Spotify has significantly increased the number of songs that users can download from the streaming service to their devices, in a bid to better challenge rival Apple Music.

Downloading songs on Spotify, a feature that requires a Spotify Premium subscription, is a simple process. However, the previous limit on the number of songs that can be downloaded was a burden for the service's heavy users.

Spotify Song Download Limit Increased

Spotify used to limit the number of songs that Spotify Premium subscribers were able to download to 3,333 tracks per device, with a maximum of three devices. The latest update, however, has significantly increased that limit.

After some heavy users started to notice that they were able to breach the 3,333-song limit, Spotify confirmed the change to Rolling Stone. From the previous limit of 3,333 songs per device on up to three devices, the new Spotify song download limit is 10,000 songs per device, on up to five devices.

The Spotify song download limit was effectively increased by five times, from a total of 9,999 songs to a new limit of 50,000 songs.

The song download limit implemented by Spotify was one of the biggest complaints of users against the music streaming service. The downloaded songs enabled Offline Mode, for when Spotify Premium users found themselves in areas with poor reception such as subways, or for when they are simply avoiding using up their data.

Spotify seeks to better challenge Apple Music with its new 50,000-song download limit. However, in comparison, Apple Music does not have a song download limit, with the feature only limited by the amount of free space that users have in their iPhone.

Spotify vs Apple Music

After years dominating the music streaming space, newer rival Apple Music took over leadership in July in terms of the number of paid subscribers. It was only a matter of time for Apple Music, as the paid subscriber growth of Apple's music streaming service was far higher compared to that of Spotify's.

Spotify is now playing catch up to Apple Music, with plans to reportedly license artists directly to the service to partially remove music labels from the picture, and to allow users to skip all advertisements to improve its streaming intelligence and deliver a better experience.

It remains to be seen, however, if these efforts, including the increased song download limit, will help Spotify regain its throne in the music streaming industry.