Boarding soon? Facing a long flight with no Wi-Fi and wondering how you are going to kill time?
Music is the perfect travel companion, but relying on a spotty in-flight internet connection to stream your favorite tracks is a recipe for frustration. Whether you are a Premium subscriber who forgot to download your playlists before takeoff, or a Free user looking for a way to enjoy music offline, this guide has you covered. Here is everything you need to know about how to listen to Spotify in airplane mode seamlessly.
Part 1: The Official Ways for Spotify Premium Users
If you are a Spotify Premium subscriber, you have built-in options to take your music to the skies.
Method A: The Traditional Way (Manual Download)
The most common way to listen to Spotify on a plane is to manually download your songs, albums, or playlists while you still have a stable Wi-Fi connection. Follow the steps below to have a try.
Step 1. Launch the Spotify app on your device and log in with your premium account.
Step 2. Go to "Your Library", click the "Settings" icon on the upper right corner and choose "Playback". Toggle the "Offline" button.
Step 3. Navigate to the playlist, album, or song you want to listen to on the plane.
Step 4. Click the white download icon. Spotify will start downloading the selected content. You can see the download progress and check which songs have been downloaded by going to your library.
Method B: The "Offline Backup" Feature (🔥 New Update)
Spotify recently rolled out a lifesaver for travelers: Offline Backup. If you lose your internet connection or switch to airplane mode, Spotify will automatically generate an offline playlist for you. This backup is created based on your recent listening history and queued tracks, meaning you will always have something to listen to on your flight, even if you completely forgot to prep your library.
Note: You must have "Offline listening" enabled in your Data Saving and Offline settings for this to work.
Part 2: Why the Official Way Isn't Always the Best on a Flight
While the official methods are convenient, a quick scroll through Reddit and Quora reveals that many travelers still face frustrating issues when trying to use Spotify on a plane:
- Premium is Required: Spotify Free users are completely locked out of official offline listening.
- Annoying Offline Bugs: Many users report that, despite downloading their playlists, the songs appear "greyed out" and refuse to play once airplane mode is activated. (See Also: Spotify Songs Greyed Out: How to Make Them Available Again?)
- The 30-Day Limit: Spotify requires you to connect to the internet at least once every 30 days to keep your downloads active. If you are on a long backpacking trip and haven't synced your app, your downloads will expire mid-flight.
- Battery Drain Anxiety: Listening to music on your main smartphone for a 10-hour flight drains the battery fast. When you land, you might barely have enough juice left to order an Uber or check your hotel reservations.
Part 3: The Ultimate Way to Listen to Spotify on a Plane (Free & Premium)
If you want to bypass the limitations of the official app, avoid battery drain, and listen offline without a Premium subscription, the ultimate solution is to save your Spotify tracks as standard local audio files.
This is where TuneFab Spotify Music Converter comes in. This tool allows you to freely download Spotify songs to popular audio formats like MP3, M4A, FLAC, and more, all without needing a Spotify Premium subscription.
TuneFab Spotify Music Converter comes with a built-in Spotify Web Player, so you can search for songs directly within the tool and simply drag and drop to start downloading. Whether it's a single track, album, playlist, podcast, or audiobook, this tool can download it to your device with original audio quality. For playlists and albums, it even supports batch conversion, saving you tons of time and effort.
Why TuneFab is Perfect for Frequent Flyers:
- No Premium Needed: Free users can download entire playlists for offline listening without spending a dime on a subscription.
- Play on Any Device to Save Battery: Convert your Spotify music to MP3 and transfer it to an old iPod, a dedicated MP3 player, or an offline tablet. You can turn your main phone completely off during the flight to save 100% of your battery!
- 100% Stable & Permanent: These are actual local files on your device. No "greyed out" bugs, no app crashes, and absolutely no 30-day internet login requirements.
Now, let's take a look at how TuneFab Spotify Music Converter works:
Step 1. Download and launch TuneFab Spotify Music Converter on your computer. On the homepage, select "Spotify."
Step 2. Log in to your Spotify account.
Step 3. Use the built-in web player to search for the song, album, playlist, etc., that you want to download. Then, simply drag and drop them onto the red floating "+" icon on the right to add them to the conversion list.
Step 4. On the download page, choose your preferred audio format and quality settings according to your needs.
Step 5. Finally, click the "Convert All" button in the bottom right corner to start converting.
Tips: Once you've downloaded Spotify songs on your computer, open the file folder and transfer them to your phone via a USB cable. That way, you'll be able to listen to Spotify offline without Premium even in airplane mode.
Part 4: FAQs About Using Spotify on an Airplane
Does Spotify consume battery in airplane mode?
Yes. Even in airplane mode, keeping your screen on to change tracks and running the Spotify app in the background will consume your phone's battery. If you want to conserve your smartphone battery for when you land, we highly recommend downloading your music as MP3s via TuneFab and listening on a secondary device like an MP3 player.
Can I use Spotify Free on an airplane?
Officially, no. The Spotify app does not support offline listening for Free accounts. However, you can use a tool like TuneFab Spotify Music Converter to download your favorite tracks to MP3 using your Free account before you leave for the airport.
Why are my downloaded Spotify songs not playing in airplane mode?
This is a common bug. It usually happens if your Premium subscription has lapsed, if you haven't connected to the internet in the last 30 days, or if the app's cache is corrupted. To avoid this completely, backing up your music as local MP3 files ensures they will always play, regardless of the app's status.
Conclusion
Whether you rely on Spotify's brand-new Offline Backup feature to save you at the last minute, or you prefer the traditional download method, Premium users have solid options for short flights.
However, if you want to truly eliminate battery anxiety, play music on any offline device, or enjoy your favorite playlists without paying for a Premium subscription, converting your tracks to local MP3s is the ultimate travel hack. By preparing your travel playlist with TuneFab Spotify Music Converter before you head to the airport, you are guaranteed a smooth, uninterrupted, and music-filled flight.
Download TuneFab today and let your music fly with you!
