Why My Spotify Would Not Play Offline

Published on 29.05.2024 by TF

Spotify is the largest music streaming platform, with over 615 active monthly users, making it a great choice for Spotify marketing. Despite its large user base, there are times when Spotify doesn't work as needed. 

For instance, you might try playing your Spotify offline only to find out it doesn't work. When that happens, you need to find out the primary cause of the problem. This article will guide you on the possible causes and provide tips on troubleshooting the problem.

Importance of Spotify Offline Mode

With Spotify offline mode, you can continue playing music, playlists, or podcasts without an internet connection. Whether you are going on a hiking expedition in an area with no music, or you want to continue listening to music when you are out of data, the Spotify offline mode will enable you to play downloaded tracks. However, what you can do depends on your Spotify account. Here are the conditions for accessing Spotify offline mode:

  • If you have Spotify Basic, you can only download podcasts.
  • Spotify Premium allows you to download playlists, podcasts, and albums.
  • To maintain your Spotify downloads, you should go online at least once every 30 days. This enables Spotify to collect data for artist payments.
  • You can download up to 10,000 tracks on a maximum of five devices.

How to Download Music on Spotify

Whether you are an artist looking to increase your Spotify plays or a listener, you might, at times, want to download Spotify music. Here are the steps to follow when downloading playlists on desktops:

  • First, ensure that you are online. It's impossible to download when offline. Note that you cannot download individual songs; you can only download playlists.
  • You can then go to the playlist and click on Download to save the playlist to your library.
  • You will be able to see the status of each download next to each playlist or podcast. This will be labelled as “download successful” or “tracks not downloaded”.

It is advisable to download it on Wi-Fi to save mobile data. However, if you want to go ahead and download it on mobile data, you can follow the following steps:

  • Tap on your profile picture or swap left.
  • Go to Settings and Privacy.
  • Tap Playback.
  • Switch Offline On.

To download on desktop, follow these steps:

  • Open the Spotify app.
  • If you are using Windows, click the three-dotted line on your screen, followed by files.
  • Choose Offline mode.

Once you activate offline mode, anything you haven't downloaded will be greyed out and unavailable.

Why You Can't Play Your Downloaded Spotify Songs

After downloading your songs, you can access them in your library and play them in offline mode. However, you may sometimes encounter a situation where you can't play your downloaded songs. This could be attributed to several reasons. These are:

  • Account status. Your Spotify subscription may have expired. In such a situation, you cannot play your Spotify downloads.
  • Insufficient storage space. For Spotify to work well on your device, you need at least 1 GB of storage space.
  • Outdated app. If you are using an old Spotify app version, you can encounter issues, including the inability to download songs.
  • Spotify song or device limit. As noted earlier, you can download up to 10,000 songs on a maximum of five devices. If you exceed this limit for either the device or tracks, you may be unable to play the downloaded songs.
  • Spotify server problem. The issue may sometimes result from a problem on the Spotify server end. If so, you may only need to wait for them to resolve the issue.
  • Not going online. Again, we noted that one of the requirements for maintaining your playlist is to get online at least once a month. Failure to do so may cause your downloads not to play.
  • The content is not on Spotify. If Spotify removes the downloaded content, you may be unable to play it in downloads.

If you are an artist, you can check out our guide on boosting your Spotify plays.

Solutions to Spotify Not Playing on Offline Mode

Now that you understand the common reasons why Spotify won't play in offline mode, here are some possible solutions: 

Check Spotify Server 

Before trying other methods, you must confirm that Spotify's servers are working. You can check their X account @SpotifyStatus to see if the servers work. Third-party sites also show you when the site is down. Understanding the Spotify server status is also important when trying to get Spotify plays for success.

Close Other Apps

At times, Spotify problems can result from a lack of memory space. When that happens, uninstalling other apps you rarely use can free up memory space, helping solve the issue.

Restart Your Device

Whether you are using your phone or PC, restarting your device may help solve some bug issues that can prevent your Spotify from working. To do that, follow these steps:

  • Click on the Windows icon on your PC.
  • Click on the power button followed by Restart.

Using a mobile phone, you can press the startup button. Instead of switching off, choose restart.

Spotify App Update

An app update can often help you access new features and fix bugs. Conversely, if you use an older operating system version, you may encounter compatibility issues. Therefore, one solution you should consider is to update the Spotify app to the latest version. To do that, follow these steps:

  1. Open the desktop version of the Spotify app.
  2. From the pop-up menu, choose Spotify and then About Spotify.
  3. A Spotify pop-up will appear, showing you the current version you are using and if you need to upgrade.
  4. If there is a newer version, click on update. The system will proceed with the update and inform you once it is completed.
  5. Restart your PC by clicking on Close.

If Spotify wasn’t playing due to an outdated app, this would solve the problem. Remember that upgrades are ongoing, so you should keep checking to see if there are new updates.

Enabler Spotify Offline Mode

If you have not enabled Spotify Offline mode, you may have problems with your Spotify downloads playing. To enable the offline mode, follow these steps:

  1. On your device, open the Spotify app. Go to Settings.
  2. In the playback section, go to offline mode.
  3. To enable offline mode, toggle the button.

Log In and Out

If you have tried enabling offline mode and your downloads don’t start, you can also try troubleshooting the problem by logging out and into the app. To do that, you can simply sign out of Spotify and log into your device before signing back.

  1. Go to your desktop and choose the drop down menu beside your account name.
  2. Click Logout. This will log you out of Spotify.
  3. Login again and see if you can play your downloaded music.

Use Third-party Tools 

Another way to resolve the problem of Spotify downloads not playing is using third-party tools. One such tool is the DRMare music downloader. These tools enable you to download Spotify music and play it later offline. Unlike Spotify downloads that save files in the Spotify app, these apps will save the downloaded music in your local file. 

That means you do not have to worry about Spotify’s condition of playing downloaded music, such as logging into the app once per month. Since you will have the files on your local device, you can keep track of them forever. To use the DRmare for Spotify music download, follow these steps:

Import your Spotify Playlist into DRmare

To do that, go to the DRMare Spotify music composer app. You will see an auto-opened Spotify app. You can then drag and open the playlists or tracks into the main screen. This will give you the option to use multiple tools in the software. You can also copy the shared link address to the playlist and put it in the shared search box of the DRMare tool. Click on the plus sign, and your playlist will be added.

Set your preferred output format

Click on the menu at the top to change different parameters. Then tap Preferences, followed by Convert. You can select the output format, sample rate, channel, bit rate, and other details.

Download the music to the local PC

When your download is complete, click on Start. The tool will download all your music to your local PC.

FAQs On Spotify Not Playing Offline

Here are some of the frequently asked questions on Spotify not playing offline.

Can Spotify Premium work offline?

Yes. If you have a Spotify Premium account, you can download tracks for offline viewing and later listening.

Why is Spotify not playing offline?

This could be attributed to several issues, such as expired subscriptions or an app requiring an update.

Can I get Spotify Premium for free?

No, it's impossible, as Spotify limits the number of gadgets you can access the app on. Therefore, you should consider buying a Duo account and splitting the cost with another user.

Conclusion

If you are wondering why Spotify is not working with offline downloads, the above are some common reasons. By following the tips above, resolving the issue of Spotify not playing downloads should be easy. If the above steps don’t work, you should contact Spotify customer care. Check out our guide on Spotify advertising tips.