How does Spotify’s new Offline Backup feature work?

Most if not all music streaming services have some sort of offline playback support, since people regularly travel places without Wi-Fi or cellular access. Even if there is coverage, caching can be a way of coping with flaky connections or the restrictive data caps imposed by some wireless carriers. Spotify in particular has let Premium subscribers download playlists and other content for several years at this point, including to various wearables, like the Apple Watch.

Now, though, the company is going a step further with a feature called Offline Backup. So what is Offline Backup, and how does it work when you need it?

What is Spotify Offline Backup?

A fallback for a fallback

Spotify

Gradually rolling out as of October 2024, Offline Backup is a contingency playlist that’s automatically generated for iPhones and Android devices in case you haven’t downloaded any playlists or podcasts on your own. It only includes recently streamed and queued songs, the idea being that you won’t use any more storage than Spotify normally caches. The app is making use of data it already has.

It can be sorted by artist, genre, and mood, and Spotify says that it will evolve over time based on your listening habits. One of the company’s priorities is keeping the playlist fresh, although there are obvious limitations — if you’ve been binging on Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan lately, don’t expect the app to have your favorite rap, classical, or ambient music ready to go.

You can also save an Offline Backup mix to your library if it hits a sweet spot.

How do you trigger Offline Backup?

No muss, no fuss

Pocket-lint / Spotify

The beauty of Offline Backup is that you don’t have to do anything — assuming you’ve got the latest version of Spotify on your phone or tablet, the playlist should appear automatically in the app’s homescreen when your device goes offline. If you want to trigger it manually, your best bet is flipping on Airplane Mode in Quick Settings (Android) or Control Center (iPhone/iPad). You can also try disabling Wi-Fi and cellular individually if you’re worried about disconnecting Bluetooth accessories.

There are some criteria to meet, however:

• It’s only available to Premium subscribers. People on the Free tier don’t have any access to any form of offline caching.
• Offline listening has to be enabled by going to [Profile picture] -> Settings -> Data Saving and Offline or Storage. It may already be on if you’re a Premium customer.
• You need to have listened to at least five songs recently. Your Offline Backup will hopefully be longer than this.

There’s also a possibility that the feature hasn’t rolled out to you yet. So if you’re counting on Offline Backup, try testing it first. If the playlist doesn’t appear on your homescreen, you’ll have to download one or more playlists of your own choosing.

Should you use Offline Backup?

A matter of practicality versus taste

That depends on your circumstances. When you’re low on device storage, Offline Backup is better than nothing if you’re not comfortable with silence. If you’ve got plenty of room to work with, however, you should be downloading your own playlists, given more control over their length and variety. That’s especially true on long trips — a 24-hour Favorites playlist might consume a lot of space, but you’ll be thankful if you’re ever stuck on a seven-hour drive.

FAQ

Q: Do other music services have a version of Offline Backup?

Not directly. The closest equivalent is probably YouTube Music‘s Offline Mixtape/Smart Downloads feature, but that fetches up to 500 songs in advance, depending on your settings. It’s definitely using storage beyond what the app would normally use, and may not be available if the app hasn’t had time for an overnight download over Wi-Fi.