Does Using Spotify Take Up Space on an iPhone?

Spotify's universal iOS app works across iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads.

Like all iOS apps, the Spotify app for the iPhone takes up some local storage space on your device in order to store the program code and graphics, and load them into memory when necessary. How much space the app takes up on top of this depends on whether you sync any songs and playlists for offline listening.

1 Spotify App

The most recent version of the Spotify iOS app -- 0.7.6 as of October 2013 -- is a 35.2MB download. To check the size of the current version, visit the app's listing in the iTunes Store, or right-click on an app in iTunes and choose "Get Info." ITunes also shows the amount of free space on your iPhone whenever it's connected to your computer. You can only use the app if you have a Spotify Premium account.

2 Syncing Songs

With a Spotify Premium account, you can download tracks to your phone for offline listening; however, each song you sync takes up additional room on your iPhone. To choose the quality, and thus the size, of the cached tracks, tap the menu button, marked with three horizontal lines, choose "Settings," and then select "Music Quality." The space you need on your iPhone for Spotify tracks depends on the number of tracks you sync, the music quality setting you choose and the complexity of each track.

An information technology journalist since 2002, David Nield writes about the Web, technology, hardware and software. He is an experienced editor, proofreader and copywriter for online publications such as CNET, TechRadar and Gizmodo. Nield holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and lives in Manchester, England.

×