Why does Spotify use mobile data when I told it not to?

[annettekusma]

What I want to accomplish:

I want the Spotify app to use only WIFI to download/stream stuff. I want the app to never use mobile data at all.

What I have:

Premium, Android 12, Fairphone FP4.

What measures I've taken:

1) I my phone settings -> apps -> Spotify -> mobile data and wifi: I have the backgrounddata option set to OFF (that is, the small dot is on the left side of the slider and the slider is grey). The description of the slider says: "Activate usage of mobile data in the background".

2) In my phone settings -> Network and internet -> Data saving: I have the datasaving option set to OFF. In that view, I can see that I have two apps that have unlimited access anyway, Spotify is not one of them, and digging further into the list where I can manage access to unlimited data, Spotify is already no manageable in that list, it says "Background data is deactivated" (which is probably due to my points 1) and 3) )

3) In my phone settings -> mobile network -> Datausage of apps: I can see that Spotify has used over 100Mb of foreground mobile data during the last month; the Backgrounddata option (which I believe is a clone of the one in my point 1) ) is set to OFF.

4) In the Spotify app -> settings -> Datasaving: I have the option "Save data" turned OFF. The description says that activating this button would set the sound quality to "low", and that is not what I want. It does not state that it would restrict data traffic to only the one (WIFI) or the other (Mobile) data channel.

5) In the Spotify app -> settings -> Playing: I have the Offline mode turned OFF. I still want to stream on WIFI networks, so a complete offline mode is not what I want (and, obviously I understand that the feature is meant to be for temporary usage, rather than a permanent preference setting)

6) In the Spotify app -> settings -> Playing: I have the Seemless play option set to OFF.

7) In the Spotify app -> settings -> Devices: I have the setting "Spotify Connect in the background" set to ON. I reckon this has to do with using your phone to decide what songs to play on another device, e.g. a speaker somewhere in my appartment. I notice that the initial setup of such speakers often requires the user to give the speaker internetaccess and access to the location of the phone you use to set them up with. I am skeptical as to why this really is necessary, except for certain features. Both my steering device and the listening device are on the same WIFI-network, why would they need internet access. Can it be the case that there is some data leakage going on here? In any case, it should not be 100Mb in 30 days.

😎 In the spotify app -> settings -> Sound quality: I have the setting "Download via mobile network" set to OFF. Yes, typographically it looks like this setting belongs insid the category "sound quality" although its description makes me think it is more general. This setting should be the only one needed, to accomplish what I want: have Spotify not touch my mobile data at all.

Still, like I said in 3), Spotify uses data. It is the app that uses the most data. If i watch Peertube and leave the bounds of some WIFI-network, the streaming will stop. If I listen to a podcast and leave the bounds of WIFI, I'll soon get a warning, telling me that I'm about to reach my datalimit. What more do I need to turn off?

[OscarDC · Accepted solution]

Hey @annettekusma,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community and welcome.

Playing offline content should not use any data. However if the "Offline mode" is not enabled, the app will use some data as it does need an active network connection so other features like Lyrics, Connect, Recommendations, Search, etc might work properly. Taking this into account, we'd recommend activating the Offline mode to avoid any additional data usage.

Also, an idea about restricting data usage has already been suggested here, and it's currently set as "New Suggestion" - feel free to show your support for it by adding your vote with the "Thumbs Up" button, so it can reach the right departments to be taken into account. Any changes or updates will be posted in that thread, so feel free to subscribe to it as well.

If anything else comes up, the Community will be here for you.

[annettekusma]

Ok, I was not aware that those other features, unless I actively use some, need such bulky amounts of data. I favoured the suggestion you linked to, and I consider my question solved.

Still I can't help but wonder:

What I do is: I open the app, click into a list with things already downloaded, and I play something on that list.

 - Spotify itself takes a lot of space on the phone, so I'd guess the app engine is client-side, not server-side.
 - "Search" should not use more than a few kb,
 - "Lyrics" or "Podcast show notes" should either be downloaded already with the track, or you should be asked whether you want to download it if it is missing. Why would you want to download stuff in the first place, if not for NOT having to use cellular data once you play it.
 - Is the opening page of the app so megabyte-heavy? It's thumbnails we're talking about there. What on earth is downloaded that takes hundreds of megabytes?
 - If extensive download of recommendations, including thumbnails and all that stuff, happens several times a day, that is, each time I open the app, then that might amount to megabytes, but several hundreds?

[Itchypantz]

This is not solved.  I have been using Spotify for many years.  Only recently have I had to begin SHUTTING DATA OFF for my entire phone because of Spotify.  Right now, Spotify has used 7+GB of data in 7 days and I have been keeping DATA OFF for most of each day!  I have all data permissions OFF inside and outside Spotify.  I have loads of playlists saved onto internal memory.  I live and work in WiFi.  I have never needed so much data!  I had to increase my cel phone data plan EXCLUSIVELY BECAUSE OF SPOTIFY!  

This is UNACCEPTABLE!

[Itchypantz]

All of this.
Why is Spotify using 1GB of data per day when I live and work in WiFi 80% of the day?

[RonBarclay]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

Device

(iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy 9, Macbook Pro late 2016)

Operating System

(iOS 10, Android Oreo, Windows 10,etc.)

My Question or Issue

[joojanta]

Not being able to prevent the app from using mobile data via option is inacceptable. The "Offline mode" is not a viable option. I want to be able to AUTOMATICALLY listen ONLY to downloaded content, when I'm not in a WLAN. I also do not want Spotify doing all sorts of unattended background data transfer which could be done while connected to a WLAN.