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.

[Paris1933]

Afraid, as per the above guys n gals, I'll be cancelling my subscription this time next month.

I was planning on doing it this month but was away and forgot to cancel before the renewal payment was taken. My own fault but I guess it's given them a 4 week bonus to solve it before losing my custom.

As someone else has said, I might only be one customer but it seems I'm not the only 'one customer' who's leaving the service because of this issue. To be honest, I've stopped using the mobile service completely now and use a rival service which, whilst I don't like the UI as much, at least doesn't cripple my data allowance each month!

I'm pretty gutted to be honest as since first using Spotify around 4 years ago I've raved and raved about it to friends, causing many of them to sign up themselves. For me to know be considering leaving, and making sure they're all aware of the reasons why, is saddening really. If we were even told that it was being worked on and to stick with it for another couple of weeks etc it would be something but having not heard that it's anywhere near the top of the pile in terms of fixes being looked at, there doesn't seem to be any reason to hang around indefinitely and paying out £10 a month I could spend elsewhere.

[piphil]

It would definitely help if there was a bit more feedback on progress, maybe a little technical information on what's going on. Anyone listening out there in Spotify land? We got an app update a couple of weeks ago that didn't really fix anything, so development is obviously happening...

[Millais]

I WANT to sign up again for Spotify premium but I can't because of this problem. For goodness sake, I want to give you my money but until this issue is resolved, I'll be paying £40 a month instead of £10 with all the added data costs.

How long does it take to sort a, most importantly, long term KNOWN issue out?

Are we going to ever get any feedback on what's actually happening and if you're getting anywhere?

[licenced]

This seems to be the most promosingly useful post from the last few pages - something that Spotify devs should have been able to do a looooooong time ago - so I'm re-posting it

---

@VlarpNL wrote:

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.

---

[SteveBrammer]

@licenced  - I tried to escalate this issue internally yesterday, when the post you mentioned came in, but so far I appear to be being stonewalled. Not a peep from anyone at Spotify.

Personally I'm of the opinion that, since this problem was first reported in the preview version back in April, if they don't already know what the problem is then we are really screwed! I'm not sure of the value of all these reports that are being sent in now that it's so long after the problem was first reported. I find it inconceivable that Spotify don't already know what the problem is, and I feel sorry for all the people in this thread that are spending time and effort making these reports and aren't getting anything in return.

[VlarpNL]

Please remember there is a sort of dirty workaround / solution that at least blocks Spotify from using loads of data when it is running in the background and on mobile network. Under Settings -> Data usage make sure you have set your monthly quota (or any quota at all). Then select Spotify in the list below and select the option "Limit background data". As far as I know this option is only available in Android 4.x.

It's not a solution, but for me it works for now. I'm still too happy with Spotify to cancel my account, but, here in The Netherlands the alternatives to Spotify are quickly gaining popularity, so it might just be that I'm going to switch in the future when this is not solved.

However, my offer still stands, I am willing to help Spotify devs with some diagnostic data if it will help solve this issue.

[personanongrata]

the only thing surprising to me at this point is that there are so many users who have been following the general workings of this company for well over a year and still seem surprised that we get no feedback and that things don't seem to get fixed quickly enough...  astonishing.

there is zero activity on the android app (except to add novelty features that no one cares about or asks for or to get further in bed with facebook), there is zero feedback and there have been zero bugs fixed (except perhaps one by accident) with several new ones introduced instead.  and people still have this illusion that progress is being made but we're just not getting enough feedback?  how is that possible?

[licenced]

VlarpNL - you can also set Spotify to Offline mode until you need to again sync some playlists or want to listen specifically to something you haven't sync'd. However, both work-arounds also stop other communication like to Facebook and Last.fm

strungraysc - "people still have this illusion that progress is being made but we're just not getting enough feedback? how is that possible?" ... wishful thinking?

[SteveBrammer]

When this problem was first reported I didn't think I was being affected, I was just plugging away at Spotify to try and help other people, but it seems to have become even worse with the latest release (basing this assumption on the fact that my usage pattern hasn't changed). For the first time ever in my history of using data on 2G or 3G my usage went over 5GB last month and 4.5GB of that was used by Spotify. Luckily I have a good mobile contract that allows me up to 10GB/month before anything nasty happens. I have now blocked background data usage from the Spotify app but it's now bugging me even more that this was first reported in April and is incredibly still not fixed!

Edit - I should also mention that my normal usage of the Android app is not heavy. 6 - 10 hours per week, mostly playing from offline synced playlists but with some streaming.

[Rocio]

Hello,

First at all, truly sorry for the lack of updates in this thread.

We are still working on this and we are aware of how many people are experiencing this, so we know the importance of a swift resolution. 

Please check this thread for next updates which hopefully will come soon.

Many thanks for being patient and, again, very sorry for this. We know how frustrating this could be. 

[SteveBrammer]

@Rocio - Thanks for the reply. However I must say that I am both amazed and saddened that since this issue has now been outstanding for more than 6 months, all that you can offer is a stock answer.

What does "We are still working on it" mean exactly?

Do your engineers know what the problem is or not?

Is it still worth sending in error reports now we are 6 months down the line from when the problem was first reported?

It's very hard to believe that this problem has been given any sort of high priority since it has been outstanding so long and there has not been any kind of back and forth communication at all between your engineers and the people in this thread. People have been submitting reports into what appears to be a black hole. In debugging situations you usually expect someone to come back and say "please try this....and submit a new report with the results", but there has been nothing.

What a contrast to your work on the iOS platform where you made a new release a couple of weeks ago, people found a problem, there was communication with your iOS developers and a fix was posted within a week. I am very very disappointed by your seemingly unprofessional and uncommitted attitude towards the Android platform. We Android users are truly second class citizens in Spotify's world despite the fact that we probably make up the majority of your mobile users.

[Goodman]

Hi Steve, the difference is that the specific iOS issue was more easily solved because the caase was easily found and thus patched. A big "help" there was also that it was very easily reproducible. If you can reproduce an issue it's very easy to pinpoint. (I know you know this; just saying).

The feedback we got on this Android bug is that it's not open and shut. We haven't been able to reproduce it in-house and are basically left going through all the code to try and find out what _might_ be a cause.

We know this bug is a major pain in the backside and if we could just jump in, change a line of code and fix it we would have done it ages ago.

[SteveBrammer]

I appreciate the problem is not easy to solve, but you haven't until now given us any idea of where we stand with this problem. You have just stated that you cannot reproduce this in-house, and although that's infuriating to hear after more than 6 months, that is the most information that you have fed back to us in all the time this problem has been outstanding. All you have stated up to now is "please keep sending your reports" and that you are "working on it", at least we now know that you have got nowhere so far with the problem as you cannot even reproduce it. Don't you think it might have been an idea to communicate to us the problems you are having? Now we are 6 months down the line and nowhere nearer to a solution. What do you plan to do next? And do you seriously expect us to believe that this problem has been a high priority for over 6 months with no progress? Something is fishy, you can't seriously investigate a problem for 6 months and make no progress, I don't believe you. It must have been that this problem was put on the back burner until enough people started to complain, because you simply don't have the resources to cope with the amount of problems you currently have on the Android platform.

[VlarpNL]

@Per hard to believe this cannot be reproduced. I have had the problem on both my HTC Desire (on Android 2.3), on my Samsung Galaxy S3 (stock 4.0.4 non-rooted Samsung ROM and also on CyanogenMod 9 and 10).

The problem also appears on both WiFi and 2G/3G connection. I reproduced the issue while on WiFi, and I posted this before, I have a pcap (network) capture which shows the network traffic generated by Spotify. However I'm not good at reading those captures so I cannot find what data is downloaded from the Spotify server.

[Jaz666]

VlarpNL I read your report on packet sniffing with interest, have you considered doing the following....

Run the packet sniffer whilst streaming a non-downloaded song over Wi-FI

Do that same but over 3G

Download that song to the phone, and repeat both tests.

That might throw up something?

On my last post in this topic I mentioned the last Android update had impoved the situation, I had noticed the amount of data had reduced, but I agree that it is still too high, I came very close to my data allowance last time around, so I've had to restrict background data again.

[AppleandAndroid]

You really have to be joking. I've  wasted about as much time as I'm going to on this. Your stupid app is using data despite having Download over 2G/3G  configured to OFF, AND Restrict background data checked in Data Usage. How, I cannot understand...but I'm not going to install DroidWall, that requires Root!!

i just tested it again! Look at my account. 3 songs and 1meg. 

Stop passing the buck and sort it out this year!

[personanongrata]

@SteveBrammer: wait, don't we know now that they are looking for beta testers for another rewrite?  it should be no surprise that if they have been working on another rewrite, they would not be updating their current crapp, and hence the phoned-in lip service responses of "we're still working on it."  (by the way, isn't there some forum tool to just set up a repeating message to post that once per month -- sorry for the lack of updates -- here's another non-update.  that could free up the spotify reps to spend more time praising the fanboys who attempt to do their jobs.)  apparently this is their strategy now?  completely rewrite the app every 12 to 15 months, and hope that the number of bugs fixed > the number of new bugs introduced + the number of features removed.  after all, a new dazzling UI is a nice distraction for the average user for a few weeks...

who wants to start placing bets on what features will be removed from the new rewritten app?  i'll start -- downloaded playlists -- that's been a lot of trouble so let's just get rid of that.  also streaming music -- that will fix the data usage problem.

oh, and let me apologize up front for yet another unhelpful post which will undoubtedly spur much conversation in the private back-room slander forums where all the *real* problems get *real* solutions -- how bout it neo-x, buddy?  am i going to cause you another sleepless night?

[VlarpNL]

@Jaz666: I could that offcourse though at the moment I'm not willing to make time for that. Also, the packet sniffer I have on my phone only works on WIFI so I can't capture data on 3G. Again, not really feeling the urge to look for a packet sniffer for 3G data ;).

[quarkus]

Ok, that's it: I am officially leaving spotify in favor of another subscription service, since there is no solution to this problem anywhere near. It's not like they're the only ones on the market. 

It was nice meeting y'all!

[wumpenkarl]

To which platform will you move? Looking for something comparable. Can't  no longer bear this ignorance of spotify. I don't mean only the data usage; it's also the landscape mode, the problem with external SD cards and so on. But hey, we should be happy, the last update included a notification for expired sessions. yay!