With over 345 million total users, 155 million of which are paying subscribers, to say that Spotify is popular would be an understatement. Boasting a library of over 70 million songs is quite a respectable feat. So if you think that your account may have been hacked, there’s a chance that you may be right.
“I do think someone has been using my account. How do I tell and what do I do to make it stop?”
Hijacking random premium accounts have become a focus for hackers who can’t be bothered to pay a monthly fee. After all, it doesn’t get more free than free. The incursion could come from anyone. A stranger, a family member, or an ex you forgot to remove from your account. Don’t worry, it happens. Regardless, you want them off of your Spotify account.
Reinforcing Your Spotify Account Security
There are a lot of ways to secure your Spotify account. Follow through each section of this article to achieve maximum security and removed any unwanted pests from your account.
Change Your Password
The first thing you’ll want to do to rid yourself of unwelcome visitors from the Swedish music, podcast, and video streaming service, is to:
- Log in to your account and change your password.
- If you’re unable to log in, you’ve likely received an email asking about a password change. It’s possible that you’ve deleted it and if that is the case, you’re going to have to create a new password. From the login page, click on the Forgot your password? link and follow the onscreen instructions.
- If you’re unable to receive a verification email, the hacker may have changed your account email on file. To rectify this issue, you’ll need to get a hold of Spotify Support. Have your username and email address ready for verification purposes. They will also ask for additional details as proof of account ownership.
- Ensure that the new password that you choose is one that is both complex and strong. Use a combination of capital and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols to create something unique.
Updating your password to something unique with a series of letters, numbers, and symbols will ensure that your account is now secure. However, there are still a few things you’ll want to do to prevent future infiltration.
Verify That Your Account Information Has Not Been Altered
The next step is to make sure that your account information has not been altered. You’re looking for anything out of the ordinary as hackers will, in many circumstances, change an account’s information. This serves to help them maintain control of your account, especially when changing the email address.
- Head to your Account Overview
- Go through each detailed piece of information carefully.
- Just below, you can see which plan you currently subscribe to. If it has been changed, contact Spotify Support right away.
When a hacker changes your registered email address, they are essentially blocking you out. Any attempt at a password reset will be directed back to them. Luckily, you can always contact Spotify Support for help in retrieving what was lost.
Unauthorized Apps and Devices
After you’ve checked your basic profile information and made sure that you aren’t being charged for more than intended, you’ll need to check the connected Apps. A hacker may have connected a profile from an app that you don’t recognize. To remove it, follow these steps:
- Open your Spotify Settings
- Click on Connected Apps
- Click on the Revoke Access button. To regain access through this app will require the user to login with the appropriate credentials, which if you’ve been following this guide from the jump, means your new password.
Sign Out Everywhere
If your email had been compromised but you managed to make it back on through your synced Facebook account, you should make sure to sign out everywhere. Those whose devices have been removed and don’t know your new password will be unable to regain access.
- Head back to the “Account Overview” tab.
- Scroll to find the Sign Out Everywhere button.
- Click it and every device that is currently logged into your account will be booted out.
Other Security Measures
Sometimes, before your account is victimized, the attacker has already compromised your information elsewhere through the use of malware.
If your machine has been infected, everything done up to this point may have been for naught. Any changes made can be seen by the hacker because the malware on your device will simply capture it and send it back. The best bet is to run anti-virus software to look for any malware on your machine to quarantine and remove the threat as soon as possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
You online security is of utmost importance. If you still have questions about protecting your Spotify account, we have the answers here!
Can I sign out of only one device?
Unfortunately not without having direct access to that device. If you do, simply click on ‘Profile’ and ‘Sign Out’ from a web browser or the Settings Cog (in the upper right-hand corner) and ‘Log Out’ from the Spotify app.
As we’ve seen with a lot of streaming services, there’s no option to sign out of only one device remotely. You will have to sign out of all devices as mentioned above, then sign back in on the device you’d like to continue listening to Spotify on.
Does Spotify offer two-factor authentication?
Unfortunately no. Although we aren’t sure why (it’s a particularly useful security feature), the company stated they are working on bringing the feature to Spotify users.
In the meantime, you will receive updates via email about changes to your account. It’s imperative that you regularly check your account page on Spotify to ensure the email address is correct. If you get a new email, be sure to update it on your Spotify account.
If I kick someone off of my account, will they be notified?
No. Account communications only go to the account owner and the contact information on file. The user will open their app or web browser only to find that they’ve been logged out. Assuming you updated your password, they will get an incorrect password error.
Wrapping Up
While having your Spotify account be used by someone you’d rather not use it is frustrating, it’s not the end of the world. Whether it is an ex or a hacker, hopefully you feel better about reclaiming your Spotify account’s security. Do you have any questions, experience, or tips related to kicking someone off of your Spotify account? Leave a comment in the section below.