Making 100% sure wp8 app stays offline abroad

[BobSacamano]

My 12yo daughter is on holiday abroad. I gave her a Lumia 820 for the trip, it has a few playlists synced so she can listen to them offline. Apparently it's working ok (she is in Portugal).

But I'm feeling nervous that she will accidentally go online and start racking up a huge roaming data bill. Lumia phone settings have a separate data connection setting, and that has been turned off. Also, "data roaming" has been turned off.

The phone is playing the playlists offline so everything seems to be ok at the moment.

1) But is it possible that the Spotify wp8 app would at any point offer the option to go online, and answering yes would override the phone's data setting and turn them on?

2) If so, when would this happen and what does the app text say?

3) Does she need to go online at any point to validate the Premium subscription? She is there only for a week.

[Taylor]

Hi,

If data roaming is turned off, then even if Spotify wants it, it would stay offline as data roaming is off.

If for some reason wp8 gave the option to enable data roaming, the message would say something like 'Do you want to enable data roaming'.

The only time Spotify would say this is if she tries to play a song that isn't synced to the device.

3 - If she is only there for a week, then no. Spotify needs to go online once every 30 days to verify a subscription, but not every week.

Anthony 🙂

[BobSacamano]

Thanks AnthonyB! That was a super fast reply.

But do you know for a fact that that option is available - if she tries to play a song that's not synced, the app will ask to go online and answering yes would override the phone's general data settings? That is exactly what I'm worried about, she might allow that by mistake.

And if she ok's that for Spotify, would it then turn the data connection on in the general phone settings for all other apps as well (so all other apps would start to use the data connection as well?)

[Joe]

Your safest approach is probably to contact your provider and ask for data roaming to be turned off for that mobile.

[BobSacamano]

Thanks jwylot!

I thought of that and will call them tomorrow, they are closed on Sundays. (I wouldn't be so darnn jumpy if I hadn't got 500+ euro data roaming invoices from business trips myself (not from Spotify use though 😄 )

EU needs to do something fast about data roaming charges, it is ridiculous that you can get unlimited data for 5 euros/month and then pay the same for one song if you go to another country.

[Joe]

I totally agree and it's changing for the better already if slowly 🙂

[Liam]

There is no way for Spotify to override the data enabled setting, or the roaming setting.

So, unless your daughter changes that setting, Spotify won't go online 🙂

If you're on a contract, can't you contact your provider and ask them to disable data roaming on the SIM?

Liam

[Joe]

Thanks for that, Liam 🙂

[Liam]

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@BobSacamano wrote:

Thanks jwylot!

I thought of that and will call them tomorrow, they are closed on Sundays. (I wouldn't be so darnn jumpy if I hadn't got 500+ euro data roaming invoices from business trips myself (not from Spotify use though 😄 )

EU needs to do something fast about data roaming charges, it is ridiculous that you can get unlimited data for 5 euros/month and then pay the same for one song if you go to another country.

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I know what you mean...

Here in the UK some providers charge £7.50 a MB(!!!!) for data roaming. At that rate, listening to one song on Spotify (~5MB) will cost £37.50!

Data roaming is slightly ridiculous (especially as Unlimited data costs only £15!)