Spotify gets a great free offline listening update

Spotify has introduced a new feature for Premium members that will ensure you'll never find yourself short of music to listen to.

Offline Backup creates a playlist of tunes that are automatically stored in the cache on your device, allowing you to access it without needing a data connection – either mobile or Wi-Fi.

It takes into account queued and recently streamed tracks to ensure that you get the tunes you're most interested in. It also includes tracks already stored on your device, whether than be iPhone or Android.

The playlist also updates and changes as you listen, adding new content all-the-while. And you have the ability to filter and sort songs within the list by artist, mood and genre.

The Offline Backup feature is in addition to downloading tracks for offline listening manually, it doesn't replace that service. It's exclusive to Spotify Premium subscribers and appears in your Home feed whenever you are offline.

You do need to listen to more than five songs in recent times to activate the feature, and you also need to have it active in your settings (Settings > Storage and make sure "Offline Listening" is toggled on).

You can also add Offline Backup to Your Library.

The update should have rolled out today. However, if you don't have Offline Backup on your device yet, check to see if you've got the latest version of Spotify and download it if not.

How much is Spotify Premium?

An individual Spotify Premium subscription is available on a 1-month free trial and then costs £11.99 / $11.99 / AU$13.99 per month.

Premium Family membership, which can be shared with multiple profiles in a family, costs £19.99 / $19.99. / AU$23.99 per month.