My morning routine has never been complete without an early jog, a cup of coffee, and…
Spotify to give me a soundtrack for the day.
But it’s too wasteful to invest in mobile data every day just to get music.
If only there were a way to listen to Spotify offline.
Oh, wait…
Keep reading to discover:
- 5 quick steps to listen to Spotify without the internet.
- Which settings you have to tweak to get Spotify offline.
- What’s the reason Spotify keeps deleting your downloads.
- 9 reasons why you can’t listen to Spotify offline and how to fix it.
- And so much more…
Can you listen to Spotify offline?
You can listen to Spotify offline with a subscription. Spotify Premium allows you to download music so you can listen to them later. After subscribing, all you have to do is enable permissions and disable restrictions. You’ll be able to download songs after doing those.
How to listen to Spotify offline? 5 steps
#1: Subscribe to Spotify Premium
Okay, first things first:
You need to subscribe to Spotify Premium.
Without premium, you wouldn’t be able to listen to offline music.
And, you know what else you can get with premium? These:
- Get rid of ads.
- Unlimited skips.
- Better audio quality at 320 Kbps.
- Listen anywhere, even overseas.
- Play any song you want. (No more shuffle-only.)
Sounds like a good deal, am I right?
So now, how do you get Spotify Premium? Simply:
- Open your Spotify app.
- Press the Premium button on the lower right corner.
- Select your plan.
- Tap Get Started to confirm.
- Complete your payment details.
And you’re good to go.
Note: If you’re an iOS or PC user, you might’ve noticed that the instructions above don’t apply to you.
What you’ll have to do instead is to go to their website and register for Spotify Premium there.
But don’t fret. The steps are the same as I outlined above. The only difference is you’re on a browser instead of the app.
Pro tip: Are you a student? If so, subscribe to the student plan. For just $4.99 (in the USA), you’ll also have access to:
- Hulu.
- SHOWTIME.
- Spotify Premium.
#2: Enable permissions
Note: This only applies to Android phones. iOS devices have storage automatically available for every app.
Sometimes, when you install an app, do you get those pop-ups asking you for permissions?
And, be honest, do you sometimes ignore it and go straight to using your app?
I do. And for no good reason other than laziness.
And it’s okay if you do too.
However, to use Spotify offline, the app needs location and storage permissions.
Here’s how you can do that:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap See All Apps.
- Select Spotify.
- Press Permissions.
- Go to both Location and Storage.
- Select Allow to both.
You may also be interested in: Alexa Won’t Play Spotify
#3: Disable mobile data restrictions
To listen to Spotify offline, you’ll need to download the songs.
And to do that, you’ll need to disable restrictions that’ll prevent you from downloading music.
That includes the mobile data restrictions.
Now, you might say:
“What restrictions? I never restricted anything on my Spotify app.”
You’re correct. Spotify themselves enabled this.
Why?
Because they want to protect your data consumption.
So, if you want to download songs using cellular data, do the following:
- Open your Spotify app.
- Go to the Settings menu.
- Scroll down until you see Audio Quality.
- Toggle on Download Using Cellular.
#4: Download media
Now that we’re done with all the preparation…
It’s time for the main reason you’re here.
And that’s to learn how to download music.
Quite frankly, this part’s the easiest.
All you need to do is:
- Go to your Spotify’s home screen.
- Press the Search button.
- Type and enter the music you want to download.
- Tap the three vertical dots next to your music.
- Select Download.
See? It’s that easy.
#5: Go Offline Mode
Lastly, your Spotify should be in Offline Mode.
Why?
Think of it this way:
When you’re not in Offline Mode, you’ll still see all of the other content Spotify has to offer.
That means that your downloaded music will be buried deep within other music.
Offline Mode only shows you the content you’ve downloaded and hides everything else.
Pretty convenient, huh? Now, to enable this mode, start with:
- Open your Spotify app.
- Go to the Settings menu.
- Scroll down until you see Playback.
- Toggle on Offline Mode.
Now go back to your Spotify home screen.
Everything else should either be greyed out or hidden.
If you ever find yourself confused by this process. That’s okay.
You can watch this video instead:
Can you listen to Spotify offline without premium?
You can listen to Spotify offline without premium, but not with music. Instead, you’ll be able to download podcast episodes.
Why can’t I listen to Spotify offline? 9 causes & fixes
#1: Maximum amount of songs
When you press the Download button, does it automatically stop?
In that case, chances are, you’ve reached the maximum amount of song downloads on your account.
I know what you’re going to ask next:
“How many songs am I allowed to download on my account?”
The exact number is 10,000.
And it’s a pretty big number. And you’re likely never going to reach that amount.
But, just in case, how can you fix this issue?
Note: Spotify allows up to 5 devices per Premium account. The 10,000 song limit isn’t per device but account.
What you can do
Delete your songs. How?
Go to the song you want to delete and press the Download button next to it.
However, what if you want to delete your entire library and start from scratch?
Simple. Delete Spotify’s cache.
Cache refers to an app’s collected user data. This should also include the app’s downloaded media.
But here’s something you should know before you delete your cache…
Note: Be sure to have your Spotify login information. Deleting the cache will log you out of your account.
That sounds good to you? Then here’s how to get rid of your Spotify’s cache:
Android
- Open your phone’s Settings menu.
- Scroll down and select App Management or Applications.
- Go to App List or See All Apps.
- Select Spotify.
- Head to Storage Usage.
- Tap both Clear Cache and Clear Data.
iOS
- Open your Spotify app.
- Go to the Settings menu.
- Head to Storage.
- Tap Delete Cache.
#2: Insufficient storage
Is there an app on your phone that you’re keeping but haven’t used in months, maybe years?
Don’t worry. Almost all of us do.
Here’s the thing, though:
Good music takes up space.
Sometimes, Spotify can’t download media because there’s too much stuff on your phone.
When that happens, follow these:
What you can do
Delete unused apps and media files.
These files include:
- Documents.
- Bloatware or pre-installed apps on your device.
- Movies or shows downloaded on your phone or PC.
Furthermore, invest in an SD card if you’re using a phone.
External storage allows your phone to have more space to download more music or podcast.
Moreover, you can also lower the quality of your downloads on Spotify. Doing so lessens the space it eats.
How?
- Open your Spotify app.
- Go to your Settings menu.
- Scroll down to Audio Quality.
- Tap Download Quality.
- Select Low or Normal.
There’s also 1 more way you can fix this issue. And that’s to factory reset your phone.
Warning: Consider this method a last resort. Performing a factory reset will delete all of your apps, contacts, and data.
Android
Pro tip: It’s always good practice to back up your phone when you factory reset.
- Open your Settings menu.
- Head to System.
- Press Reset Options.
- Tap Erase All Data.
- Enter your PIN.
- Select Erase All Data again to confirm factory reset.
iOS
- Open your Settings menu.
- Head to General.
- Press Reset.
- Tap Erase All Contents and Settings.
- Enter your passcode.
- Select Enter to confirm reset.
#3: Listen to music more
Ironically, 1 of the reasons you can’t listen to your downloaded music is…
You’re not listening enough.
See, Spotify automatically deletes your data when you don’t log in every 30 days.
Why?
Because your account has been tagged inactive and ready for termination.
How can you remedy this? Well…
What you can do
When you don’t log in to your account for 30 days…
Your Spotify Premium has most likely expired.
So, all you need to do is resubscribe and then redownload all of your deleted songs.
#4: Cellular data restrictions
Once, I wanted to download a song on Spotify, but…
Every time I press the download button, I’m redirected to the Settings page.
And it just kept happening.
I got so confused that I nearly pulled all of my hair out.
Until I realized something as I was looking around the park…
“Oh, yeah. I’m not at home. I’m using mobile data.”
You see, Spotify has ‘download with mobile data’ automatically disabled.
And you’ll have to turn it on by:
Enabling download using mobile data
For this, all you’ll need to do is enable download through cellular data.
Follow our instructions under “#3: Disable mobile data restrictions” if you need a guide.
#5: Subscription has expired
We forget to pay our bills sometimes. It happens.
Sometimes, it’s not your electricity or water that’s affected.
But the music that colors your otherwise dreary day.
When you forget to pay your subscription, they automatically delete the songs on your app.
And yes, without any warning.
What you can do
Resubscribe.
After that, all of your music should either be restored or downloaded again.
#6: Permission restrictions
If you’re trying to download a song and a pop-up appears, that can only mean 1 thing…
You haven’t allowed your Spotify to access your storage yet.
But chill. The fix won’t take long.
What you can do
Edit your permissions. How?
Follow our guide above under “#2: Enable permissions.”
#7: Media no longer available
Check the playlist where your download is.
Is the song greyed out?
Then, take a peek at the artist’s profile. Is the rest of their discography greyed out as well?
That means that the artist has pulled all of their music from Spotify.
“Wait, they can do that?”
Yes, they can. And it’s not uncommon, actually.
For years, Spotify couldn’t carry Taylor Swift songs. That’s because she removed her body of music from the app. Why?
Because she felt like Spotify doesn’t compensate small artists enough.
And she’s not alone in pulling songs out of Spotify due to principle.
Most recently, Joni Mitchell removed her music on Spotify. That’s due to the company’s support of Joe Rogan.
What you can do
Sadly, there’s nothing you can do about this.
But you can keep supporting the artist as they migrate to a different platform.
#8: It’s on a different device
Let me ask you a question:
Are you trying to listen to Spotify offline on the same device you downloaded your music in?
I imagine that most of you will say yes.
But that doesn’t mean that it’s unanimous.
And to you who answered no, here’s the thing:
You can’t listen to your downloaded music because your device doesn’t have it.
Spotify saves music by encrypting them to your local storage.
That means you can only access them on the device you used to download them.
What you can do
You can’t transfer Spotify songs from 1 device to another.
The best you can do is download the song in both devices.
#9: Outdated Spotify
Lastly, when’s the last time you updated your Spotify?
If your answer is:
“It’s been a while.”
You have to do it now. Why?
Digital bugs happen.
Not every system will be perfect.
That’s why developers constantly create patches for their apps to fix these bugs.
And they deploy these patches via software updates.
Got it? Good. Now, all you have to do is:
What you can do:
- Go to your App Store or Play Store.
- Tap the search bar.
- Type and enter “Spotify.”
- Select Spotify.
- Press Update.
After that, you should be able to use your Spotify properly.
BONUS: Unknown error
Sometimes, we don’t know what went wrong.
But that’s okay.
Not everything in life needs answers.
And certainly not on Spotify.
What you can do
In this case, all you can do is leave it to the professionals.
Contact Spotify Support here.