Buzz
Got a long-haul flight ahead? What better way to kill time than with your favorite music? The trick is to be able to enjoy it without relying on Wi-Fi or data when you're up in the air. Fortunately, thanks to in-flight services, music streaming apps, and MP3 converters, accessing your tunes offline has never been easier. Keep reading for a mix of free and premium options to enjoy your music when your device is in airplane mode.
Essential Information
- Check whether your airline offers free music streaming as part of their in-flight entertainment package.
- Convert and download your favorite Spotify tracks to your phone for free using Sidify Music Converter.
- Upgrade to a premium subscription on a music streaming platform to unlock the ability to listen offline.
How to Do It
In-Flight Entertainment
Many major airlines offer complimentary music streaming services to passengers. To see what’s available, visit your airline’s website. Once you’re on board, check the informational brochure or ask the flight attendants about how to access the free music on your phone, tablet, or laptop. Here are some of the options provided by popular airlines:
- American Airlines: Complimentary Apple Music access
- United Airlines: Free playlists and albums via United Private Screening
- Delta Airlines: Curated playlists from Spotify at no cost
- JetBlue: Free access to SiriusXM
Wi-Fi Onboard
Onboard Wi-Fi gives you the ability to stream music directly from your favorite services. Visit your airline’s site to find out what Wi-Fi options are available for your flight. If you're open to spending a little extra, purchase a Wi-Fi pass so you can access online streaming platforms like Spotify during your journey.
- JetBlue offers free Wi-Fi to all passengers, while airlines such as Delta, United, Alaska, and Southwest provide packages under $10.
Documents Application
The Documents iPhone app allows you to download music for offline listening without any hassle. With the app's built-in browser, simply enter the URL of an MP3 download site to search for your favorite songs. Once you find the track you want, tap the arrow icon at the bottom of the screen to save the music file to your device.
- When on the plane, open the “Downloads” folder within the app to access your saved songs.
- Websites like MP3 Juice, MYMP3Skull, and Y2Mate offer free downloads, but use caution as some may contain ads or redirects.
Spotify Premium
This popular music streaming service lets you download songs for just $10 per month. Open Spotify on your device, whether it’s your phone, tablet, or laptop, and create a playlist of your favorite tracks. Tap the arrow icon next to the playlist to download all the songs for offline listening. Once the arrow turns green, your music is ready for your flight!
- If using Spotify on your computer, simply enable the “Download” toggle next to your playlist. Your downloaded songs will display with a green arrow icon.
- If you want to save on Spotify Premium, students can get it for only $5 per month, and two people in the same household can get a shared account for $6.50 each ($13 total). Family plans are also available, offering premium accounts for up to six people for $16 a month (under $3 each).
- Spotify offers a 1-month free trial for new Premium users.
Apple Music
Apple Music offers an easy way to download your favorite music for offline use. On your phone or tablet, simply tap and hold the playlist, song, or album you wish to enjoy on your flight, and then tap the “Add to Library” button. After the music is added to your library, tap and hold again, and select the “Download” option to save the music for offline listening.
- If you’re using a MacBook or laptop, launch the iTunes or Apple Music app, and add the song or album to your library by tapping the + sign. Then, click the download icon to access the content offline.
- To create a playlist, go to the “Library” section, select “Playlists,” then “New Playlist,” and tap “Add Music” to fill your playlist with tunes you love.
- Apple Music costs $10 per month for an individual subscription. Students can enjoy it for just $6 per month, and new users can get a 1-month free trial.
- Note that offline downloads are not available with the Apple Music Voice plan.
YouTube Music Premium
YouTube Music allows you to download specific songs, albums, and playlists. For playlists or albums, tap the ⁝ menu on your device and select “Download.” For individual songs, tap the “Download” button next to the track. Your music will be ready to play offline during your flight!
- To create a playlist, tap the ⁝ next to a song and tap “Add to playlist,” then “New playlist.”
- YouTube Music also features “smart” downloads, automatically saving music based on your listening habits. To enable this, tap your profile photo, select “Downloads,” then go to “Settings” and switch on “Smart downloads.”
- YouTube Music Premium is available for $10 per month for individuals (or $5 for college students). New users can also take advantage of a 1-month free trial.
- YouTube Music Premium works seamlessly across phones, tablets, and laptops.
Amazon Music Prime or Unlimited
Amazon offers offline listening for both Amazon Music Prime and Unlimited subscriptions. Select the song, album, or playlist you wish to download, and tap the “More Options” menu button next to it. Then, choose the “Download” option to make your music available offline. Once onboard, simply open the Amazon Music app to access your downloaded tracks.
- This feature is available for iOS, Android devices, and Amazon Fire tablets.
- To create a playlist, open the Amazon Music app, tap “My Music,” and go to the “Playlists” tab. From there, tap “Create New Playlist” to select your favorite songs, albums, or artists.
- Amazon Prime members get free access to 2 million songs. For a larger 90-million song library, upgrade to Amazon Music Unlimited for $9 a month, and new users can enjoy a free trial.
Pandora Premium
Premium Pandora subscribers can download stations for offline listening. Open the “My Collection” tab in the Pandora app and tap the download icon next to the content you want to store. Some content might not be available for offline use, but if the download icon appears, you're all set!
- Pandora Plus members get the ability to listen offline to their 3 most-played stations, as well as Thumbprint Radio, but they can’t download individual stations.
- Pandora Plus costs $5 per month, while Pandora Premium is available for $10. Students and military members can enjoy a discounted Premium plan for $5 or $8, respectively. A Premium Family plan is available, offering 6 accounts for $15 monthly.
- Pandora provides a 1-month free trial for Plus users and a 2-month free trial for Premium users.
- Offline mode on Pandora is only available on mobile devices (phones and tablets); laptops are not supported.
SoundCloud Go
SoundCloud Go and Go Plus members have the ability to download music for offline listening. Simply open your playlist or liked songs and tap the download arrow in the top-right corner. If you want to download your entire SoundCloud Library (including all your Liked songs and playlists), activate the “Save automatically” feature in your “Offline listening settings.”
- To create a playlist on your mobile device, tap the three-dot icon next to the playing song. From the pop-up menu, select the “Add to playlist” option, and then create a new playlist.
- SoundCloud Go costs $5 per month, while SoundCloud Go Plus is priced at $10. Go subscriptions include a 7-day free trial, while Go Plus comes with a 1-month free trial.
- SoundCloud's offline feature is only compatible with mobile devices.
Deezer Premium
Premium Deezer subscribers can download music for offline use. On your phone, tablet, or laptop, go to the “Favorites” section and click on the “Music” tab. Then, enable the “DOWNLOAD” button to make your favorite tracks available without an internet connection.
- If you prefer to use mobile data to download music, go to the app’s “Settings” menu, tap “Audio” and “Download,” and toggle on the “Download via mobile data” option.
- Deezer Premium is typically priced at $11 per month, but there are discounts for students ($6 per month) or through the Family plan ($3 per person for 6 users). Deezer also offers a 1-month free trial for all plans.
Tidal HiFi or HiFi Plus
HiFi or HiFi Plus members can download music for offline listening on their phones or tablets. Head to the “My Collection” tab, then choose “Playlists” or “Albums.” Next, tap the three-dot menu next to the album or playlist you wish to download, and select the “Download” option. To enable offline mode, return to “My Collection,” click the “Settings” icon, and toggle on the “Offline Mode” setting.
- To view your downloaded content, go to the “Downloaded” section in “My Collection.”
- To create a playlist, press the three-dot menu next to your preferred album or track, then tap “Add to Playlist.”
- Tidal HiFi is $10 per month, while Tidal HiFi Plus is $20 per month. They also offer discounted plans for families, students, and military members. All Tidal plans come with a 1-month free trial.
JioSaavn Pro
JioSaavn Pro subscribers can download an unlimited number of songs for offline listening. Open the JioSaavn app, find the album or track you want for your flight, and tap and hold the song or album. A mini menu will pop up—select the “Download” button to save it. If you prefer to download a whole playlist, just click the arrow icon on the right side of the playlist.
- You can also tap the three-dot icon next to any song and choose “Download” from the menu that appears.
- To create a new playlist in the app, long press on the song you want to add, then tap “Add to Playlist” to make a new list.
- JioSaavn Pro is available for $5 per month or $40 annually. They offer a 7-day free trial for monthly subscriptions.
