In short: If you cannot download Spotify podcast episodes, turn off “Low Power Mode” on your device, give Spotify permission to run in the background, and disable battery-saving features.
Are you having trouble downloading a podcast episode from Spotify? Don’t worry. In this article, I will share with you some of the biggest causes along with their solutions.
1. Your internet connection is unstable
If a Spotify podcast is not downloading, it could be an internet connection issue. Check whether you have a stable internet connection or not when you’re downloading an episode.
Unlike songs, podcast episodes are longer and require a consistent stream of internet connection. If the internet connection is patchy, the podcast won’t download well.
Restart your wireless router and check the internet connection on another device. You can also try downloading the podcast episode using a different internet connection.
2. You don’t have enough storage space
If the internet connection is not the cause, then you may not have enough storage space on your device. The average length of a podcast is 36 minutes, which is quite bigger than a song.
Spotify recommends that your device has up to 1GB of free memory. This allows you to download content from Spotify and store data so the app can stream content without lag.
3. You’ve reached the download limit
There is a limit on how many devices you can use to download content from Spotify. Make sure you do not reach the 5 devices limit. If you’re over the limit, you can’t download podcasts.
According to Spotify, you can download as many as 10,000 tracks on each of up to 5 different devices. And since podcasts are longer than songs, you may have exceeded the limit.
4. Enable Spotify to run in the background
Streaming apps need permission to run in the background. If you have not given Spotify permission to run in the background, podcasts will not download when you close the screen.
If you don’t enable Spotify to run in the background, you need to keep your phone screen on at all times during the download process. The Spotify app also needs to stay on.
How to give Spotify background permission on Android
- Go to Settings.
- Select Apps.
- Select Spotify from the list of apps.
- Under Usage, tap Battery.
- Turn on the toggle for “Allow background activity”.
- Now you have allowed the background activity for Spotify.
How to give Spotify background permission on iOS
- Go to Settings.
- Select General.
- Select the “Background App Refresh” tab.
- Select the “Background App Refresh” option again.
- Choose “On”.
5. Turn off “Low Power Mode”
Low Power Mode temporarily reduces background activity like downloads until you can fully charge your phone. If it is turned on, a Spotify podcast won’t be downloaded.
On an iPhone, you can access Low Power Mode by going to Settings > Battery > Low Power Mode. Make sure the toggle is turned off and you’re good to go.
Android devices handle this slightly differently. The setting on Android devices is called “Battery saver.” To access it, tap the Settings icon and then tap Battery saver. Make sure it is OFF.
Once you have disabled Low Power Mode, close the Spotify app, reopen it, then download your podcast episode. It should now download without any interference.
6. Disable any cache-clearing or battery-saving apps
Check your device for any cache-clearing apps or battery-saving apps. If you have them, be sure to disable them because they are interfering with the podcast downloads.
A cache-clearing app automatically deletes temporary files on your device. This can help free up space and improve performance but will hinder the download process of a podcast.
Similarly, a battery-saving app aims to save battery life by clamping down on unnecessary tasks, ensuring that your phone is running only the apps you really need at any given moment.
Unfortunately, this also prevents a Spotify podcast from downloading.
7. Make sure the phone screen is ON
Apparently, if you read the tiny print on one of the pages it says something about needing to have the app up and running, with the phone lock OFF for the entire time the podcasts are downloading.
Even if you have enabled background usage and disabled cache-clearing or battery-saving apps, you should leave the screen is ON the entire time, just to be safe.
If you use an iPhone, you can set Auto-lock to “Never”. On an Android device, you can navigate to settings and disable the screen lock. Leave the screen on when a podcast is downloading.
I forgot to leave my phone screen on when I was downloading a podcast episode from Spotify. When I woke up the next morning, the podcast wasn’t downloaded.
8. Mark as unplayed then try downloading again
If you’ve done all of the above, but your podcast is still not downloading, try marking the podcast as unplayed, then download the podcast episode. This worked for me.
Do this when you click on the download button and it’s briefly added to your “episodes” but the episodes button and download button reset and never actually begin downloading.
Related articles: