How much data does Spotify use? How to limit your Spotify data usage
The era of CDs and DVDs is long gone. Now, we stream our music and movies online. And while this is more convenient, it does come with a cost: data usage. In the past, all we needed to worry about was how much storage space our music and movies took up. But now, we need to be mindful of our data usage or we could end up with a hefty bill.
If you’re a music lover, there’s a good chance you’re using Spotify. Spotify is a great way to listen to your favorite tunes, discover new music, and share music with your friends.
However, if you’re on a limited data plan, you may be wondering how much data Spotify uses.
In this article, we’ll take a look at how much data Spotify uses, and how you can limit your Spotify data usage.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is a music streaming service that offers users a wide variety of songs to listen to. It has over 30 million tracks in its library and provides users with new music every day. In addition to its music streaming service, Spotify also offers a podcast streaming service. It has over 300,000 podcasts in its library and provides users with new episodes every day.
Spotify is available in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and most of Europe. It is also available on many devices, including phones, tablets, computers, and TVs.
To use Spotify, you can either sign up for a free account or pay a monthly subscription fee for ad-free listening and other premium features. If you sign up for a free account, you will be able to listen to music and podcasts, but you will hear ads between songs. If you pay the monthly subscription fee, you will not hear any ads.
How much data does Spotify use?
The amount of data Spotify uses varies depending on the quality of the music you’re streaming. The Spotify app typically offers five quality settings – Low (24kbps), Normal (96kbps), High (160kbps), Very high ( 320kbps) and Automatic(Depending on your internet connection).
If you were to stream an hour of music at each quality setting, Spotify would use the following amount of data:
Low: 24kbps * 60 minutes = 10.8MB
Normal: 96kbps * 60 minutes = 43.20MB
High: 160kbps * 60 minutes = 72.00MB
Very High: 320kbps * 60 minutes = 144.00MB
Automatic: Depends on your internet connection
So, in general, the higher the quality of the music you’re streaming, the more data Spotify will use. However, if you have a good internet connection, you can get high-quality music without using too much data by choosing the “Automatic” setting.
If you’re on a mobile data plan or have a limited internet connection, you can save data by streaming music at a lower quality. For example, if you stream music for an hour at the low setting, you’ll use about 10.8MB of data. If you stream at the very high setting, you’ll use about 144.00MB in an hour.
How to save data when streaming Spotify
If you’re concerned about how much data Spotify is using, there are a few things you can do to reduce it. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can save data when streaming music on Spotify.
1. Choose a lower quality setting
Spotify lets you choose the audio quality of your streams. By default, it streams at a high quality, but you can lower it to save data.
To do this, open the Spotify app and go to Settings > Music Quality. From here, you can choose between Normal (about 96kbps), High (about 160kbps), and Very High(about 320kbps).
If you have a data cap or are worried about using too much data, choose the Normal quality setting. It will still sound good, but you’ll use less data.
2. Turn on Data Saver on mobile
If you’re streaming music on your phone, be sure to turn on Data Saver in the Spotify app. This will help reduce the amount of data that’s used when streaming music. You can find this setting in the app’s settings menu.
With Data Saver turned on, Spotify will stream songs at a lower bitrate, which uses less data. This means that you may notice a difference in audio quality, but it can help you save data when streaming music on your phone.
To turn on Data Saver:
- Open the Spotify app
- Tap the menu button in the top-right corner of the screen
- Tap Settings
- Scroll down to the Data Saver section and toggle the switch to ON
Now, when you stream music on your phone, you’ll use less data. This can be helpful if you have a limited data plan, or if you want to save battery life on your phone.
3. Download songs and albums for offline listening
If you want to save data but still be able to listen to your favorite songs, you can download them for offline listening. This way, you can listen to them without using data.
To do this, go to the album or playlist you want to download and click the Download button. Once it’s done downloading, you can listen to it without using data.
You can also choose to only download over Wi-Fi to save data. To do this, go to Settings > Playback and toggle the Download over Wi-Fi only setting.
Spotify Alternatives.
There are a number of Spotify alternatives that you can use if you don’t want to use Spotify or if you’re looking for something different. Here are a few of the most popular Spotify alternatives:
1. Apple Music.
Apple Music allows users to stream over 50 million songs. It also has a radio station called Beats One which broadcasts live to over 100 countries. Apple Music offers a family plan which allows up to six people to share one subscription. One of the great things about Apple Music is that it integrates with Apple’s ecosystem. If you’re an iPhone user, you can use Siri to control Apple Music.
2. Google Play Music.
Google Play Music is a streaming service that offers ad-supported and subscription-based access to over 35 million songs. Google Play Music also has a radio feature called “All Access” which lets users create custom radio stations. Google Play Music integrates with Android devices and has a family plan that allows up to six people to share one subscription.
3. Amazon Music.
Amazon Music is a music streaming service that you can access on your computer, phone, tablet, or Echo device. With Amazon Music, you can listen to millions of songs, ad-free. You can also create your own playlists, listen to radio stations, and more. Plus, you can access Amazon Music Unlimited, a premium music streaming service, with your Amazon Prime membership.