Tag: wifi

Offline Backup Keeps the Music Going When Your Connection Goes Missing

October 3, 2024

Have you ever hopped on a plane only to realize you forgot to download your favorite playlist? Are you looking for ways to save data with your data plan while still listening to your favorite artists? When the need for music is high and you find yourself offline, Spotify has you covered. Beginning today, we’re launching Offline Backup, bringing Premium users another way to keep listening to music offline, no downloads required.

Offline Backup takes your queued and recently streamed tracks and creates one easy-to-access playlist that is unique to you. To do this, we include tracks already stored on your device as part of your regular listening on Spotify (also known as cache). If you’re looking for a certain vibe, you can filter and sort songs within the playlist by artist, mood, and even genre—and Offline Backup evolves as you continue to listen, so you’ll always have something new. 

For the times that you forget to download your favorite audio, Offline Backup gives you another way to access music without using any extra data or storage. 

After testing Offline Backup with users last year and receiving positive feedback, we’re excited to offer this to Premium users globally. Offline Backup will begin rolling out on Android and iOS this week, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

How to use Offline Backup:

  • Offline Backup will appear automatically in the Home feed anytime you’re offline.
    • Make sure you’ve listened to more than five songs recently and have offline listening enabled. Find this under Settings and then Data Saving and Offline or Storage. Look for the Offline Listening toggle.
  • You can add Offline Backup to Your Library for easy access at any time.
  • Can’t find Offline Backup? Make sure your Spotify app is updated to the latest version. 

Our goal is to create a seamless listening experience for users, no matter where they are or how they choose to listen. 

Get even more out of your listening experience with 5 Spotify Premium Hacks You Need To Know.

How to Download and Listen to Music and Podcasts — Offline and On the Go

May 24, 2019

Sunscreen; check. Hat; check. Playlists; ready for anything—even a vacation destination without Wi-Fi.

Being completely disconnected from Wi-Fi and data—whether in an airplane or rustic cabin in the woods—doesn’t mean you need to be without your favorite music or podcasts. If you’re a Premium subscriber, it only takes a few simple steps while you’re still at home and on Wi-Fi to download your favorite content and ensure it’s available when you go off the grid or up in the air.

First, if you’d like to use Wi-Fi to download, go to Settings > Music Quality > Download Using Cellular and check that the feature is set to the default “off.” From there, it’s easy to download tracks and podcasts on your cell phone, tablet, or iPad:

  1. Search for the content you want
  2. Select the playlist, album, or podcast you want to listen to offline
  3. Switch the download toggle ON—it will turn green so you know it’s working
  4. Once tracks in your library are downloaded, you’ll see a little green arrow below each song name
  5. Connect your headphones and start listening, no matter where you are!

If you’re using Spotify on desktop, but still want to take those songs or podcast episodes with you on your mobile device:

  1. Select songs to download automatically to your device by clicking the plus symbol next to any track
  2. That plus symbol will turn into a checkmark, which means the song will sync to your phone next time it’s connected to WiFi
  3. If you’re looking to organize your downloads, now’s the time! Using your computer to organize tracks into a playlist before you go can be a bit easier

Note that if you’re seeing songs grayed out when you’re offline, it means they’re not downloaded and you won’t be able to play them without Wi-Fi. (It might be a good idea to experiment with going online before you board the plane.) To see everything you’ve downloaded on your phone, check out the “Downloads” tab under “Your Library” on mobile.

Also know that there’s a maximum to the number of songs and podcasts you can download per device. If you do hit the limit, you can always go back and remove some existing downloads.

Plus, keep in mind that in order for Premium subscribers to keep all downloads available, you’ll need to connect your phone to Wi-Fi at least once every 30 days. So if you’re on an extended hiking trip, just make sure to connect to Wi-Fi at least once per month if you want to keep streaming.

For more tips about offline listening, ask a Rock Star for assistance on our Community page.

Get excited for your upcoming trip with our Soak up the Sun playlist, or plan to catch up on the latest Lore. (And if you want to take them with you on your travels, don’t forget to download now.)