Spotify downloads can eat up your phone storage
Engadget explains how to find and trim Spotify's offline downloads and cache, and how download quality changes how much space your music takes.
The facts
- According to Engadget, offline downloads and cached data are the usual reasons Spotify sits near the top of your phone's storage list.
- On Android and iOS you can remove single playlists or albums under Your Library > Downloaded. You can also remove all downloads and clear the cache under Settings and privacy > Data-saving and offline.
- Spotify says the Low quality setting is equivalent to around 24 kbps. Lossless tracks are much larger than compressed ones.
- In the writer's own test, a library downloaded in Lossless took around 22GB. The same library at the Low preset took a little over 2GB.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Storage is a hidden cost of streaming. You pay for the subscription, then pay again in space. On a phone with limited storage, which describes a lot of phones in Lagos, one app quietly holding 22GB is a real problem. Check what is taking the space before you delete your photos.
For builders
Defaults matter. If your app offers a high-quality offline mode, show users what it costs in storage and make it easy to trim.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Engadget's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.