AUDIOBOOK TIME RUNS OUT WITHIN 10 HOURS!

[EOak23]

Plan - premium 

Country - USA

Device - iPad&iPhone 

My Question or Issue

I have had Spotify premium for a long time and have recently started using the audiobook feature. Supposedly this feature comes with 15 hours of audiobook time… I have yet to get through an 8 hour book before I get prompted to buy more time to finish my book… you can look at my account. I have purchased additional audiobook time more than once, and have only listened to a few books less than 10 hours each. I just listen to my first audiobook in a month and was told I ran out of time seven hours in to a 10 hour book…. Which I don’t know if you understand math, but that does not add up to 15 hours of listening time. 7.5 hrs is not equal to 15hrs. That is not, including how fast I listen to the book that is simply normal time. The audiobook is listed at. Please fix this.

[EOak23]

Hey there folks,

Thanks to everyone that's taken the time to post in this thread!

We'd like to investigate what's happening with the playback time and in order to do so, we'll need to gather some details. 

It'd be very helpful if you could share the following:

• Does the same behavior persist when you're logged in to your account on another device (mobile, desktop etc.)? Meaning, do you still see that you've used up the audiobook listening time? To see how you can check the remaining audiobook listening hours across devices head over to this article.
• The exact Spotify version you're using.
• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?
• Have you ever changed to a higher playback speed?
• Have you used the Sleep timer function when listening to audiobooks?

Appreciate the cooperation and we'll be on the lookout 🙂

[EOak23]

Hey folks,

Thanks for your replies and apologies for the radio silence on our end.

In order for us to report this to our tech team, we'd need the info requested previously by @Ivelina along with a few more details:

• The make and model of the devices you've listened on
• Link(s) to the audiobook(s) that was/were streamed.
• The date on which you've received the notification.

We'd like to point out again that repeating/rewinding a chapter still counts towards your total listening time and that we count the hours of audiobook content (played at normal speed), not the hours spent listening (i.e. 10 hours of content at 2x speed is still 10 hours of listening time), so please confirm that there's still a noticeable discrepancy even when those factors are accounted for.

Thank you again for your help in investigating this!

[Maxim]

Hey @EOak23,

Thanks for coming to the Community.

Used audiobook listening time is counted based on each playback of a book at normal (1x) speed.

This means that adjusting the speed of the playback won't affect the amount of audiobook listening time included/remaining in the plan and if you re-listen to a book, or part of a book, this listening time will still be deducted as normal. 

Also, if you listen to audiobooks before falling asleep, it's recommended to use a sleep timer so that you don't miss out on any listening hours.

I hope this clears things up! 🙂

[EOak23]

yes, I’m aware. But as stated my books have been less than 10 hours. Period. Not playback at 10 hours. The audiobook was not 15 hours. Ever. So, if it’s less than the allotted 15 hour period and I still have yet to make it through a single book without getting kicked off and told to buy more time… how can you explain that? 

[EOak23]

So my current theory is that it is eating up my play time when paused… maybe. Because I rarely replay. I have been listening to short thrillers. So idk how one 8-10 hour (once again, at normal playback speed) book could possibly rack up 15 hours of time considering that I listen to books while working. And my shift is not 15 hours. 

[EOak23]

One of the books in question. Made it 7 hours before being kicked off and told I used up my time… all 15 hours magically disappeared after 7 hours of this book playing constantly through my day.

[Maxim]

Hey @EOak23,

Thanks for all the info.

I recommend that you monitor your available listening hours closely during your next billing cycle. Just make sure that you have 15 hours available at the beginning, then start listening, and at the end of the day, check how many hours you have left.

To rule out that a different device is using your account as well as your listening hours, it might be worth logging out everywhere here. Just to be safe.

Thanks, and let me know how it goes! 🙂

[ewhitc]

The same exact thing is happening to me it's giving me like 1/3 of what I pay for. I only use it on my computer when I am doing house projects and at no other time - I haven't even finished a 6 hour book and supposedly my 15 hours for the month are done. I contacted customer service and it was like talking to a wall

[katevicks]

Yep - mine ran out around 10 hours too at 1x speed. Seems a little like false advertising to me…

[Wolveshavenokings]

Exact same happened to me this month. After using about 9 hours it said I was at 13. Then I used it for fifteen more minutes and it said I was ripped out at 15! They're trying to scam people into buying more hours and the customer service is absolutely useless when you complain. 

[Eggcheese]

Mine keeps saying I have run out of listening time yet it says I have listened to 0 hours. 

[xara2]

Mine ran out after about 2.5 hours of listening. I've never used a spotify audiobook before, and I didn't know there was a time limit as spotify advertised the book as "free with premium", and now I'm hit with a huge fee out of nowhere. I have no idea how I used up 15 hours of listening time unless time paused counts. An awful experience.

[Xsesiv]

Exact same issue with me. I barely made it through a 9hr book with normal hours plus rollover from the previous month where I purchased additional time!

The math ain’t mathing Spotify, I’ll be chasing this. 

[sharkmom]

I purchased the top up hours but no one can show me where they are in my account and when I used them. They just say they were used up!

[BeckiL]

The same thing happened to me. There is no evidence my top up hours were used but they are somehow gone 

[Ivelina]

Hey there folks,

Thanks to everyone that's taken the time to post in this thread!

We'd like to investigate what's happening with the playback time and in order to do so, we'll need to gather some details. 

It'd be very helpful if you could share the following:

• Does the same behavior persist when you're logged in to your account on another device (mobile, desktop etc.)? Meaning, do you still see that you've used up the audiobook listening time? To see how you can check the remaining audiobook listening hours across devices head over to this article.
• The exact Spotify version you're using.
• What troubleshooting steps have you tried so far?
• Have you ever changed to a higher playback speed?
• Have you used the Sleep timer function when listening to audiobooks?

Appreciate the cooperation and we'll be on the lookout 🙂

[Rma7]

Plan

Premium Family 

Country

Uk

Device

Xiaomi

Operating System

Android

My Question or Issue

Not for the first month I have run out of audiobook hours before I expected to. Is it possible to find a break down of my listening to see how this has happened. The audiobook I am listening to is only 10hrs long. I suspect I started it last calendar month and that is causing the issue but I'd like to see the details if possible.

I find this so infuriating, I would rather they said 1 complete book per month I think.

Thanks 

[Awesomepossum69]

I am just now running into this same issue. I've listen to maybe a couple of hours of an audiobook this month and I just tried to continue listening to to book after about a week without listening and am being notified that I have ran out of monthly allotted time, even though I should have well over 10 hours left.

[Osteenli]

version 8.9.74.568 of Spotify, I only listen on one device. Never mess with the speed. I have a pixel android phone. I'm about 7h into a 9h book and it says my 15h has been used up 

[pete6585]

This same issue is happening to me. For the last two months I have listened to two books and have used my 15 hours and purchased top up hours. I keep track of my listening hours and after using the 15 hours for the month the rollover top up hours from the last month (usually 8-10 hours) will just disappear from my account and it says I have no additional hours. I am the only person who uses my account and I only use it on my phone so I am certain of my listening time. Customer service of zero help. Just say that it shows I listened to all the hours. I will not buy any top up hours going forward until this issue is resolved. 

[pantalona]

Same issue for me. On Spotify Premium, listening on iPhone, Spotify vs 8.9.76.516

My plan renews around the 20th of every month. My last listen of audiobooks was one chapter (roughly 34min) last Friday when I was told I was out of hours and have to wait until October 20th. That makes no sense. I never had that issue before. I don't use Sleep timer - I only listen to a chapter at a go while in the Sauna 🙂 so no way would I use up that much that quickly.

Please solve this issue.