Why Is SoundCloud So Laggy? – Ultimate Fix Guide

Why is SoundCloud so laggy? We’re sorry to hear that you are experiencing a problem listening to the music service. But don’t worry because we’ve got you covered!

As you know, SoundCloud is a good music platform. However, like other services dependent on the Internet, it may lag sometimes.

Here’s a proven way how you can eliminate this lag on the platform once and for all.

If you experience lags while listening to SoundCloud, we’ll help you deal with it!

If you are having trouble streaming on SoundCloud, restart your phone. This will fix temporary bugs and glitches and refresh your connection to the Internet. Doing so will also close background apps to clear your device’s memory.

There are many other ways to fix the lag on your SoundCloud. Before discussing them in detail, let us enumerate why your SoundCloud is laggy.

Reasons Why Is SoundCloud So Laggy

Check for real-time outages and problems if playing tracks become laggy on SoundCloud desktop and mobile.

The slow response may be affecting all users in your area.

Apart from outages, one of the things to look out for whenever your SoundCloud starts to lag is a lack of memory or storage.

Here are some of the possible issues that you can expect with SoundCloud:

1. Too Many Apps Running

Reloading the stream can be slow and clunky if too many apps are running in the background.

These apps are taking up too much space on your device’s memory, causing SoundCloud to lag.

2. Corrupted Cache

Important data files on your app’s and browser’s cache may be corrupted. In this case, you may need to delete and reinstall the app.

3. Storage Issues

Your device may be full. SoundCloud needs at least 100MB in order to operate smoothly. You’ll need more if you decide to download tracks.

4. Connectivity Problems

You may have a slow Internet connection. SoundCloud needs at least 5 Mbps. Make sure you have stable WiFi or 3G connection.

These are some of the reasons your SoundCloud is loading slower than usual.

Once you pinpoint the exact cause, you can apply the best course of action.

How to Fix SoundCloud App Laggy

Before we move on to more complex solutions, let us start with the simplest yet effective method.

A SoundCloud all laggy issue can be easily solved by restarting your phone. This should refresh your phone’s memory and clear up the system.

Simply press the power button, then select Restart. Wait for your device to boot up, then open up SoundCloud again.

It should work smoothly and not give you any more lag problems. However, if it comes back, you’ll have to look into these other solutions:

Solution #1: Sign Out of SoundCloud and Sign Back In

Whenever your SoundCloud start to show signs of lag, one of the first steps you need to do is sign out of the app.

Doing this refreshes your connection with the SoundCloud servers and frees up some processing power.

Things should go back to normal once you sign back in.

Here’s how to sign out of the SoundCloud app:

1. Launch the SoundCloud app on your phone.
2. Select the Library icon on the lower right of the app.
3. Go to your Profile page by tapping your profile picture.
4. Tap on Sign Out.

Note: You can also use the Revoke all and sign out option to log out of your SoundCloud account from all your devices.

Solution #2: Force Close Background Apps to Clear Memory

The SoundCloud app does have issues with optimization. It means that it’s prone to lag issues, especially when there are a lot of background apps open.

If you start to experience lag with the app, it’s wise to check how many apps you have open.

To restore the speed of the SoundCloud app on your phone, you’re going to need to clear your phone’s memory.

To effectively do that, you’ll need to kill and force close all other apps.

Here’s how to force close your background apps:

1. On your phone’s Home screen, swipe up.
2. Select the app preview card of the app you want to close.
3. Swipe the card up out of the screen.
4. Make sure not to do it to the SoundCloud app.
5. Open SoundCloud and check if the lag is gone.

Note: You don't need to close apps every time you run SoundCloud, only when you start to experience lag issues.

Solution #3: Clear the SoundCloud App Data on Your Phone

Another factor that can lead to your SoundCloud app lagging is a lack of storage space. A streaming app such as SoundCloud can use up a whole lot.

It saves data every time you play something, and the space it uses can balloon pretty quickly.

One way to clear up storage space without affecting the other apps on your phone is clearing SoundCloud’s saved data and cache.

It will remove all temporary files related to the app without deleting them from your phone.

Here’s how to clear the SoundCloud app data and cache:

1. Open the SoundCloud app on your phone.
2. Select the Library tab, then your profile icon.
3. Tap on SoundCloud settings.
4. Choose the Basic Settings tab.
5. Select Clear application cache, then Yes

This will remove any corrupted files on your cache that are causing the lag.

Note: After deleting the temporary files, we recommend restarting your phone for the best performance.

Solution #4: Clear the Google Play Services App Cache

SoundCloud relies on Google Play Services a lot. It also fills up the cache for this app quickly, which can cause lag issues.

This is a step that’s easy to overlook until you realize that SoundCloud also uses it for its operations.

Here’s how to clear the cache for Google Play Services:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Navigate to Apps, then See all apps.
3. Scroll down to Google Play Services, then select it.
4. Select Storage.
5. Tap on Clear cache, then Clear data.

Tip: You might also need to do these steps for Google Play Store if it doesn't work out with the Google Play Services app.

Solution #5: Use a Supported Browser for Optimum Performance

SoundCloud’s lag issues aren’t just isolated to its apps. It can also happen on the web version.

It’s not compatible with all browsers, and they do have a list of recommended ones you can use.

The good news is that most major browsers are supported.

However, if you’re using browsers like Brave and you’re a SoundCloud power user, you might want to consider using a supported one.

Here are the browsers that are optimized with SoundCloud:

1. Google Chrome above version 49.
2. Firefox above version 41.
3. Microsoft Edge above version 15.
4. Safari 8 or better.

Note: Updating your browser to the latest version also helps in getting rid of the lag on Soundcloud.

Solution #6: Add SoundCloud as an Exception on Your Firewall

If you continue experiencing lag with SoundCloud, you want to look at your current connection, whether you’re using the app or browser. It’s not that you need it to be faster.

A possibility is that your firewall is blocking SoundCloud and is causing the lag issue. You’ll want to investigate and check your firewall settings if nothing seems to work.

You can add an exception to allow SoundCloud and see if that resolves the laggy performance.

Here’s how to allow SoundCloud through your firewall:

1. Open your computer’s Control Panel.
2. Choose System and Security.
3. Click on Windows Firewall
4. Select Allow an app through the firewall.
5. Find SoundCloud from the list and check the box.

Tip: If you're using a router firewall, you'll need to go into your router's web interface to allow SoundCloud.

Lag is something you really can’t avoid with SoundCloud. However, you can certainly mitigate the effects and frustrations by performing any of the solutions here.

These are easy to follow, and you should be able to resolve them in under 10 minutes.

Contact SoundCloud customer support or get help from Reddit, as power users will likely help you find a suitable fix.

Read Next: How to Play SoundCloud on Sonos?

Bottom Line

Why is SoundCloud so laggy? Now that you know the possible causes and solutions, you can say goodbye to this issue once and for all.

These are all easy fixes, and you should be able to enjoy the platform again after a couple of minutes of troubleshooting it.