Downloading happening with cellular even with "download using cellular" switched off

[Lupin]

Plan

Premium

Country

Hong Kong

Device

Oneplus 5

Operating System

Android 9, OxygenOS 9.0.8

My Question or Issue

I have 'download with cellular' switched off, I walk outside, load Spotify, and it starts downloading all new playlists using cellular. 

Very significant problem, any fix for this?

Today is the first time this has happened, my Spotify version is 8.5.94.839

[Ivan · Accepted solution]

Hey @Lupin, 

Help’s here!
 

First thing to try here is a clean reinstall of the Spotify app on your mobile device. This will remove corrupted data from previous installations that could be causing the issue. 

If this persists after the clean reinstall, make sure no battery optimization settings or data cleaning apps run active on your mobile device. Such features can often prevent the app from operating at full capacity. We also suggest accessing the app settings and making sure all Permissions are enabled for Spotify. 

Keep us posted! We'll be happy to lend a hand if you need more help. 

[Lupin]

hey this seems to have worked, thank you
i'll wait a day just to make sure before clicking on 'accept as solution'

[Jeremy]

Hey there @Lupin,

Thank you for your reply and confirmation.

We're really glad to hear that it works as it should for you again.

If anything comes up we're always one reply away.

Cheers!

[udance4ever]

while I’m glad reinstalling the app was the solution for you - I found this answer from Oct 2020 a lot more informative:

https://community.spotify.com/t5/iOS-iPhone-iPad/Spotify-using-mobile-data-even-when-cellular-data-t...

Note that even if you've downloaded your songs the app can use data to update the cover cache, check for newer versions of a song and other general functions, that normally require internet connectivity. Keep in mind that the setting Download using cellular only affects downloads, not data used for streaming.

You can avoid this by setting your app in offline mode.

While I can accept this is just how it is, I honestly think it is a better user experience if we were able to leave “Download using Cellular” OFF and for Spotify not to use any cellular data regardless of whether I am on a cellular network or at home (on WiFi).  My guess is a large % (if not all) users who use this feature have data caps and don’t want to use any cellular data for any reason.

It is annoying to have to put Spotify into “offline mode” every single time I leave the house or risk burning 10% of my data.  boo...