Are you wondering how streams on Spotify are counted? In this article, let’s talk about what counts as a stream on Spotify, including special cases like mute, repeat, or offline.
What counts as a stream on Spotify?
According to Spotify, a stream is counted when you listen to a song for 30 seconds or more. If a song appears on multiple releases, it counts toward the stream count on every release.
Does Spotify count streams on mute?
Spotify counts streams on mute as long as the song has been played for 30 seconds or more. The app cannot check volume levels on your device’s hardware.
Whether the song is muted from the Spotify app or your device’s volume level has been lowered to zero, it still counts as a stream and will affect your music recommendations.
I’ve seen many articles say that Spotify does not count streams on mute, but this is not correct. Not only did a Spotify moderator confirm this, but I’ve personally tested it on my Spotify account.
Does Spotify count streams on repeat/loop?
Spotify counts streams on repeat, whether you have the song on repeat or you play it again manually, as long as the song has been played for 30 seconds or more.
Does Spotify count streams offline?
Spotify counts streams offline. A song that has been played offline for at least 30 seconds will be counted as a stream and will be added to your listening stats after you go back online.
When you stream a song on Spotify without an internet connection, the data is stored in the app. The next time you go back online, Spotify will send the data to its servers.
According to Spotify, users must go online at least once every 30 days. The songs you listen to offline will also be taken into account for Spotify Wrapped.
Does Spotify count streams on laptop/web?
Absolutely. Spotify counts streams on your laptop and Web Player as long as the song has been played for at least 30 seconds and the device is connected to your Spotify account.
The stream will count regardless of the playback volume. Even if you lower the volume or mute the song, Spotify will count the stream when you’re playing the song on your laptop.
Does Spotify count streams on TV?
Absolutely. Spotify counts streams on your TV as long as the song has been played for at least 30 seconds and the device is connected to your Spotify account.
The stream will count regardless of the playback volume. Even if you lower the volume or mute the song, Spotify will count the stream when you’re playing the song on your TV.
Does Spotify count streams on Alexa?
Spotify has confirmed that all songs you listen to using smart speakers, like Amazon Echo and Alexa, count towards your stream counts as long as they are connected to your Spotify account.
Any song you play on a Bluetooth smart speaker using voice control will add to your stream count and will affect your recommendations on Discover Weekly, Release Radar, etc.
Does Spotify count streams on private sessions?
While Private Session streams count for minutes listened, these shouldn’t count for charts, songs, and music recommendations, e.g. Discover Weekly.
A private session on Spotify hides your listening activity from followers and Spotify’s algorithms. Basically, Spotify counts the minutes of the song but won’t view what the song is.
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