How to Fix Tidal Not Playing on Mobile/Desktop

By Miley Swift Updated on 2024-02-27 / Update for Tidal Tips

Q: "For a couple of weeks when I try to play a song on Tidal, the song is not playing. It is only loading but the song never starts. I cannot download any of my playlists. Any of you have any idea what is wrong?" - A Reddit user asked.

Launched in 2014, Tidal has already made its mark among other music streaming services. Many audiophiles love it for its high-resolution quality music. Nowadays, Tidal also faces bugs with increasing use. Many users report that Tidal not playing. If you have faced such an issue, then you are in the right place to find solutions.

See also: How to Fix Netflix Not Playing Video

tidal not playing

Part 1. Why Is Tidal Not Playing Music

"Why is my Tidal desktop app not playing?" There are lots of similar Tidal playback issues in Tidal-relevant forums. Here, we conclude some common reasons for illustrating why Tidal doesn't play music, such as an unstable network, Tidal app problems, etc.

🔎 Internet Connection Issues: Poor or unstable Internet connection can prevent Tidal from streaming music properly.

🔎 Expired Subscription: If your Tidal subscription has expired, you may not be able to access the Premium features including playing Tidal HiFi or Master songs.

🔎 Server Problems: Tidal's servers may be experiencing technical issues or maintenance, causing Tidal issues.

🔎 Streaming Quality Settings: The Tidal not playing music issue may arise if the streaming quality settings are set too high for the current Internet connection.

🔎 Cache and Data: Corrupted cache or data within the Tidal app or device may affect Tidal problems.

🔎 Device Compatibility: Compatibility issues with your device or browser may hinder Tidal playback.

🔎 App or Software Glitches: Bugs or glitches within the Tidal app or software can cause playback interruptions.

Part 2. How to Fix Tidal Not Playing

From the reasons we talked about above, you may find why your Tidal desktop app not playing songs. Whatever the cause, you can use the following methods to fix it.

Fix 1. Check Tidal Status

The first thing you can do is to check Tidal status. If your friends are also having issues with Tidal doesn't play, then there might be some issues with Tidal itself. To check if this is the cause, you can check the Tidal status on the downdector. Alternatively, you can go to Tidal's official Twitter to see if Tidal is down.

Fix 2. Restart Your Device

Also, maybe your device just needs a revamp to wake up. Restarting it will help clear all the temporary memory and other background activities.

For Mobile:

Step 1. First press and hold the "Power" button until the "Options" menu appears.

Step 2. Then select the "Restart" option.

Step 3. Your device will automatically restart. Check now if you can access Tidal songs. If not, try the next option.

restart phone to solve tidal not playing

For Computer:

Step 1. Click on the "Start" icon and choose "Power".

Step 2. Choose the "Restart" option.

restart computer to fix tidal desktop app not playing

Fix 3. Update the Tidal App

Tidal won't play could be a result of an outdated Tidal app. Update your app to try and solve the problem.

Step 1. Open the Google Play Store on your Android or App Store on iOS.

Step 2. Search for "Tidal" and check if there is a new version.

Step 3. If yes, click "Update" to download the Tidal app.

Step 4. Finally, install and check whether the Tidal downloaded music not playing problem is now fixed.

update tidal on google play store

Fix 4. Reinstall the Tidal App

If you find your Tidal desktop app not playing or your Tidal mobile app not playing, you can uninstall and then download the latest version of the Tidal app on your device.

On Mobile

Step 1. Click and hold the icon until you see a selection of choices.

Step 2. Then select the "Uninstall" option.

Step 3. Click on the "OK" button to confirm uninstalling Tidal from your device.

Step 4. Next, search for the "Tidal" app on the "Play Store" for Android or the "App Store" for iPhone.

Step 5. Finally, hit the "Install" button to reinstall Tidal on your phone.

install tidal on app store mobile

On PC

Step 1. On Mac, go to 'Finder' > 'Applications' to find Tidal. On Windows, press 'Win + S' to search for 'Control Panel'. Go to 'Control Panel' and find 'Programs' > 'Uninstall a program' > 'Tidal'.

uninstall tidal on pc

Step 2. When you find Tidal on the app list, please uninstall it.

Step 3. Then, reinstall it on the Tidal official website.

Fix 5. Clear Tidal Cache

Your device has a temporary memory where it stores data such as music. When this data becomes large, then issues like phone freezing or Tidal music not playing are paramount.

Step 1. To clear the cache, locate the "Tidal" icon on your device.

Step 2. Then click and hold the "Tidal" icon.

Step 3. Next, select the "App info" > "Storage".

Step 4. Finally, click the "Clear Cache" option.

clear tidal cache to fix tidal not playing songs

Fix 6. Check Your Internet Connectivity

Poor internet connection may also fail you when it comes to streaming Tidal music. You can switch your internet between mobile data and WiFi to confirm its stability.

Step 1. Open your "Settings" app and click on the "Network & Internet" option.

Step 2. Turn the WiFi data off and keep the mobile data "ON". Check whether there is a difference.

Step 3. If not, then turn the mobile data "OFF" and the WiFi "ON". Try to play Tidal if it's now working.

check internet connectivity

Fix 7. Change Streaming Audio Quality

Why is Tidal not playing Master or HiFi music but you find your subscription is available? We have to say when your Internet is weak or the Tidal app's storage is full, your Tidal won't play Master songs.

Step 1. Open Tidal's "Show options" (which looks like three dots) on the top left side, and select "Settings".

Step 2. Choose the "Streaming" section, you should scroll down to find "Audio quality".

Step 3. Now, adjust your wanted quality settings. To make sure Tidal can play, we advise you to choose "Low". However, you can set other options if you want to listen to HiFi or Master music.

See also: How to Download Tidal MQA Files on Desktop/Mobile

adjust tidal audio quality to fix tidal not playing master

Fix 8. Clear Device Storage

It is a good habit to free up your device storage. With many apps on your phone or computer, your devices may cannot run smoothly to allow Tidal to play.

Step 1. Go to "Settings" > "General" > "iPhone Storage".

Step 2. On the apps list, find and tap "Tidal" to clear storage.

free up device storage to fix tidal music not playing

Fix 9. Check Apple ID Registration

If you encounter a "Service Unavailable" error message while logging into the Tidal app with your Apple ID, it could be the root cause of the Tidal not playing music problem. To address this issue, you should stop using Apple ID to log in to Tidal.

Step 1. On your iPhone's "Settings", tap your Apple profile.

Step 2. Select "Password & Security" > "Apps Using Apple ID".

Step 3. Find and choose the "Tidal" app and tap the "Stop using Apple ID" option.

Step 4. Now, you can hit the "Stop using" button.

stop using apple id to log in to tidal

Part 3. How to Solve Tidal Not Playing in Background

Is Tidal not playing in background when you run other apps? You can simply allow the Tidal app to run in the background to solve the problem.

For Android:

Step 1. Open the "Settings" app and then scroll down to "Apps".

Step 2. Click on the "Tidal" option and then choose "Battery".

Step 3. Turn on "Allow background activity".

allow tidal background activity android

For iOS:

Step 1. Launch "Settings" and choose "Hused".

Step 2. Open the option of "Background App Refresh". Find the Tidal app and turn it on.

iphone background app refresh

For Windows:

Step 1. Click on "Start" and then select "Settings" > "Privacy" > "Background apps".

Step 2. Then open the option of "Let apps run in the background".

turn on tidal on background apps windows

Step 3. You can also turn "Tidal" to run in the background.

For Mac:

Step 1. Navigate to your "System Settings" from the Apple logo.

Step 2. Then click on the "General" tab at the left.

Step 3. Scroll down and choose "Login items".

Step 4. Click on "Open at login" and then you will see "Allow in the Background".

allow tidal in the background mac

Step 5. Simply toggle the next bar to "Tidal" to allow it to play in the background.

Part 4. How to Fix Tidal Downloaded Music Not Playing

What do to do when you find Tidal downloaded music not playing? Tidal allows Premium users to play downloaded music offline. If you are in offline mode but cannot find or listen to Tidal downloads, try deleting the downloaded tracks and re-downloading them again.

Step 1. On your Tidal app, find your downloaded music on "My Collection".

find tidal downloaded music

Step 2. Delete the downloaded tracks you cannot play and then return to the music library.

Step 3. Now, hit the "three-dot" near the song or playlist and select the "Download" button.

download tidal tracks

See also: Where Does Tidal Music Store Offline on Mobile/Desktop

Part 5. How to Settle Tidal No Sound

You could also realize that the Tidal streaming service is working correctly but your music is not producing any sound. Try these fixes!

Fix 1. Select the Correct Sound Output

Step 1. On your phone, just swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen. This should open the "Control Center" section.

Step 2. Then go to the upper-right corner of the screen, touch, and hold on to the "Audio Card" option. Check out the list of devices that you can connect to.

Step 3. Switch between the available options to determine which one works best. These include the headphones, speakers, or accessories to use.

Fix 2. Check that Your Device Volume Is Up

You won't hear any sound if the volume level is low. Here's how to turn it up on your PC.

Step 1. Click on "Start".

Step 2. Tap on the "Settings" > "Sound" option.

Step 3. Locate the "Volume" bar and slide the volume level from low to high.

turn on volume on pc

Fix 3. Check Your Sound Drivers

Experiencing music from Tidal not playing issue may also result from the sound drivers. Follow these steps to update your sound card drivers on your PC.

Step 1. Go to the "Search box" on the taskbar and enter the search phrase, "Device Manager".

Step 2. Check out the names of devices from the Device Manager section.

Step 3. Choose the "Sound" option. Next, right-click your sound card and go to the "Properties" option.

Step 4. Navigate to the "Driver" tab and select the "Update Driver" button, then hit the "OK" button. You just updated the sound driver. Hopefully, you get the Tidal sound now.

update sound driver on pc to fix tidal not playing music

Part 6. How to Keep Tidal Playing Forever

If you haven't succeeded in solving the Tidal not playing songs issue with the above options, then you need a better approach. AudFree Tidal Music Converter works fluently to download and convert your Tidal songs to common formats. Use it to download songs from Tidal HiFi or HiFi Plus and convert them to output formats like FLAC, AAC, MP3, etc. Then you can listen to Tidal music with your local music player or others.

AudFree Tidal Music Converter will manage the download and conversion of your music at a high speed of X5 rate. You can easily download albums, playlists, etc. while keeping the metadata information and ID3 tags. And if you want to personalize the output audio parameters, worry less. Just customize the audio channel, sample rate, bit rate, and many more for quality audio.

Key Features of AudFree Tidal Music Converter

audfree tidal music downloader
  • Convert Tidal music to FLAC, MP3, etc.
  • Keep HiFi music quality by retaining metadata and ID3 tag information
  • Customize output parameters like bit rate, sample rate, audio channel, etc.
  • Organize output music library by classifying the output by album or artist

Easy Steps to Download Tidal Music and Fix Tidal Not Playing Issues

AudFree Tidable has the innovative conversion ability to download Tidal HiFi music without the Premium plan.

Step 1Add Tidal music to AudFree Tidable
add tidal music to audfree tidable
Open AudFree Tidable and the Tidal app on your computer will also launch. Directly drag and drop songs from Tidal to this software's main interface. Or you can copy and paste the track link into the top address box and click on the "+" icon to load the track.
Step 2Customize Tidal output format and settings
adjust parameters for tidal music
Change the settings to your preferences. Click on the "Menu" > "Preferences" options to open the settings window. Click the "Convert" section and start to define the output format you wish. Also, customize the audio parameters like audio codec, sample rate, channel, etc. AudFree Tidable lets you organize your songs by albums or artists. Click the "Archive output tracks by" option to organize your music.
Step 3Download and convert Tidal music
download and fix tidal not playing music
Finally, hit the "Convert" tab to start the downloading process. The app will quickly convert your Tidal music to common output formats according to your set preferences. You can also add more playlists from AudFree Tidable's main interface during the conversion process.
When completed, locate the converted Tidal music in the "Converted" folder. Just choose the "Open file location" icon to get quick access to the destination folder on your computer. You can also double-click on the music track to preview it. Now you can keep Tidal music forever and freely play Tidal music normally offline on any device or media player.

Part 7. Summary

Today we mainly fixed the Tidal not playing issue. Besides, you can get tips on the Tidal no-sound issue. Just try the solutions above to listen to Tidal music better. If the common solution doesn't work, try AudFree Tidal Music Converter. It allows you to convert Tidal songs to 6 frequency-used formats and transfer them to other music players. This way, you can play Tidal songs on other music players without the Tidal app to avoid the Tidal app not playing music.

Miley Swift

Miley Swift

Staff Editor

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Miley Swift is a professional content creator in the field of music entertainment and tech. Passionate about Tidal streaming technology, she is adept in offering and updating relevant tech skills and tools of Tidal music.
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AudFree Tidable

Download and convert Tidal HiFi and MQA songs to MP3, FLAC, WAV, M4A at 5X speed.