Spotify’s data usage depends on several factors, including the quality of the audio stream, type of content being accessed and time for which the app is being used.
Summary
- Streaming: With the low quality setting (24 kbps) Spotify uses 11 MB per hour. With the highest quality setting (320 kbps) the application uses 144 MB per hour.
- Downloading: A typical 3-minute song at Normal Quality consumes about 2 MB.
Calculator
Enter
- The length of time that Spotify is being used in hours and minutes
- Quality setting
The tool will provide the data usage for that length of time
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Background
Streaming Audio Quality and Data Consumption
Spotify offers four audio quality settings, which significantly affect data consumption. Here’s a breakdown of the data rate and data usage per hour for each quality level:
| Quality | Data Rate (kbps) | Data Consumed (MB) |
|---|---|---|
| Low | 24 | 11 |
| Normal | 96 | 43 |
| High | 160 | 72 |
| Very High | 320 | 144 |
Data Usage for Different Activities
Streaming Music
- The primary factor in data usage is the quality setting in the table above.
- On average, streaming music at Normal Quality for 1 hour daily would use about 1.2 GB of data per month.
Downloading Music
- Downloading songs for offline listening uses data but allows you to listen without using additional data later.
- Downloading a typical 3-minute song at Normal Quality consumes about 2 MB.
Podcasts
- Podcasts streamed or downloaded on Spotify use 96 kbit/s on all devices except the web player where it’s 128 kbit/s.
- Data usage for podcasts using the calculator is 43 MB per hour.
Video Content (Spotify’s Canvas Feature)
- Spotify’s Canvas feature, which shows looping visuals during song playback, uses additional data.
- Each 8-second Canvas can use approximately 0.5 MB to 1 MB depending on the complexity of the visuals.
- Regular use of this feature can add up.
Data-Saving Tips
- Adjust Streaming Quality: Lower the streaming quality to save data. This can be done in Spotify’s settings under “Audio Quality.”
- Download Music: Use the offline mode to download songs over Wi-Fi. This will reduce mobile data consumption (I do this with my favorite songs – make a playlist that I download before going on the road)
- Disable Canvas: Turn off the Canvas feature in the settings to reduce data consumption from videos.
- Use Data Saver Mode: Spotify offers a data saver mode that reduces the streaming quality to Low (24 kbps), significantly cutting data usage.
- Monitor Data Usage: Keep track of your data consumption through your mobile device’s settings or use apps to monitor data usage.