Android app using too much data? Post details here

[Goodman]

2013-01-09: This topic is now being continued in the new bugs section.

2012-12-06: Our engineers feel that they've gotten closer to identifying the issue. Not to get too technical, it may have something to do with some code that's buried deep in the app. The investigation continues while they try to pinpoint the issue so they can fix it without affecting other parts of the code.

2012-10-03: I just want to quickly update you and let you know we are aware of this bug, we haven't forgotten; and we're looking into it.

Resuming this, the original, thread.

As this issue looks like it's ongoing, but not for every Android user, I want to make sure we gather all the information we can.

(The previous thread is missing information we could use to help find a possible issue).

If you feel that your Android Spotify app is using too much data, either over WiFi or 3G, please copy/paste this template in a new reply and give us all the information you can.

Device model

E.g. Galaxy Nexus, HTC One X, etc.

Device’s Operating System

E.g. 2.2 Froyo, 2.3.4 Gingerbread, 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich, etc.

Is your device rooted?

If you don’t know what this means you can probably answer “No”

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?

If you don’t know what this means you can probably answer “No”

My mobile Spotify version

E.g. 0.8.4.

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

E.g. 0.8.4.

My mobile provider and country

Eg. AT&T, US; or Telia, Sweden

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes/No

Using too much data over WiFi?

Yes/No

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

(Not necessary, per se, but good for us to know nonetheless)

My username

To find this, click on your name at the top right of the site (next to where it says "Log out") then click Overview and copy/paste the number.

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

Please use any of the numerous tools and options available to give us an indication of how much data is being used AND over what period(eg. x MB/hour or y MB over the last 3 days)

There's an example in the original post by licenced.

Do you have any screenshots you can attach to more clearly explain your issue?

If so, please paste them here.

[neo-x]

My data usage is also skyhigh. I don't mind it since I don't pay by the usage, but the amounts are just staggering..

[personanongrata]

---

@Goodman wrote:

Both this issue and the option to change cache storage location to the SD card on high on our priority list. The nature of bug fixing and client updates being what it is, however, the only official confirmation of a fix will be when it shows up in a future update.

---

SWEET!  thank you so much.  it is so good to know that these are high on your priority list, and that they'll show up in a future update.  you guys really are invaluable in this forum.  i don't know what we'd do without all of this timely and accurate information.  i was starting to worry i'd have to start paying for a bigger data plan, but now that i now how high a priority this is, i just won't even bother.  i'm sure in another six months or so, you'll reveal that you've decided the data usage issue is in fact a bug.  then i'm sure you'll allocate all available resources to fix such a critical, costly, security sensitive, energy wasting bug.  with your triage team at full capacity, i'll bet we'll have that update in no time.  i'm thinking maybe even 24-36 months on this one, since it's such a high priority.  thank you.

[quarkus]

Device model

Galaxy Nexus.

Device’s Operating System

Jellybean 4.1

Is your device rooted?

No

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?

No

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.3.56

My desktop Spotify version

0.8.4.

My mobile provider and country

blau.de, Germany

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

Didn't check.

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Yes

My username

1125782969

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

45 mb over the last 2 days -  "background data", without having used the app.

The screenshot shows spotify as "removed app"

I am cancelling my subscribtion for now, but I would resume it once this problem has been fixed. 

[Phylliac]

Hello, although i turned off the 'download via 2g/3g' option, spotify downloaden a lot of data. First i was at home and choose some albums to download via wifi so i could listen to them when i go outside and not use any data via 3g. Downloading wasn't ready yet, then i left home, in the end of the day i got a text-message from my provider that i exceeded my dataplan for this month, then i saw spotify was still downloading and already used 1.52 gb, wich will cost my about € 100,- euro's extra.

I hope you can understand that i'm not very pleased with this, I turned off the possibility to download via 3g but probably didn't work and now it will cost my a lot of money because the mobile application didn't work properly. Is it posible to give me somekind of compensation or discount on my monthly costst or something to take away my dissatisfaction? I realy liked spotify but if the app don't work properly i maybe should look for an other spotify kind of provider.

If you feel that your Android Spotify app is using too much data, either over WiFi or 3G, please copy/paste this template in a new reply and give us all the information you can.

Device model

Samsung Galaxy S3

Device’s Operating System

Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Is your device rooted?

Yes

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?

No

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.3.56

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

.

My mobile provider and country

Vodafone, Netherlands

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes/No

Using too much data over WiFi?

Yes

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Not yet, but i will

My username

phylliac

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

around 1.52 GB in one day, october 18th

Do you have any screenshots you can attach to more clearly explain your issue?

One screenshot of the settings 'dowload via 2g/3g turned off' and a screenshot of the data usage.

[wumpenkarl]

Yesterday, I received the JB 4.1.1 update for my galaxy s3 from ICS 4.0.4. That's why i tried it again. 5-10 min offline playlist - nearly 6 mb *poff*

[wumpenkarl]

OK, don't know if it is of interest, but I write what I have noticed with the spotify app.

After the update to the newest version today it seemed that it works. That's why I tried it again to use the app online again. At first it worked properly for my offline playlist and I had for half an hour a data usage of 50-100 kb. Then I have heard an online track which I have added to the offline playlist (still only download with wifi). The app buffered something around 2-3 mb for that track at the beginning with the foreground data. It worked fine. Then I tried that with the track "sick cycle carousel" from lifehouse. It played in the beginning, buffered only a few kilobytes with foreground data, the stream begun to stuck and I noticed a data usage of 18mb with the background data.

Furthermore, I have noticed several times before, that some tracks have a strange behavior. I have something about 40 tracks in my starred folder as an offline playlist. I didn't change that folder for 2 or 3 month now. But everytime I went online on 3g or wifi with the app some tracks seemed not be downloaded and loaded again. For example: "torn" from Natalie imbruglia. I noticed that behavior for more folders than my starred folder.

Is it possible that you have corrupt files in your database? Maybe that is also the reason for the battery draining "media server"-effect?

im writing all that text, because everyone is complaining and it seems that you have still no idea, what the problem is. And that is embarrassing. A lot of useres have higher cost for their mobile phone contract. That is not OK.

And when you still wondering, what it could be. Just make a good use of the time and give the landscape mode back to the app. I don't know what the problem is. Everyone is complaining and it shouldn't be a problem. That's offtopic now, but it seems that don't really listen to what the people saying, here in the forum as well as in the rating of the app in the Google market.

Thanks for reading!

[Ataliano]

Device model

Samsung Galaxy Note GTN7000

Device’s Operating System

4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Is your device rooted?

No

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?

No, original one

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.3.56

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

0.8.5.1331

My mobile provider and country

Vodafone Spain

Using too much data over 3G?

Extreme (300Mb in 1 single day without 3G streaming, just offline ussage)

Using too much data over WiFi?

Unknown (in this case doesn't affect my data plan so I don't mind if it uses 40Gb/day)

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Yes, none of your solutions worked never. I'm that way since 4 months ago, and Spotify is eating literally my data plan in ONE SINGLE DAY (and I'm just sick of that...) I've to navigate 29 days/month with a **bleep** of 56K connection because your app eats 300Mb/day without even using 3G network (I just open the app, and play from offline sync list)

My username

Ataliano

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

300Mb/day (aprox). I've got 300Mb/month data plan and my facturation goes from 25 to 25 of each month. Today is 25 so first day of billing, and I've recieved a message from Vodafone saying I've used 90% of my data plan, so more or less, almost 300Mb. That sucks A LOT (4 months since the problem began using a **bleep** of connection because of your app, and no solution provided after 30 mails)

Do you have any screenshots you can attach to more clearly explain your issue?

I have a lot of information that support asked myself by mail, but after 30 mails they told me to follow this thread in order to check for a solution as the problem was being experienced by more users, but no solution given and the problem is still there. If I don't have a solution at 30th October I'm done with Spotify after lots of years (I suscribed the 2nd year you launched on Spain I think so... so calculate if I'm a good client or not... but I CAN'T continue wasting my data plan without a reason, just because your app loves eating 3G) I've loosed A LOT over the few last months as my sync option doesn't works (my lists dissapears and I've tried almost every solution provided and never worked), and also you're wasting my data plan without ever using 3G network (ALWAYS using offline playlist, ALWAYS!, that must be that they don't work alright so they really load from 3G but this is NOT my problem, my problem actually is I'm wasting more than 30€/month because of your subscription I can't take proffit of and the data plan I'm loosing each month at first day of billing, which is just silly).

Tried to be patient and nice, you were nice with my by mail, but it's not everything about being polite... I need a solution, but never had one that really worked. I don't want to quit from using Spotify Premium, but don't have any other option as I'm actually loosing more than winning by being Preimum...

And no updates of the app were found in last 3 months... I repeat, I'm loosing my data plan and my sync goes wrong since 4 months ago, so multiply 15€/month I pay for 300Mb/month wasted without reason in ONE SINGLE DAY (that's just sick), and 9€/month from Premium wasted as I can just listen my old offline lists as it won't sync correctly any other new list, it dissapears and it doesn't syncs at "extreme quality" over wifi as I've got in options.

[AppleandAndroid]

Don't have time to go through all the questions but Galaxy Nexus on Vodafone UK...

Spotify App has caused me to go through my allowed limit despite DOWNLOAD OVER 2G/3G being OFF...

Has cost me 5 pounds. Annoyed. 

4.1.2

Not rooted

Please fix

[Jaz666]

I've been suffering this bug for many months too.

I updated to the new Google Play version yesterday 0.5.4.73, and purposely didn't put the app into offline mode today.

Listened to and hour and a half of a downloaded playlist on my commute, and am happy to report the total data usage was just 17MB, far more acceptable.

Previously the same length of music playing would have consumed 120MB.

[jeroenslotman]

Device model

Samsung Galaxy S III

Device’s Operating System

4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Is your device rooted?

No

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?

No

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.3.36

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

My mobile provider and country

NL Vodafone

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

N/A

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Yes

My usernane

jeroenslotman

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

300MB 

Download via 2G/3G: OFF

Streaming/downloading: both Extreme QUALITY

Offline modus: Off

Show on Facebook: ON

Problem:

While WIFI was being used I turned off Offline modus because I wanted to listen to to a song in a downloaded playlist that was not downloaded yet. The next day I discoved that spotify used 300MB in the background over 3G although the download setting of 3G was set OFF. This is the third time this happend and it will cost me a lot of money again. I'm MAD about this.

Today I restricted background data for thye Spotify APP in the general settings of my phone. Hope this will help.

This is obviously a problem within the APP. To me it seems that Spotify is receiving a lot of money from the providers to not solve this problem within this APP. This problem has been reported a long time ago and there are still several thousends of premium users suffering with this and the mobile network providers are laughing loud.

GET THIS PROBLEM SOLVED TODAY !!!!!!!!!!

Regards Jeroen

[tomaquet]

I got tired of waiting for this bug to be fixed and installed DroidWall (needs root) and just blocked all mobile data for spotify. It loses a few of the online functions but to be honest i only ever use it for listening to downloaded playlists.

Still, it's not a solution for everyone and I can't understand why Spotify aren't doing everything they can to fix it (been far too long now for such an important bug). The "no landscape" and "no download to external SD" are irritating but this is costing people money.

Sort it out Spotify!!!

[piphil]

I will point out that enabling the "Offline" mode in settings has allowed me to use my offline playlists. Take the app online to sync playlists and take it off to listen to music.

On last month's billing period, Spotify used around 230MB of data. Since the end of that period (20th October) I've been using offline mode and it's only used 1.6 MB, which I'm assuming was mostly in one go when I accidentally forgot to take it offline...

Needs to be sorted soon. I will be cancelling on the 18th of November if a patch isn't out by then.

[piphil]

Still shouldn't be using anywhere near that amount. Assuming around 20 working days a month (that's low I know but the maths is easy) that's still 340 MB a month for an app that's meant to be just playing downloaded music. In fact, 17 MB/day is more than my app was using (230MB/month on a 500MB/month contract) so I personally wouldn't have been "happy" to report that "improvement". 😛

120 MB/day is nuts! I'm assuming you're on an unlimited contract?

[sdh1982]

Album Artwork?????

For the past few days my home broadband has been playing up, i have a connection, but its so weak i cant load a web page up, and if can eventually download my tweets on twitter, the thumbnail profile pics dont load up. . . . 

When i started spotify this morning on my phone, whilst connected to my home wifi, the Album Art for the album i was playing wasnt loading up on the Now playing screen, ie the large album art image, but as i drove away from my house and became out of range from my wifi and mobile data took over, the album artwork appeared.

Im sure this possibilty must have already been investigated, but just seemed a little odd, particularly because if you put spotify in offline mode, there is no issue with album art work loading up. Almost seems like because there is a data connection, spotify is using it for no reason to load images. If the album artwork is of high enough quality that would sort of explain a 20mb mobile data usage over the period of an album if it is downloading an image file every songy???

As my music played back without trouble whilst connected to my home wifi, that proves to me that the downloaded playlists are actually being used, so its not the music itself usining excess data.

Anyhow, thought i best report this information incase it proves usefull.

Steve, 

[Millais]

Cancelled my premium subscription due to this last week. This bug has been prevalent since the end of September - how has it not been fixed yet?! You're losing people's money ...

[licenced]

The bug has been prevalent since the Beta preview release in April.

After the latest update I'm still getting through ~20MB data per album listened to

[VlarpNL]

I just did a network capture on my (rooted) Galaxy S3. Though the option "Limit background mobile data" keeps Spotify from using lots of mobile data I'm getting sick of the fact that nothing is done to solve this issue. 

So, I disabled synchronization and most of the other apps that could be using data and just ran Spotify playing an OFFline playlist. Then I started a network capture (or packet sniffer) to see what was transmitted. I found out that for every song played the phone receives between 1,5 and 3 MB of data from the a Spotify server. In my capture the data was downloaded from 78.31.8.84 which resolves to shavon.lon.spotify.com. So, this is clearly a spotify server.

During the capture almost 8 MB of data was transmitted while I played only 5 songs completely. The 8 MB of data is almost entirely spent by Spotify. The packets contain binary data so I don't really know what data is downloaded from the servers.

If it helps I can provide the pcap capture to the Spotify Engineering team for analysis.

Edit: The bulk of the data is downloaded close to the end of each played song.

[RaphB]

Hi,

I've to switch my android app to OFFLine all the time because even if I'm not listening any music, spotify is consuming a large amount of data in the background. Thanks to fix this asap please.

Here are my  device details:

Device model

HTC One S

Device’s Operating System

ICS 4.0.1

Is your device rooted?

No, plain HTC Sense 4.1 

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?

No

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.3.56 (0.8.3.655.ga9b08536)

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

E.g. 0.8.4.

My mobile provider and country

Free, France

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes/No

Using too much data over WiFi?

Yes

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

No

My username

Raphael_B

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

150 Mo / Day

Do you have any screenshots you can attach to more clearly explain your issue?

Nop sorry

[piphil]

Sounds to me simply that the app is streaming the songs instead of playing the downloaded playlists. Which is pathetic frankly.

Personally, as will be cancelling on the 21st unless there is a fix (I said the 18th earlier but I'm on holiday, thus the stay of execution). The 21st is also my birthday and it would be a lovely present for some movement to be shown on this issue. Yes, taking the app offline works, but if I forget *bang*, there goes my data allowance.

Come on Spotify. You have systems in place here that are frankly awesome - the ability to stream and sync so much music isn't easy, and must have required an enormous amount of development to balance server loads and make it secure enough to satisfy the record labels. But you're screwing up the Android platform something chronic, and this is your future, we are your present and future customers.

The desktop in its current form won't be around for long, mobile devices are where the field is heading. And instead of enthusiastically advertising your service to my friends, I'm currently moaning to them about how it's a nice concept screwed over by bad Android development. I'm only one person, but word of mouth is one of the most powerful forms of advertising these days given the internet and the fact that people can install and subscribe to your service in a couple of clicks.

[user-removed]

How in the earth this is not solved today?