Spotify downloads can eat 22GB of phone space, and you can cut that

If your phone keeps warning you about low storage, Spotify may be the reason. In one test by an Engadget writer, a full offline music library took about 22GB in the Lossless quality setting. The same library fit in a little over 2GB on the Low setting. Offline listening stayed intact.

Find out what is using the space

Start by checking your phone's storage screen. On an iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. On Android, menu names vary by maker, so searching your phone for "Storage" is the easiest route. On Samsung, look under Settings > Device care > Storage. Apps are often sorted by size. If Spotify is near the top, downloaded music or cached data is likely the cause.

Clear the cache or trim downloads

The cache is temporary data an app keeps to run faster. On Android, you can clear it through Settings > Apps > See all apps > Spotify > Storage & cache > Clear cache. Avoid the Clear storage button unless you mean it. It wipes your offline library and also signs you out.

A better route is inside Spotify. Open Your Library and tap Downloaded at the top. Pick a playlist or album and tap the green download button to remove it. That lets you drop music you rarely play and keep your favorites.

Remove everything at once

To reclaim as much space as possible, tap your profile picture in the top-left corner. Go to Settings and privacy > Data-saving and offline, scroll to the bottom and tap Remove next to Remove all downloads. You can clear the cache there too. If the freed space does not show up right away, restart the phone.

On a Windows or Mac computer, click your profile picture, open Settings, scroll to Storage and click Remove all downloads. The web version does not support offline listening, so it does not fill your device.

Lower the download quality

If you want to keep an offline library, change the quality instead. Go to Settings and privacy > Media quality, then find Download quality. Choose Low and tap Download next to Update existing downloads. Spotify says Low is about 24 kbps, which should be fine for casual listening.

Lossless files are much larger. The extra detail is most useful with wired headphones and a DAC, a device that converts digital audio to sound. With wireless earbuds, the difference may not be noticeable.