Are you an avid Spotify user who immediately searches for new songs you’ve heard recently? Well, I often do this to save them in my search history and later add the songs to Spotify albums or playlists. But the problem is that Spotify’s recent searches sometimes disappear without a trace, leaving users like us super annoyed.
Unfortunately, if you’ve accidentally deleted your recent searches, there isn’t much you can do. However, if it’s an external issue like an app glitch or some third-party apps altering your cache settings, there might be some quick fixes. In this article, we’ll delve into why have Spotify recent searches disappeared and explore how you can resolve this issue.
Why Have Spotify Recent Searches Disappeared?
Although a number of users have encountered Spotify search history getting deleted automatically, it doesn’t appear to be a widespread issue. I hadn’t faced anything like this until recently, and that got me thinking, “What’s going on here?“
Here are some insights from Spotify users on why recent searches may disappear suddenly.
A Change of Device
When switching to a new device like a smartphone, tablet, or PC, your Spotify recent searches may sometimes disappear. Typically, Spotify does a good job of syncing your history across all connected devices. However, there’s a chance your recent searches won’t transfer.
This happens because Spotify associates recent searches with device cache, and when you change devices, you only transfer the source files, not the cache. While a clean reinstall of the Spotify app might help, there’s no guarantee that the cache file will be completely restored.
Task Management Apps
Some task management apps on your device can be a bit too aggressive in managing background processes. These apps may clear Spotify’s cached data, including recent searches, without warning. To keep your Spotify search history unscathed, consider removing Spotify from these apps’ optimization routines.
Cache Cleaning Settings
Some smartphones have features like “Clear cache on exit” that could erase your recent searches every time you exit the Spotify app. Besides, the cookie settings in Spotify Web may have a part to play in deleting your search history.
Review these settings and disable any features that might interfere with your Spotify data.
Spotify App Glitch or Bugs
Sometimes, the issue might not be on your end at all. Like any other app, Spotify encounters glitches, especially with new updates. Some users have reported losing their recent searches after core updates and UI changes.
Fortunately, these issues are typically addressed promptly by the Spotify team. So, be patient, give it a couple of days, and then log back into your Spotify account to check whether your search history has been restored.
How to Fix Spotify Recent Searches Disappeared? [And Ways to Prevent Disappearing]
Bringing back Spotify search history isn’t always guaranteed. The steps I’ll discuss in this section are more likely to prevent searches from disappearing than to bring them back.
However, you can try the following troubleshoots to increase your odds.
Log Out and Log In Your Spotify Account
Logging out and back in can often resolve minor glitches on the Spotify app. You have two options for logging out: either log out of individual devices or choose the “Sign out everywhere” option.
To log out of a single device, follow these steps:
- Open the Spotify app on your mobile or PC.
- Navigate to Settings (mobile app) or Profile (PC and web player).
- Scroll to the bottom of the Settings page.
- Select “Log out.”
To sign out of all devices linked to your Spotify account, log into the Spotify account page, go to the Security and Privacy tab, and click on Sign out everywhere.
Then, you can start logging into the devices individually with your Spotify account credentials.
Re-install the Spotify App
Sometimes, the best solution is the simplest one. Yes, a simple re-install can recover Spotify’s recent searches if it’s happening due to a minor system glitch.
First, log out of your account and uninstall the app from your device. Restart your device and install the latest version of the Spotify app. Log back in using your account credentials and check whether the search history has been restored.
If this doesn’t help, you can try a clean reinstall of the Spotify app. However, keep in mind that this process will wipe off all your downloaded songs and podcasts and reset Spotify settings back to default.
This process definitely comes with risks, and it doesn’t guarantee to bring back your disappeared recent searches. But it’s the most recommended fix I came across to prevent Spotify from deleting search history automatically.
Disable Storage-cleaning Apps
Almost all devices now come with built-in storage cleaning features. However, these features are well-optimized not to temper with essential cache files, like app search history.
But you may start having problems if you’re using a third-party cache-cleaning app like CCleaner, Smart Cleaner, etc. These apps may start erasing important cache files, including Spotify’s recent searches. Go to the Settings of the storage cleaning app and add Spotify to the list of apps that should not be cleaned.
Check the Cookies Settings on Your Browser
Cookies store essential data for the Spotify web player. Spotify uses this data to understand your browsing habits and recommend personalized music picks. Although cookies have very little to do with recent searches, you can not rule out the possibility entirely.
If you’re using Google Chrome, you can check whether the browser is blocking any cookies. Open Chrome browser, go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Site Settings > Cookies and Site data, and check if any cookies settings are blocked.
Also, make sure Spotify is not added under “Always clear cookies when windows are closed” or “Sites that can never use cookies” tabs.
Disable Offline Mode
Spotify Offline mode has nothing to do with cleaning search history, per se. However, Offline Mode is only limited to downloaded Spotify playlists. So, every time you try searching for a new song, you will see a message saying, “Go online to search again” instead of recently searched songs.
Spotify search history should be restored automatically when you go back online. If it doesn’t, consider disabling Offline mode to prevent this from happening further. To disable offline mode, open the Spotify app, go to Settings, and toggle off the Offline mode switch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover deleted recent searches on Spotify?
Unfortunately, no. Once the search history is deleted, whether it’s accidental or intentional, those searches are gone for good.
Does Spotify delete search history automatically?
Spotify sometimes automatically removes the oldest searches to make room for new ones.
Did Spotify remove the Recently Searched feature?
No, the recent search history is still available on Spotify. If it’s not showing on your device, try the fixes we discussed in this article to fix the issue.
Does reinstalling Spotify restore recent searches?
A simple uninstall and reinstall may help. But a clean reinstall is recommended by most users to fix the issue if it’s related to software glitches. Be sure to keep a list of your previously downloaded songs and playlists before proceeding with a clean reinstall. After the reinstall, you can check the list and re-download the content again.
How to recover Spotify history if you did not delete it?
To try and restore Spotify history, you can start simply by logging out and logging in to the device or a quick re-install. If that doesn’t work, try re-installing the app and turning off Offline mode. Although this won’t restore previous searches, you can try a clean reinstall to delete any corrupted cache file and start the recent searches anew.
Conclusion
Losing your Spotify recent searches can be frustrating. Whether you’re using Spotify on your mobile device or computer, the troubleshooting guides I discussed in this article can save you from the hassle of facing it again. And if you are truly lucky, you may be able to restore your lost Spotify search history. Keep on trying, and let us know which method works for you.
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