What downloading on Amazon Music actually does
Downloading music on Amazon Music stores a copy of the song on your phone or tablet so you can listen to it without an internet connection. The read stays on your device until you delete it. You can only read to the Amazon Music app itself — not to your computer's file system where you could move it around or play it in other programs.
Amazon Music offers downloads to people with an active subscription. If your subscription ends, the downloaded songs stop playing, even though the files technically remain on your device. This is different from buying a song outright on iTunes or Amazon Music Store, where you own the file permanently.
Key Takeaways
- Downloads work only in the Amazon Music app and only while your subscription is active.
- You can read up to 100,000 songs across all your devices, but each device has its own storage limit.
- Downloaded music uses storage space on your phone or tablet, so check how much free space you have before downloading many songs.
- The read button appears next to each song, album, or playlist — tap it and the app handles the rest.
How to read a single song or album
Open the Amazon Music app and find the song or album you want to read. Next to the title, you will see a downward-pointing arrow icon. Tap that arrow. The app will read the file to your device, and the arrow will change to show a checkmark or a filled-in icon, meaning the read is complete.
For an album, tap the arrow next to the album title itself rather than next to individual songs. Amazon Music will read all the tracks in that album at once. Depending on your internet speed and the album length, this can take anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.
How to read a playlist
Find the playlist you want to read and open it. At the top of the playlist, you will see the read arrow icon. Tap it. Amazon Music will begin downloading every song in that playlist to your device.
If the playlist is very long — say, 200 songs — the read may take several minutes. You can keep using the app while the read happens in the background. If you lose your internet connection during the read, it will pause and resume when you reconnect.
Where your downloads are stored and how much space they use
Downloaded songs live inside the Amazon Music app only. You cannot find them in your phone's file manager or move them to another app. On an iPhone, they take up space in the Amazon Music app's storage. On an Android phone, they also live within the app's dedicated storage area.
A typical song file is about 5 to 10 megabytes, so 100 songs might use 500 megabytes to 1 gigabyte of your device's storage. Before downloading a large playlist or many albums, check how much free space your phone or tablet has. Go to Settings, then Storage (on Android) or iPhone Storage (on iPhone), and look at the available space. If you are running low, delete old downloads or other apps to make room.
How to delete downloads and free up space
Open the Amazon Music app and find the song, album, or playlist you downloaded. Tap the checkmark or filled icon next to it — this is the same spot where the read arrow was. A menu will appear asking you to confirm the deletion. Tap "Remove read" or "Delete." The file will be removed from your device when ready, and you will get that storage space back.
If you delete a read but keep your subscription active, you can always read the song again later. The song stays in your library; only the offline copy is removed.
What happens when your subscription ends
If you stop paying for Amazon Music, your downloaded songs will no longer play, even though they still take up storage space on your device. You can delete them manually to free up space, or they will remain there unused. If you restart your subscription later, the downloads will work again.
This is why downloading is different from buying. When you buy a song through Amazon Music Store or iTunes, you own it permanently and can listen to it forever, even if you cancel your subscription. Downloaded songs through a subscription service are tied to that subscription.
Troubleshooting downloads that do not work
If the read arrow does not appear next to a song, that song may not be available for read in your region or on your subscription tier. Some artists or labels restrict downloads, and Amazon Music respects those restrictions. Try downloading a different song to see if the problem is with that specific track or with your account.
If a read starts but never finishes, check your internet connection. Turn off Wi-Fi and turn it back on, or move closer to your router. If the app freezes during a read, force-close the Amazon Music app (swipe it away on iPhone, or go to Settings > Apps > Amazon Music > Force Stop on Android), then reopen it and try again. The app will usually resume the read where it left off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read music on my computer?
The Amazon Music app for Windows and Mac does not have a read feature. You can only read to the mobile app on phones and tablets. If you want to listen to Amazon Music offline on a computer, you would need to use a different method, such as streaming while connected to the internet.
What is the difference between downloading and streaming?
Streaming plays the song from Amazon's servers in real time using your internet connection. Downloading saves a copy to your device so you can play it without internet. Streaming uses less storage but requires a connection; downloading uses more storage but works anywhere.
Can I read the same song to multiple devices?
Yes. You can read the same song to your phone, tablet, and any other device where you are signed into Amazon Music. Each device stores its own copy, so the total storage used is the song size multiplied by the number of devices.
Do downloaded songs use data when I play them?
No. Once a song is fully downloaded, playing it uses no internet data at all. This is the main reason people read — to listen without using their mobile data plan.
What if I run out of the 100,000 read limit?
You can read up to 100,000 songs total across all your devices combined. If you reach that limit, delete some downloads from one device to make room for new ones. Most people never hit this limit because storage space on the device runs out first.