topic Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy? in Subscriptions

Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 02:17:48 GMT

Why audiobook listening limit limit pay for premium? Why audiobook listening time limit not long enough to finish an average book? Why no option to buy time for audiobook? Does Spotify realize the listening time limit policy is terrible? Does Spotify care to retain premium account members at all?

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Taylormalk — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 03:09:49 GMT

I have 8 chapters left on an audiobook and it just stopped and it won’t let me finish the book? It also says the audiobook is 12hrs so that is well under the 15hr time limit? I don’t understand this sucks.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Vasil — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:40:20 GMT

Hey there folks,

Thanks for reaching out!

Top-ups can be purchased should your initial 15 hours expire! 🙂
To do so:

Go to the Account overview page.
Under Subscription, select Audiobook listening time.
Select Top up.

And, @Taylormalk, your 15 hours of listening time should not get cut mid-way.
You can check how much listening time you have left by following the steps from this page.
In case anything isn't in order, do let us know.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on how things go!

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Mondo4 — Tue, 14 Nov 2023 20:24:06 GMT

Hi Vasil is it £9.99 a month for 10 hours or a one off £9.99 for 10 extra hours every month?

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Vasil — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 08:56:16 GMT

Hey @Mondo4,

Thanks for joining the thread!

Top ups are a single purchase for a one-time 10 additional hours of Audiobook listening time.
Only the 15 hours refresh on a monthly basis.

Hope this clears things up! We're here for you should any further questions arise 🙂

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Mondo4 — Wed, 15 Nov 2023 09:08:52 GMT

No problem, thanks for getting back so soon. I appreciate it.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

tartan43 — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 22:24:22 GMT

I was unable to finish my audiobook within my free 15 hours, but now it is a new month, with a new allocation of 15 hours. However, I am still locked out of the remaining three tracks of my audiobook. Why?

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

tartan43 — Sun, 31 Dec 2023 22:25:53 GMT

My problem exactly. I have spent 2 hours with 4 different agents on the Spotify chatline and they either can't understand my problem or are unable to help.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Maria — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 11:15:56 GMT

Hey there @tartan43,

Thanks for reaching out on the Community!

Just to confirm, are you having issues with all audiobooks or just with a specific one? Does it occur on all devices that you use Spotify on?

It's also worth checking if clearing stored cache makes any difference. Once it's done, try signing out and back in again. As odd as this may sound, this should resync your account info.

Let us know how you get on.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

BM26 — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 17:58:56 GMT

I ran out of listening time, and would like to go back to something I already listened to. I can't even do that since my time ran out, but I fell asleep listening and would like to hear what I missed without using up next months listening times since it was already played.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

alphabetie422 — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 18:25:19 GMT

What about the part where it says that the book is only 12 hours long and yet they somehow listened to 15 hours of it???? This is the same thing that happened to me. I am also listening at 1.2x speed and have listened to 10 hours, yet it says that I have listened to 15 hours. This is a rip off.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

Me333 — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 15:20:45 GMT

Thanks but I don't want to buy top up hours I just want to buy the book after the allotted hours are used. Is that not possible?

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

CMH481 — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 21:37:37 GMT

So what is this help forum for, the total book hour limit is **bleep**. 15hours for $16 family premium, Audible is unlimited for $16.99. The math is clear. Topping off is like them bleeding words onto paper and sucking you dry, while trying to survive the cost of a full book. I just downloaded a 32hour book, really 3 months or $40 is their dumb fiction.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

irenemusicspot — Sun, 15 Sep 2024 14:50:51 GMT

Maria,

It appears that my listening hours for audiobooks is limited, even if I've actually purchased the book.

Is that the way Spotify works? Are you really charging for a book and then limiting my access?

I hope this is some kind of error, because if it's true it's absolutely outrageous and unacceptable.

Please explain the Spotify policy on this.

Thanks.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

AtsushiWolf — Mon, 02 Dec 2024 11:39:43 GMT

Gotta say it's kinda garbage that it's x amount of hours instead of letting people pick a book every month. Everyone would be better off just getting audible since you at least get a free book of your choice and are not forcebly stopped 15 hours into it.

Premium user cut off mid-chapter due to 15-hour audiobook cap — no solution offered

Greyfolk — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 18:06:13 GMT

Hi everyone,

I’m a long-time Spotify Premium subscriber, and I wanted to share my recent experience with the new 15-hour audiobook cap so other Premium users understand how it works in actual use.

A few days ago, I was listening to an included audiobook when Spotify abruptly cut me off mid-chapter and told me I had reached my 15 hours for the month. The app offered no way to continue the book unless I waited weeks for my listening time to reset.

I contacted Support, spent over 45 minutes in chat, and my case was escalated to the Escalations Team. Unfortunately, after all of that, I was told:

Spotify cannot remove audiobooks from my account (even though this “included benefit” is breaking normal Premium playback)

Spotify cannot extend my hours so I can finish the book I already started

There is no workaround available for Premium users who get cut off mid-chapter

In other words: if you start an audiobook on Premium and hit the 15-hour cap, you may be forced to stop in the middle of a chapter and wait until next month to continue.

This is not how audiobook services typically work, and it was disappointing that there was no option offered to simply let me finish the same title I was already listening to.

Because of this experience, I’m switching back to Audible and Libby, which allow continuous listening with no interruptions. Other audiobook apps that offer uninterrupted playback include Hoopla, Scribd/Everand, Google Play Books, and Apple Books.

I’m posting this so other Premium users know what to expect before relying on Spotify for audiobooks. I hope Spotify reconsiders this implementation — the current setup feels less like a benefit and more like a restriction that actively disrupts the Premium experience.

Thanks for reading.

Re: Audiobook listening time limit can’t finish book/ no option to buy?

WW_Dragon_Ikke — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:50:59 GMT

I got the same issue.