Based on such a promise, Spotify has now released a new Offline Backup feature to its premium users. That is pretty exciting as it allows you to automatically save some of your recently listened to songs, thus making them accessible to playback when you are offline without downloading.
The current premium members can stream songs directly to download for offline listening, but Offline Backup has done that and relies on the device's local cache. Any songs you play online will also be stored for playback offline, along with tracks in your "now playing" queue. Here is how that feature works and why it is special.
How Spotify Offline Backup Works
Unlike the other personalized playlists that rely on algorithms from Spotify, the Offline Backup playlist is not personalized and is quite the opposite—thus offering users the ability to filter their cached songs into those by artist, mood, or genre, giving users control over how they'll be listening offline. The playlist appears only after a user has streamed more than five songs recently, enabling the offline listening mode.
To access it, go to Settings and Privacy, then Storage. From here, tap Offline Listening, and you can now utilize Offline Backup under Playback> Offline.
Auto-Updates Using Listening History
It periodically refreshes its list of songs based on what the user has been listening to recently, which means that as long as you are streaming, your offline playlist is always current. Seamless integration ensures that users continually have fresh content, even in cases where they're not connected to the Internet.
TechCrunch tells us that the Offline Backup playlist will appear on your home screen when you go offline. You can add the list to your library if you prefer having it appear even faster.
A Rival to YouTube Music's Offline Features?
The Offline Backup feature of Spotify seems to stretch forward what has become pretty popular with YouTube Music's Offline Mixtape and Smart Download wherein the service automatically downloads as many as 500 songs.
Offline Backup does not yet offer such volume but places Spotify on the right path toward upgrading the streaming service for offline listening. YouTube Music's Smart Download has this advantage via its ability to upload liked songs across playlists.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek revealed a feature known as Offline Mix in 2023, but the company failed to communicate whether that was deployed to everyone. Perhaps this is only an extension of that idea—with a greater emphasis on using cached material.
New BFF for Online Users, Helpful Tool For Offline Listeners
With Offline Backup, Spotify looks to delight its users who often find themselves internet-less. Be it a flight, a road trip, or when one finds himself or herself in an area with dismal service, this feature will always render music within arm's reach without having to perform the tedium of manually downloading songs beforehand.
