app info screen, select “Permissions” and make sure that all relevant permissions are enabled, such as Storage and Microphone if applicable. Enable any permissions that are disabled.

Some music apps require certain permissions to be able to display media controls and album artwork on the lock screen. Enabling all necessary permissions for your music app may resolve the issue. Be sure to restart your device afterwards to ensure the changes take effect.

Try Another Music App

One way to troubleshoot whether this issue is specific to a certain music app is to download an alternate music app and see if your lock screen controls work properly. Here are some steps you can try:

Download a different music app like Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, etc. Many have free versions available.

Play a song in the new app and check if the media controls show up on your lock screen as expected.
If the controls work properly in the new app, then the issue may be isolated to your original music app. You can try uninstalling and reinstalling your original app or reporting the problem to the developer.
However, if the music controls still do not appear in other apps, then there may be a deeper system-level issue impacting media controls overall.

Testing out an alternate music app is a quick way to determine if the problem lies with a specific app or is more widespread. This can help you narrow down where the issue originates before trying more time-consuming troubleshooting steps.

Factory Reset

If none of the troubleshooting steps have worked so far, the last option is to factory reset your Samsung device. This will wipe the device and restore it to factory settings. Before factory resetting, make sure to backup any important data you want to keep:

Photos and videos – Copy them to a computer or upload them to cloud storage like Google Photos.

Contacts – Export them and save to the external SD card or SIM card.
Messages – Back them up using Samsung Smart Switch or Samsung Cloud.

Once your data is backed up, follow these steps to factory reset your Samsung device:

Go to Settings > General Management > Reset.
Tap Factory data reset.
Tap Reset and confirm when prompted.

The device will reboot into recovery mode to complete the reset process. This can take several minutes.

After the reset is complete, set up your device again and test if music now shows on the lock screen. Hopefully, the issue is resolved after the reset. If not, you may need to contact Samsung support for further troubleshooting.

Contact Samsung Support

If you’ve tried all the troubleshooting steps and your music still does not show up on the lock screen, it’s time to contact Samsung Support. Reaching out to Samsung’s support team is the best way to resolve persistent technical issues with your device that cannot be fixed through standard troubleshooting.

Samsung provides several options to contact their support team:

Call 1-800-SAMSUNG to speak with a support representative over the phone
Start a live chat through Samsung’s online support portal

Post on the Samsung support forums to engage with other users and Samsung moderators
Send an email to [email protected] describing your issue

When you contact Samsung Support, make sure to clearly explain the issue you’re experiencing with as many details as possible. Provide your device model, the troubleshooting steps you’ve tried, and specifics on when the problem started occurring. The support team will then be able to provide specialized troubleshooting advice or escalate your issue if needed.

Samsung’s knowledgeable support representatives have extensive experience resolving all kinds of technical issues on Samsung devices. Reaching out to them is the best way to get your music playing again on your Galaxy lock screen if you’ve exhausted all other options. They may be able to quickly identify the underlying cause and get your device working properly again.

Why doesn’t my music show up on my lock screen Samsung?