App using data/is online with mobile data despite data for the app being turned off

[esmeusjam]

Plan

Premium

Country

Germany 

Device

iPhone 11

Operating System

iOS 13.5.1

App version

8.5.65.787

My Question or Issue

I noticed today that the Spotify app has started using mobile data when not on WiFi, despite having turned mobile data off for the app in my phone settings. The app registers as offline when WiFi and data are off, and it also stops using data when set to offline mode (although it still displays albums I haven't downloaded?). I have tried a clean reinstall, restarting my device and so on but the problem is still there. I saw this was an issue a couple of years ago, so maybe the bug has resurfaced?

[Mario]

Hey @esmeusjam,

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community. 

Would it be possible for you to access a different account on your phone to see if you can reproduce what you reported? Asking since this would help clarify whether the issue is specifically with the account. 

Let us know how you get on. We'll look out for your reply!

[Rikee]

I have exactly the same issue. It started about 2-3 months ago. Suddenly Spotify is using mobile data despite me turning it off for the app in the iPhone configuration. The only "help" is to set it into the offline mode inside the Spotify App itself or setting the iPhone to "flight mode". Since the issue occurred for the first time, I updated the iOS twice and reinstalled the app as well as updated the app about two or three times.

Plan

Premium

Country

Germany

Device

iPhone XR

Operating System

iOS  14.2

App version

8.5.86.739

[Jeremy]

Hey there @Rikee,

Thank you for your post and confirmation. 

Can you perform a clean reinstall of the app? This will make sure there's no old cache files causing this.

Also - can you log in with another account - such as a friend's or a family member's to see if the issue persist?

We'll keep an eye out for your reply.

Cheers!

[Rikee]

Hello Jeremy,

I clean reinstalled the app multiple times and logged in with my sisters account. Nothing has helped so far.

[Mihail]

Hey @Rikee,

Thanks for reaching out.

We recommend that you manually set the app to offline mode. We recommend using this step as it directly disables the in-app connection to our servers rather that using your phone's setting to do so. You can find a detailed guide on how to do this here. Could you let us know if the issue persists afterwards?

Keep us posted, we'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[Rikee]

Hello Mihail,

Thank you for your quick reply.

As stated previously setting the app itself to the offline listening mode has always worked.

But isn't it still a bug, that the app is able to ignore the iPhone settings itself? 

It's really inconvenient to keep switching back and forth between the offline and online mode, since it's not even a setting that is directly accessible on the front page of the app or via widget.  

Before this bug I could just set the app to only use data when connected to wifi via the iPhone settings. It was a one time thing and I never had to worry about it again -- it worked for years without any issues.

I didn't have to always check up on the setting of the app... 

[Alex]

Hey there @Rikee,

Thanks for the reply.

Currently this is how the mobile app works and turning on Offline mode is the only option. What you can do to minimize mobile data expense is to set Audio Quality > Cellular Streaming to Low.

If you think other users might also like it, go ahead and create an idea on the relevant idea board. We always take new ideas and feedback into consideration to improve the app. Here you can read more on how ideas work.

We also suggest checking this help article for useful tips on how to submit an idea. As a heads-up, it's good to know that the higher the number of votes an idea gets, the more likely it is for the idea to be implemented.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any more questions.