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.

[pierie]

Does somebody have any idea when this problem will be solved? Vodafone is getting quite happy with me using spotify... Phonebill is getting pretty expensive 😞

Device model

HTC Desire HD

Device’s Operating System

4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich

Is your device rooted?

yes

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

MIUI-2.7.27.0

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.2.87 (0.8.3....)

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

0.8.4.

My mobile provider and country

Vodafone, Holland

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

No

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

No

My username

pierie

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

1.3 GB since august 10 2012. 

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

[Martijn1984]

There is a really simple solution for this. Put your spotify application in the offline modus and spotify would not use data anymore!

But I admit, it is annoying that spotify is not fixing the issue! A few days ago I just wanted to check if it was already fixed. So I put the spotify app to online and I started to listen my already downloaded music. Only one minute later my data counter showed an increase of 1mb! So I put the app back to offline and for me it is okay (for now). 

[licenced]

Tested with latest Play update (today's release. 

45 minutes of listening to a fully downloaded playlist while in online mode has resulted in 20MB of data usage.

Not one of the bugs fixed (unsurprisingly)

[NicoHabets]

No

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

No

My mobile Spotify version

0.5.3.56 (0.8.3.655)

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

Latest

My mobile provider and country

Vodafone NL

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

Don't really care / know. Wifi = free

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

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

My username

nicohabets

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

800 MB in 1 month (causing a 40 euro extra on my phonebill)

Please guys, spotify is getting too expensive for me! Please fix this asap!!!

Might be some bug with playlists which say that they're downloaded but not really?!?!

[samc3112]

Device model

HTC One S

Device’s Operating System

4.0.3

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 (if applicable)

0.8.4.124.ga3559d86

My mobile provider and country

O2 UK

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

No

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

No

My username

samc3112

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

On several occasions it has used >250MB in a few days,  Most recently in 2 days it used 258MB listening to downloaded playlists

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

[ddiezgar]

The same problem:

Device model

HTC One S

Device’s Operating System

4.0.3

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 (if applicable)

Irrelevant - I don't sync via desktop

My mobile provider and country

Vodafone ES

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

Yes

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Si

My username

ddiezgar

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

around 30~40MB/day

[Paris1933]

Yep, the same problem here too. PLEASE let us know this is being worked on as using up all my monthly data on 'background' use by this app is not ideal to say the least!! At this rate I'll be paying my network operator for the priviledge of using Spotify on my phone!

Device model

Samsung Google Nexus

Device’s Operating System

Android 4.1.1

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 (if applicable)

Irrelevant - I don't sync via desktop

My mobile provider and country

Orange UK

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

N/A - not worried about over wifi as don't get charged for that!

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Yes

My username

paris1933

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

around 40~50MB per day

[pY4x3g]

I think they implemented the torrent like system, where every client uploads cached songs to others to shrink the server costs as already implemented in the desktop version. They only forgot to disable it while not connected to wlan...

[Paris1933]

Well, I wish they'd bloody hurry up and remember to disable it when not on wifi as it's crippling my data allowance!! Unless they do something I'll have to consider ditching the app. This coupled with the fact that d/l playlists have started to undownload themselves overnight is starting to get a wee bit tiresome....

[pY4x3g]

they should give us the option to disable it every time, I am always connected to wlan at home so my battery will be drained empty in just a few hours. I dont want to always go in offline mode to save my battery...

[licenced]

A mod stated somewhere that the mobile app categorically does not use p2p. No idea what the excessive data usage is but they were quite certain its not that. Its a bit worrying really

[mlevit]

Device model

Samsung Galaxy SII

Device’s Operating System

Jelly Bean 4.1.1

Is your device rooted?

Yes

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

CM10

My mobile Spotify version

0.8.3.655.ga9b08536

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)

N/A

My mobile provider and country

Optus, Australia

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?

Don't care

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

Not really. I have looked at the usage over the past month a bit and it has been 200mb each month via background data usage

My username

mlevit

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

209MB from 6 Aug - 5 Sep

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

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u7qnbwalrw3yaty/Screenshot_2012-09-13-12-31-04.png

[TooOldToRnR]

Device model
HTC Explorer

Device’s Operating System
Android 2.3.5

Is your device rooted?
No

Are you using a custom ROM, if so which one, exactly?
No

My mobile Spotify version
just updated so version lost

My desktop Spotify version (if applicable)
N/A

My mobile provider and country
Giff Gaff (UK)

Using too much data over 3G?
Yes

Using too much data over WiFi?
Don't care

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?
Yes
 
My username
as posted
 
How much data is being used by the Spotify app?
I left mobile on / wifi off overnight (1am-9am) and Spotify with a few full downloaded playlists used 98.6MB, exhausting my data plan.

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)
As above - using 3G Watchdog

Do you have any screenshots you can attach to more clearly explain your issue?
No

[Buckster]

for interest (as I had unusual upload stats on my IOS phone last few months (since I've had Spotify installed)

are these "downloads" definately downloads or uploads ? 

thanks

[licenced]

Not sure ... although spotify have stated that the mobile app does not do P2P so one would assume downloads

[royal23]

Hi

just wanted to say that for me, the TROUBLESHOOTING has FIXED the issue. very happy about that.

i'm talking about the troubleshooting link posted as the sticky on the forum

http://community.spotify.com/t5/Mobile-Android/Troubleshooting-Spotify-on-Android/td-p/113082

So, whereas for months I had the same issues as people here (Spotify using crazy amounts of data even when listening to downloaded playlists, both over Wifi and 3G, and also losing downloaded playlists randomly at times), it's noe all sorted.

just followed the steps from the link above. cleared the data. uninstalled. deleted the directory (I think that was the key part for me), installed again.

here are my details:

Device model

Samsung Galaxy S2

Device’s Operating System

4.0.3

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 (if applicable)

0.8.4

My mobile provider and country

T-Mobile UK

Using too much data over 3G?

yes (now fixed)

Using too much data over WiFi?

yes (now fixed)

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

yes, fixed the issue for me

My username

royal23

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

was using between 25 and 100MB per day, if data connection was present. that was when listening to downloaded playlists.

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

no

[licenced]

Royal23 - after reinstalling did you set the download quality back to high or extreme? I also found that there was no problem with normal (low) quality - the high data usage only occurs with the higher settings

[royal23]

just checked: it's set to Extreme Quality

[7Bit]

Device model

Galaxy Nexus

Device’s Operating System

Jelly Bean 4.1.1

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 (if applicable)

newest

My mobile provider and country

Eg. AT&T, US; or Telia, Sweden

Using too much data over 3G?

Yes, way too much!!

Using too much data over WiFi?

Don't know and don't care

Have you done troubleshooting as described here?

No.

My username

1122109950

How much data is being used by the Spotify app?

Spotify is the top 1 data user on my mobile phone, although I never streamed and only listened to offline playlists. It used ~85MB in 14 days

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

No.

[Paris1933]

I'm now 2 weeks before my monthly data limit renews and I've had to stop using Spotify in anything apart from Offline mode and can only sparingly use any online features of my phone as the background data use of the Spotify App has used more than half my monthly data allowance putting me dangerously close to the limits!

Given that I get Deezer free from Orange on my current plan I've started using that. I'll be honest, I don't like it as much as Spotify but until this issue gets sorted out I'm going to have to use it instead. Not cancelled my subscription yet but that will surely follow as don't see the point throwing £10 a month away when I only want it for the mobile facility!