THE RIDUCULE 3,333 OFFLINE TRACKS LIMIT!!!... WHAT A &@#^$~+% JOKE , AND WHAT I SUSPECT IS BEHIND IT!!!!!!!
This one is a LONG post, but if you find the time to read it, then I will give you the possible reason behind the 3,333 tracks limit, plus other annoying limitations that these tracks have once they are already into your smart phone.
Spotify will not give us an honest and direct answer and, as one can always suspect, there could be money behind it. Since right now I have the time to do this, and have been extremely p*ssed after finding out about his limit a long time ago, I will try to vomit my frustration here and now.
Here it goes:
Today I have read all the replies and comments here, and in the past I have also extensively checked around the web in other forums, where this particular issue has been raised. In all cases, I ended up crashing into a green wall with the Spotify logo, where they ONLY state that “the limit is 3,333 per device” and/or that "the terms and conditions clearly state that the limit per device is 3,333 songs”. This last statement is perceived by me as a rude one, more especially when it is a client who is asking.
Fine, fair enough, we accepted the terms when we signed up as a free or as a premium user. In my case I have a Family Plan with 6 users and 8 devices. These terms were, as usual, somewhere within the clauses (hidden or not)… FINE!!!
Some FACTS about me and my relationship with Spotify:
- I am a music lover and I am just not able to accept life without music. It is not just that I want music, I need it to live instead.
- I am a genuinely expert & advanced user of the Spotify product. I know almost all its tricks and tweaks. I have tried and tested out every possible streaming music service in the out there, and always came back to Spotify.
- Spotify is, in my opinion, the best one of them all, but it DOES NOT mean that “she” is a perfect girlfriend and lover.
In my case, the main Spotify issue comes with the offline tracks, whether these have been downloaded directly from Spotify, or added them from your personal offline library (even worse!).
Anyway, in order to stay on the subject, let’s just stick to the limitations with tracks downloaded directly from Spotify, where I believe the two main scenarios are: 1) The phone is online, 2) The phone is offline.
1) The Phone is Online:
- There is no way for you to just search or filter for ALL of the offline tracks. For some tracks yes, if you played them recently or they are part of “your music” list. So in order to go to that offline track you have to manually find it, by knowing in which offline playlist you placed it, or which offline album it belongs to.
- Whatever you search, Spotify will only list what there is ONLINE.
- If your connection is poor, ie camping in the woods, then be prepared to struggle in annoyance and despair.
2) The Phone is Offline: - Whenever you search, Spotify will show you the list of “Downloaded tracks” only. Good so far.
- This is where the fun begins. Ok, you are playing an offline album or an offline playlist (obvious!). One of the nice about Spotify is the “Add to up next” option that allows you to play a song right after the one that’s already playing, but hey boy!!! This option DOES NOT work with offline tracks, along with some other options that are ONLY available when you’re streaming. If you want to listen to that particular song you have to select it and forget about whatever playlist or album you were playing.
- Ok, now if you really want to use the “Add to up next” option, they make it hard for you. So in order to go to that offline track you have to manually find it, by knowing in which offline playlist you placed it, or which offline album it belongs to.
To the above, add the 3,333 offline tracks limit
I could keep on making a list from my arsenal, but what I think is really behind these issues with the offline tracks, is that Spotify wants you NOT to play them, and they will make it as hard as possible for you to do it, and the 3,333 offline tracks limit is an important part of the whole thing.
In my opinion there could be $$$$ behind all of this, as they WILL NOT give you a proper answer with some logic to support it. Maybe they get paid less if the track is played offline, maybe they will not get paid at all. Anyway, I cannot assure this, but if there is no decent answer one can think anything. And since the brain is fertile...
