Does Spotify use data?

If you are like me, planning a trip and considering your data usage becomes essential, especially when you’re relying on Spotify to keep you entertained during long journeys. So, does Spotify use data?

Exploring the answer helps you make informed decisions about your data plan, ensuring you stay connected without exceeding your limits or facing unexpected charges.

In short, yes, Spotify uses data, and the amount can be up to 120MB per hour. In this article, we will delve more into the intricacies of Spotify’s data consumption. Let’s get started!

Does Spotify use data?

Certainly – Spotify does use mobile data for streaming music, downloading songs for offline listening, and other app functions. Any time you use the Spotify app without a Wi-Fi connection, you are using your mobile plan’s data.

There are a few exceptions to this. For example, if you connect your Spotify app to a Google Home or other wireless speaker, the streaming happens over Wi-Fi and does not tap into your phone’s data. However, controlling playback on a wireless speaker from your phone does use a small amount of data.

Additionally, Spotify has an “Offline Mode” which allows you to download songs over Wi-Fi for listening later without an internet connection. Listening to these offline tracks does not use any data.

I highly recommend using the Esimwise eSIM data plan to steam Spotify while you are away from Wi-Fi. The eSIM supports the best network throughout more than 150 countries. Furthermore, you will have a high-speed 4G/5G/LTE data connection, which can enhance your experience of enjoying your favourite music. 

How much data does Spotify use?

How much data Spotify consumes depends primarily on your streaming audio quality. Spotify allows you to choose between “Low” quality which uses 0.5MB per minute, “Normal” quality that uses 1MB per minute, “High” quality that taps 2MB per minute, and “Very High” maxing out at 3MB per minute.

So listening to Spotify on Normal quality for one hour would use around 60MB of data. Bumping that up to High quality would consume around 120MB per hour instead.

Of course, most people listen to Spotify for more than just one hour per month. Spotify reports that the average user streams about 25 hours of music per month.

• At Normal quality, 25 hours would use about 1.5GB of data.
• At High quality, 25 hours jumps to 3GB of data.
• At Very High, 25 hours uses a hefty 4.5GB.

Other Spotify activities also use data, though minimal amounts:

• Downloading a song for offline listening uses approximately 6MB of data
• Loading and browsing playlists and albums uses 5-100KB
• Watching a 5-minute Spotify video uses about 30MB

So while streaming music makes up the bulk of Spotify’s data demands, other in-app actions contribute as well.

FAQs

   1. Does using Spotify use a lot of data?

Whether Spotify’s data consumption is “a lot” is subjective based on your mobile plan and usage. But streaming 25 hours a month at even Normal quality would use almost 2GB. For moderate and light data users, that’s a substantial chunk!

However, many unlimited data plans today offer upwards of 30GB before throttling. For these heavy data users, Spotify’s couple of gigs a month may seem trivial.

   2. How long will 1GB of data last on Spotify?

If you listen to Spotify on Normal quality, 1GB of data would provide around 11 hours of music streaming.

Switching to High quality would halve the usage to about 5.5 hours per GB. Very High max quality would get you just 3.5 hours of streaming out of each gigabyte.

Of course it takes data to use Spotify beyond just music streaming, so real-world usage may be slightly less per GB. But in general 1GB provides between 3 and 11 hours of Spotify use depending on your chosen sound quality.

   3. How can I listen to Spotify without using data?

Here are 3 tips for avoiding mobile data usage with Spotify:

• Connect on Wi-Fi: At home and work, always use Wi-Fi for streaming, downloading, and app usage rather than mobile data. This includes connecting wireless speakers to Wi-Fi as well.
• Enable offline mode: Spotify’s Offline Mode lets you download songs, albums or playlists over Wi-Fi for listening anytime without data. Toggle it on in Settings.
• Downgrade audio quality: Listen on Low or Normal quality rather than High or Very High to minimize mobile data consumption. In Settings, select Audio Quality to adjust.

Wrap up

I hope this breakdown has shed some light on anyone wondering: “Does Soptify use data?” While streaming does consume data, there are ways to optimize your use of Spotify to minimize that impact. By enabling Offline Mode, connecting on Wi-Fi whenever possible, and potentially downgrading audio quality, you can stream smarter.

What has your experience been with Spotify and mobile data? Do you have any other tips for reducing usage? Let me know in the comments!