Are you getting Spotify ads in a different language? Perhaps you are an English speaker living in the United States but you get Spanish ads while listening to music on Spotify.
Here are 8 reasons why you are receiving Spotify ads in a different language.
You have not selected your preferred language
The most common reason why you receive Spotify ads in a different language is that you haven’t selected your preferred language. It’s as simple as that.
To choose a language on Spotify, go to Settings, then select your preferred language. For Android 12 and older, you need to change the language settings on your device.
Your device is set to another language
Is your device set to another language? Although your Spotify app is set to English, you might receive ads in a different language if your device is set to that particular language.
The preferred Spotify app language will be based on the language of the device itself. If you want to receive ads in English, for example, you should also change your device to English.
Spotify is set to a different language on another device
Are you using Spotify on multiple devices? According to Spotify support, the preferred locale will be based on the Spotify app language on the device you logged in to most recently.
For example, the Spotify app on your iPhone is set to English but the one on your desktop is set to Spanish. If this is the case, then you might receive ads in either language.
If you only want to receive an ad in one language, make sure all the Spotify apps on all your devices are set to the language you want. Then, restart all of the Spotify apps.
You live in a multi-language country
If you live in a multi-language country, you might receive ads in a different language.
For example, if you live in Switzerland, you might receive ads either in German, French, Italian, or Romansh because all four languages are considered national languages in Switzerland.
If you live in Canada, for example, you might receive ads in French. Although a lot of Canadians speak English, French is the first official language spoken by almost 25% of the people.
If you live in Singapore, for example, you might receive ads in Chinese. The language was passed down from generation to generation, which is why Singaporeans can speak Chinese.
If you live in the United States, which is a melting pot of cultures, you can get ads in Spanish or Chinese. Nearly 1 in 5 people in the US speaks a language other than English, after all.
You are using a VPN
If you are using a VPN when listening to Spotify, then the location service might recognize you are in another country. Spotify might serve you ads that are suitable for that country.
The solution is quite clear. Turn off your VPN. If you live in the United States but your country is set to the Netherlands, then you might receive Spotify ads in Dutch.
The advertiser did not select a language
You may receive Spotify ads in a foreign language because the advertiser hasn’t specified a language. Every online advertiser has the ability to choose a specific language.
It could be that an advertiser trying to serve ads on Spotify did not choose whether to show the ad in only specific languages, or all languages.
It could also be that the particular advertiser did not use targeted ads – not all do.
All Spotify users may see the same ads, and these ones happen to be in another language. Although, it’s unusual to have ads in a different language from the content.
Your recent online activities
Think about your recent activities. Did you do anything related to a particular language? Maybe you searched for a football/soccer team or you may have visited a website using auto-translate.
Spotify may think that you speak a certain language based on your recent online activities.
I have a friend who keeps getting Spanish ads (he lives in the United States) after Googling Spanish barbacoa recipes. This means Spotify thinks he speaks the language.
Most of the time, it’s Spotify’s error
Of course, all of the reasons I’ve listed above are all speculation. After countless hours of research, I did not find a single statement from Spotify about this issue.
What I did find is countless users complaining that they have received ads in a different language, which makes me believe this was all just a bug in the system.
The only accountable answer I found on the internet was this:
“Unfortunately, not everything is perfect and there will be a few issues within the system from time to time. I’m sorry that you were pushed Spanish adverts and I will pass on your feedback about this.”
– Spotify moderator
If you receive Spotify ads in a different language, most of the time there is nothing you can do. Apps and software like Spotify will run into issues from time to time.
I actually like listening to foreign Spotify ads because they mix things up. I don’t get the same boring and annoying ads over and over. My advice is to learn to enjoy the ads.
If you can’t stand it, you can always sign up for Spotify Premium.
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