How Much Data Does Spotify Use: All You Need

In today’s data-driven world, understanding your mobile app usage is crucial for managing your data consumption. Among the popular music streaming services, Spotify stands out as a favourite for many. However, one common question that arises among Spotify users is: how much data does Spotify use? In this article, we’ll explore the factors that influence Spotify’s data usage and provide insights into how you can optimize your listening experience while minimizing data consumption.

Key Summary

Spotify consumes far less data than video streaming services and likely far less than most people believe.

The Spotify Android app offers five sound quality options: “Low” (24 kbps), “Normal” (96kbps), “High” (160 kbps), “Very high” (320 kbps), and Automatic (depending on your network connection). It’s worth noting that the “Very High” option is available only to Spotify Premium subscribers.

How Much Data Does Spotify Streaming Use per Hour?

At most, 144 MB per hour.

Streaming music on Spotify can consume between 10MB and 144MB per hour. It all depends on the audio quality of the stream.

Spotify offers five audio quality settings: Low, Normal, High, Very High, and Automatic. The automatic setting is recommended for most users because it adjusts the audio quality based on the strength of your network connection. If your internet connection is slow, the audio quality will suffer to avoid buffering and interruptions. On the other end of the spectrum, Very High quality is a 320kbps stream available only to Spotify Premium subscribers. The Spotify app settings allow you to adjust the audio quality.

How to Change the Audio Quality in Spotify:

If you haven’t already, launch the Spotify app and sign in.
Select the Gear icon.
Scroll all the way down to the Audio Quality section.
You can adjust the audio quality for various situations here. Wi-Fi streaming, cellular streaming, and download are examples of these.
Make your selections by tapping on the drop-down menus next to each section.

Spotify does not provide specific data usage figures. Because each stream is unique, even though we can provide rough data usage estimates based on the bitrate of each quality tier, data usage is likely to fluctuate.

Does Spotify Premium Use Data?

Yes. Paying for Spotify Premium not only consumes data, but it also has the potential to consume even more data because it unlocks the Very High Audio Quality option, which consumes significantly more data than the other three options.

Does Spotify use a lot of data?

Spotify consumes relatively little data, especially when compared to video streaming services, which can consume up to 7GB per hour at a time. In extreme cases, it can consume up to 144MB per hour, but only when using the Very High Audio quality option.

Spotify vs. Alternatives

To get a better understanding of Spotify’s data consumption scale, let’s compare it to Amazon Music and Apple Music.

Amazon Music Streaming

Amazon Music, like Spotify, provides its users with a variety of audio quality options, which typically range from 320 to 480 Kbps. Compared to Spotify, Amazon Music tends to stream audio at a higher quality level. Streaming audio music on Amazon Music, on the other hand, can consume nearly 400 MB per hour at premium quality audio settings due to enhanced quality settings.

iTunes Music Store

Apple Music, like other relevant online music streaming platforms, consumes data based on the audio quality selected. Using the 4G network to stream music or use the Karaoke mode on the app will consume approximately 15 MB every 10 minutes. This figure may vary depending on the network and internet server being used. Furthermore, streaming music on Apple Music at 256 Kbps in high-quality audio settings will take 230 MB on Wi-Fi and 75 MB on mobile networks.

Does Spotify Premium use data to download songs?

Spotify Premium subscribers can download music that can be effectively assessed while offline. This offline mode is handy when a person is travelling or in a location that does not have adequate internet coverage. Depending on the length and size of the song, downloading it consumes data. Furthermore, the downloaded songs necessitate storage space on your device. However, once downloaded, the songs consume no data when accessed in offline mode.

This Spotify feature allows users to listen to their favourite artists even when not connected to the internet. Furthermore, it is a data-efficient measure that every user must consider.

How Can I Reduce Spotify’s Data Consumption?

Streaming music on Spotify may appear to be a low-risk data consumption activity, especially when compared to other forms of media. However, if you are a heavy music listener and use Spotify on a regular basis, it may consume a significant amount of your data if left unchecked. Make use of the following tips to help you reduce Spotify data usage:

#1. Download Songs Ahead of Time via Wi-Fi

If you have access to Wi-Fi at home or at work, make use of the internet services to download the songs you want. To download the song featured on Spotify, disable mobile data connectivity in your mobile settings and connect to a relevant Wi-Fi server.

#2. Modify Your Spotify Settings

To monitor data consumption on Spotify, users should enable the Automatic Audio Quality settings. Sure, listening to your favourite song on the Very High Audio Quality Setting is fantastic; however, turning on the Auto setting will help you save valuable data in the long run. As a result, if you’re running low on data, consider activating the Low Audio Quality setting, which is data-efficient and reduces buffering issues throughout.

#3. Enable the Data Saver

Furthermore, Spotify has a Data Server option that can be activated by navigating through the settings options on the main menu screen. By enabling this option, you will be able to stream music at a rate of 24 kbps. It also disables the graphics and artist canvases that appear on the app. To enable this mode, follow these steps:

On the top-right side of the home screen, select the settings option.
Select the Data Saver option.
Turn on the Data Saver mode to activate the setting.

#4. Turn Off Autoplay

Spotify also has an improved Autoplay feature that allows users to listen to music without interruptions. The function improves the media consumption experience. However, turning off this mode will help you save a significant amount of data. To disable autoplay, follow these steps:

Select the Spotify App Icon.
On the top-right of the Home screen, tap the Settings icon.
Navigate to the Autoplay feature and disable it by clicking on it.

#5. Turn off Videos in Podcasts

Spotify is a one-of-a-kind platform that not only provides high-quality audio streaming but also features popular podcast channels. People can listen to podcast episodes in video format on Spotify at their leisure. Streaming podcast videos on Spotify, on the other hand, consumes a lot of data. Only on a mobile device can you deactivate this setting on your Spotify account. To disable videos on Spotify, follow these steps:

Launch the Spotify app and select the “Gear” settings icon in the upper-right corner of the screen.
Go to the Video Podcasts section.
Set the options to “Download Audio Only.”

Keep in mind that Featured Video Podcasts only play videos when the screen is active. Users can exit the Spotify app or turn off the power button to stop video streaming while audio continues to play.

#6. Track Data Use by Spotify

Individuals must track their daily media consumption habits on Spotify in order to effectively reduce Spotify data usage. Using the application for a specific period of time can assist in segmenting data usage. Furthermore, tracking and analyzing data usage figures on your respective devices can help you plan your data consumption needs.

Why can’t I use Spotify’s Very high audio quality?

Spotify Premium subscribers have access to the Very High setting. You won’t be able to use it if you’re using the free version of the service.

Will I notice a difference in audio quality between Low and other Spotify audio quality settings?

It all depends on how sensitive your ear is, what you’re listening to, and how much attention you’re paying. Lower settings aren’t necessarily bad, but if you have a higher-end speaker, such as an Echo Studio or HomePod, you won’t get the full effect unless you set it to Very high. The same is true for headphones or earbuds.

Is there an auto-shutdown feature in Spotify?

You can use Spotify’s sleep timer to ensure that your music turns off before it consumes more data than you’d like.