For those long flights, many passengers want to know whether they can listen to Spotify on a plane or not.
So let’s find out if you can listen to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks depending on whether you have premium, are connected to Wi-Fi, or are in Airplane Mode.
Listening to Spotify on a Plane Depends on Your Subscription
Spotify Premium vs. Free
Spotify Premium
The first thing you should know if you want to listen to Spotify while flying is that you should purchase Spotify Premium.
This is because the Premium version of Spotify does not require you to have Wi-Fi or mobile data to listen to Spotify.
More details about this below.
Spotify Free
If you don’t want to pay for Spotify Premium, you are not able to download and listen offline.
Additionally, you also have to put up with ads, are limited to shuffle play and lower resolution audio.
As Well as if You Have Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi vs. No Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Today, many airlines offer Wi-Fi in-flight, either for free or for a small fee.
This is great news if you want to listen to Spotify while flying.
Better yet, this also means that you are not required to have Spotify Premium and can use the free version of Spotify to listen to your favorite tunes.
No Wi-Fi
If you are unfortunate enough to be flying with an airline that doesn’t offer Wi-Fi or simply don’t want to pay for Wi-Fi, you can still connect to and listen to Spotify as long as you have a Premium account.
Anyone who has ever stepped foot on a plane, knows that airlines require you to put your cell phone on Airplane mode.
But can you listen to Spotify on a plane when your plane is on Airplane mode?
The answer is yes, you can listen to Spotify on Airplane mode, just as long as you have Spotify Premium.
This is because you can download audio from Spotify for listening when offline.
Simply go to your library, enable offline mode, and you are good to go.
Non-Airplane Mode
As you are aware, your phone needs to be in Airplane mode when flying, which means that you will not have access to your mobile data. You will therefore either need Wi-Fi or Spotify Premium.
To conclude, if you have an upcoming flight and want to listen to Spotify, your choices are as follows:
Spotify Premium: No Wi-Fi or data is required. Just make sure that you download what you want to listen to in advance
Spotify Free: Either Wi-Fi or data is required when flying
Airplane Mode: Either Spotify Premium or Wi-Fi is required when flying
Ella Dunham, a Freelance Travel Journalist and Marketing Manager, boasts an impressive career spanning eight years in the travel and tourism sectors.
Honored as one of "30 Under 30" by TTG Media (the world’s very first weekly travel trade newspaper), a "Tour Operator Travel Guru" and "Legend Award" winner, Ella is also a Fellow of the Institute of Travel, a Member of the Association of Women Travel Executives, has completed over 250 travel modules, and hosts travel-focused segments on national radio shows where she provides insights on travel regulations and destinations.
Ella has visited over 40 countries (with 10 more planned this year).
