You’re getting ads on Spotify Premium because either something’s wrong with your account/subscription, the type of content you’re playing (like podcasts) still allows ads, or there’s a technical glitch Spotify is currently known to be dealing with for some users.

Quick Scoop

If you pay for Spotify Premium, you should have ad‑free music playback, but there are a few important exceptions and gotchas.

Most common reasons

1. Your Premium isn’t actually active (or on the right account)

A surprisingly common issue is that the Premium subscription is linked to a different login than the one you’re using on your device. This happens a lot if you:

  • Signed up with Apple/Google, but normally log in with email.
  • Have both a Facebook and email login.
  • Were added to a Family or Duo plan and later got removed.

Also, payments can quietly fail (expired card, bank block, etc.), and Spotify will drop you back to free without much ceremony.

What to do:

  1. Go to your Spotify account page in a browser and check what plan it says you’re on (Free, Individual, Duo, Family, Student).
  1. Make sure the email/username there is the same one logged in on your phone, PC, TV, etc.
  2. Confirm your last payment actually went through and renew/update your card if needed.

2. You’re listening to content that can still have ads

Even with Premium, some things are not 100% ad‑free:

  • Many podcasts insert their own ads (host‑read or pre‑recorded) because those are baked into the audio file itself.
  • Some “radio‑style” or partner content can also have embedded promotions.

Those aren’t the same as Spotify’s free‑tier music ads – Premium doesn’t always remove creator‑inserted ads.

What to do:

  • Check if the ad sounds like part of the show (host voice, segue, “now a word from our sponsor”) – that’s usually a podcast ad, not a bug.
  • Try playing a normal music playlist or album; if music is ad‑free but podcasts are not, this is almost certainly a content thing, not a subscription issue.

3. Spotify glitches and current “ads on Premium” news

In early 2025 and into 2026, Premium users across platforms (Android, iOS, web, even smart devices) reported suddenly getting ads despite paying. These reports:

  • Affected multiple plan types (Individual, Duo, Family).
  • Were acknowledged by Spotify as a bug / technical glitch , not an intentional change to Premium benefits.
  • Led Spotify to ask affected users for device details, app version, and even screen recordings to help fix it.

In tech news coverage, Spotify explicitly said Premium users are not supposed to be getting ads during music streaming and that the interruptions were caused by a temporary glitch they moved to fix.

What to do if it seems like this:

  • Log out of Spotify on all devices, then log back in and test again.
  • Update the app to the latest version (bugs are often fixed in newer builds).
  • If the ads still show up on regular music tracks, contact Spotify support and mention you’re on Premium and still hearing ads; this matches the known bug pattern.

4. Device syncing, ad‑blockers, and region quirks

A few more “advanced” reasons also pop up in forum discussions and guides:

  • Device syncing issues: If you’re logged in on several devices, one might be stuck behaving like a free account until you log out everywhere and back in.
  • Ad‑blocker interference: Browser‑level ad‑blockers or network‑wide blockers can sometimes cause weird behavior, including seeing the wrong ad logic or playback glitches, even on Premium.
  • Regional differences: In some regions, certain promotional placements, sponsored recommendations, or external podcast ads may still appear under local rules.

5. “But it says Premium and I still hear ads”

If your account page clearly shows an active Premium plan and you still get full‑on ads between songs, you’re not alone. Community and Reddit threads from 2025–2026 show:

  • Users on long‑time Premium accounts suddenly hearing Starbucks‑style external ads during podcasts and music.
  • Frustration that “I pay for Premium, I should not be getting these adverts,” which has become a recurring forum complaint.

In those cases, the pattern has usually been:

  • Not user error.
  • Not just podcast host‑read ads.
  • A temporary bug/glitch that Spotify eventually patches.

If this sounds like your situation, the best practical move is:

  1. Double‑check your plan and login (just to rule out account issues).
  2. Collect details (device, app version, screenshots, what kind of ad).
  3. Open a support ticket or post on Spotify’s official community with those details so they can attach you to the active incident.

Quick step‑by‑step checklist

  1. Check your plan status on the account page (should say Premium, not Free).
  1. Confirm you’re on the correct account on every device.
  1. Test with a normal music playlist ; if only podcasts have ads, they’re likely embedded.
  1. Log out everywhere, log back in, and update the app.
  1. If you still get ads between songs and everything above checks out, contact Spotify support – you may be caught in one of the recent Premium ad glitches.

Note: This explanation reflects recent reports and forum discussions up through early 2026 and may evolve if Spotify changes how Premium handles ads or podcast monetization over time.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.