Spotify Premium Offline downloads should've been retained after the expiration

[killdistance]

Why do all of my downloads got deleted after expiration of my Premium subscription? It was due for like a couple of days and I forgot to pay it actually, thus I was over the due date. Then, once I paid it again, I found out that all of my downloaded music and playlists are gone.

Why this behavior? This is basically wasting my data plan considering that I have to redownload all of them (yet what is being selected to be downloaded is not saved either, I have to go through all of my playlists to enable the switch again, sigh...)

This is painful for me ... and I might switch to the other alternatives to see if this doesn't happen on the other services.

[MkxTrax]

Hi. Killdistance

1st Playlist Recovery Have you tried login into spotify online and not the app to recover your playlists ? I've had this before and recovered successfully from there.

2nd for download data. Check that your storage space is the same since you reverted to free status? Ive seen the location change when Ive updated details before now.

You check this one in Spotify Desktop app

Click the elipses top left. then goto prefrences. Scroll down, select Advanced TAB see it has. something like this C:\Users\{yourusername}\AppData\Local\Spotify

If yours has C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Spotify\n8cr9sdmaw or other additional info to it. Then its like its changed.

Hope this helps

Let me know how you get on pls. 

[AeroZ]

Hi @killdistance!

Since downloading music for offline listening is a Premium feature then it's expected to lose your downloaded music when you get reverted back to the Free plan. The only solution I can offer to avoid this in the future is to have automatic Premium subscription renewal setup.

Hope this helps 🙂

[MkxTrax]

killdistance Please refer to AeroZ correct answer . I have now tested this one and experienced in 2 different scenarios, even though my the old data remained in the cache the location changes I had saved with several GB of Data, the account status also accesses the cache and automated wiping takes places, Cookie control service or user side or both! TBH Providing such a service is what I would want as an artist. Agreed,  indeed it is painful but the only other option is basically giving users the use to the offline data when accounts are no longer premium. Then if a user never rejoins, effectively the downloaded could be played for ever without any return to the artist. 

[killdistance]

@MkxTrax to your first reply: I don't download my Playlist on my desktop, I only do it on my Android phone.
to your second reply: I agree, Why don't it get kept on the cache, it just needs to be locked when the user is not on premium anymore, and when it's locked, they can only use the regular one, which uses internet again to listen instead of what is already on the cache.

My suggestion @AeroZ is to add a pop-up notice for me to either keep it or delete it.

Why tho? You ask...

Because I don't travel that much, and I'll listen to Spotify only whenever I do. At home, I mostly watch movies or YouTube.

[MkxTrax]

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@killdistance wrote:

@MkxTrax to your first reply: I don't download my Playlist on my desktop, I only do it on my Android phone.
to your second reply: I agree, Why don't it get kept on the cache, it just needs to be locked when the user is not on premium anymore, and when it's locked, they can only use the regular one, which uses internet again to listen instead of what is already on the cache.

My suggestion @AeroZ is to add a pop-up notice for me to either keep it or delete it.

Why tho? You ask...

Because I don't travel that much, and I'll listen to Spotify only whenever I do. At home, I mostly watch movies or YouTube.

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Totally Agree mate, there's still loads being worked with this and other more simple factors but most of its timescale on historical data, security changes and 3rd party app linking due to the recent implementations with GDPR.  Third party App Log-in info which of many of us is synced data between devices like:- Android data is backed Google. or iOS/Itunes to Apple servers etc.  Its so broad my friend It may take a while before any such locks instead of removal become viable, if at all! (non tech savvy with old app login rights still on their other platforms sat in silence) Especially if regulatory agreement with GDPR is a restricted or A differentiated policy has been advised for platforms to adhere to, e.g holding information when a users is no longer premium ~ A basic/secondary agreement policy becomes a mandatory req by the platform. To top all that, Billions of old data in the still in the ether to be cleared, Its going to be a long-haul with this across the globe and all apps. The previous laws DPA - Regulations circa 1970's that dealt with such policies like this. Hence the GDPR ultimately this protects both the user, the client and the platform to a standard not previously set since. Can see the workload here if the later is applicable for companies.

Apologies with the big break down, I would'nt want you going elsewhere to come across the same issue,  which will be the case at some point TBH.