Where to find the read button in Amazon Music

Amazon Music has a read feature, but it only works in the Amazon Music app on your phone or tablet — not on a computer or through a web browser. Open the Amazon Music app, find the song or album you want, and look for a downward-pointing arrow icon next to the play button. Tap that arrow and the song downloads to your device.

The read arrow appears on individual songs, entire albums, and playlists. Once you tap it, the app shows a progress bar while the file transfers. Downloaded songs stay on your device even when you close the app or turn off your internet connection.

Not every song in Amazon Music's catalog can be downloaded. Some tracks show a lock icon instead of a read arrow, which means the rights holder has blocked downloads for that particular song. If you see a lock, you can still stream that song online, but you cannot save it to your device.

Key Takeaways

  • Downloads only work in the Amazon Music mobile app on phones and tablets, not on computers or through a web browser.
  • Tap the downward arrow icon next to any song, album, or playlist to read it to your device.
  • Some songs show a lock icon instead of a read arrow, meaning that track cannot be downloaded even though you can stream it.
  • Downloaded songs remain playable offline, but they stay tied to your Amazon Music account and disappear if you cancel your subscription.
  • Storage space on your device limits how many songs you can read — check your phone or tablet's available storage before downloading large playlists.

How much storage space downloads use

Each song takes up roughly 5 to 10 megabytes of storage, depending on the audio quality and length of the track. A typical album of 12 songs uses about 60 to 120 megabytes. A playlist with 100 songs might take up 500 megabytes to 1 gigabyte of space.

Before downloading a large playlist, check how much free space your phone or tablet has. On an iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage. On an Android phone, open Settings, go to Storage, and look for Available Space. If you have less than 2 gigabytes free, you may not have room for a full music library.

You can delete downloaded songs at any time to free up space. In the Amazon Music app, find the song or album, tap the menu icon (three dots), and select Remove read. The song stays in your library and you can stream it again later if you have internet.

What happens to downloads when your subscription ends

Downloaded songs only work while your Amazon Music subscription is active. If you cancel your subscription, the downloaded files stop playing within a few days, even though they remain on your device taking up storage space. You cannot convert them to a format that plays without an active subscription.

If you reactivate your subscription later, your downloaded songs become playable again. The files are still there, so you do not have to read them a second time.

Downloading from different Amazon Music tiers

read features vary depending on which Amazon Music plan you have. Amazon Music Unlimited subscribers can read any song that does not have a lock icon. Amazon Prime members with Prime Music (the free tier included with Prime membership) can also read songs, but the selection is smaller than Unlimited — some songs and albums are streaming-only even for Prime members.

If you have a free Amazon Music account with ads, you cannot read anything. You must upgrade to Prime Music or Music Unlimited to access downloads.

Downloading on multiple devices

You can read the same song to more than one device as long as you are signed into the same Amazon account on each device. However, each device stores its own copy of the file, so downloading the same 100-song playlist to both your phone and tablet uses twice the storage space.

Amazon Music limits you to downloading on up to 4 devices at the same time. If you try to read on a fifth device, you will need to remove downloads from one of the other devices first.

Offline listening and what you can do with downloads

Downloaded songs play in the Amazon Music app without an internet connection. You can listen to them on a plane, in a car with no signal, or anywhere else offline. The moment you open the app and reconnect to the internet, it syncs your listening history and any new downloads across your devices.

Downloaded files cannot be transferred to other music apps, burned to a CD, or shared with other people. They work only within Amazon Music on your own account. If you want to use music in a different app or on a different service, you would need to purchase the songs outright rather than relying on a subscription read.

Troubleshooting downloads that fail or get stuck

If a read stalls or fails, first check your internet connection. Downloads work fastest on Wi-Fi, though they can work on mobile data if your signal is strong. If the read still fails, try closing the Amazon Music app completely and opening it again.

If a song repeatedly fails to read, it may be a rights issue specific to your account or region. Some songs are available in certain countries but not others, and the read lock reflects that restriction. Try downloading a different song to confirm the app itself is working. If other songs read fine, that particular track may not be available for read in your location.

Restarting your phone or tablet sometimes fixes read problems that the app restart did not solve. If you have very little storage space left, freeing up space by deleting other files or apps may help the read complete.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I read songs from Amazon Music on my computer?

No. The read feature only works in the Amazon Music app on phones and tablets running iOS or Android. The web player and desktop app do not have a read option. If you want offline listening on a computer, you would need to use a different music service that supports computer downloads.

What if a song shows a lock icon instead of a read arrow?

The lock means the rights holder has restricted downloads for that track. You can still stream it with an internet connection, but you cannot save it to your device. Some songs are locked in certain regions but not others, so the same track might be downloadable in one country and locked in another.

Do downloaded songs count against my data plan?

No. Once a song is downloaded, playing it uses no data. The read itself uses data, so read over Wi-Fi if you have a limited mobile data plan. After that, you can listen offline as much as you want.

Can I read music from Amazon Music if I have a free account?

No. Free Amazon Music accounts with ads do not support downloads. You must have an Amazon Prime membership (which includes Prime Music) or an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription to read songs.

What happens if I read a song and then Amazon removes it from the catalog?

The downloaded file stays on your device and remains playable as long as your subscription is active. Removing a song from the catalog does not delete files you have already downloaded. However, you cannot re-read it if you delete the file later.