It’s smart to think about what will happen to online resources, like Spotify accounts, when they become digital assets after death. It brings a lot of closure to close down the accounts and services that your deceased loved one no longer uses. There are practical benefits, too, like ending automatic payments.
Jump ahead to these sections:
- How to Delete Your Spotify Account or Premium Membership
- How to Delete a Spotify Account for a Deceased Loved One
- Deleting Spotify: Frequently Asked Questions
Ensure that your loved ones’ digital afterlife does not create opportunities for hackers or account thieves. Protecting their digital afterlife is good for your peace of mind.
Here are some practical steps for deleting your own Spotify account if you simply don’t need it anymore. We also describe tips to delete the Spotify account of a deceased loved one.
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How to Delete Your Spotify Account or Premium Membership
The steps are different, as of the writing of this article, for those with Premium memberships or other levels of membership that cost money.
If you have a Premium membership, first you’ll need to cancel that tier. When the cancellation is finalized, you can delete the Spotify account itself.
Canceling a membership
Canceling your premium membership should be as simple as logging into your Spotify account. You'll click “your plan” and then “change plan.” Scroll to “Spotify Free” and click the button that reads “Cancel Premium.” Make sure you click through to the confirmation page.
Some accounts are run through partner companies. If that's the case, you may have to move through their cancellation procedure instead. Accounts connected through Apple fall into this category.
Requesting deletion of an account
Once you are definitely using Spotify Free, you can log in and delete your account. Under “Account Help” click, “I want to close my account.” There will be a link that says “close your account here,” and when you click it, you’ll enter a series of dialogues.
Each dialogue will give you a bunch of new options, showing you ways to retain your account or help that might resolve an issue.
If you discover information that makes you want to keep Spotify, you can, but after about six screens of clicking through, you will be told that you are getting a confirmation email.
Once you receive that email and click the confirmation button, your account is officially deleted and you can no longer log in.
At this point, there’s nothing else to do, but do know that there is a seven-day “cooling-off period,” wherein you can email Spotify to reinstate your account. It is officially deleted after those seven days.
If the deletion isn’t going through
Some individuals have had trouble with completely deleting their accounts. Individuals on the Spotify community help pages mention success contacting Spotify via “no-reply” emails. Your mileage may vary, but attempting to get confirmation of a deleted account this way may be a good option.
Be sure to note your case number. Since different Spotify support members handle different cases, if you keep track of and share your case number, they’ll be better equipped to help.
Finally, there are options if you can't get a response. @SpotifyCares on Facebook and Twitter are both cited online as good ways to get quick responses. These accounts can confirm a deletion.
Consequences of deleting rather than just canceling
It is important to know that Spotify playlists that you’ve created won’t just be inaccessible when you leave. They are permanently removed. Returning to Spotify with the same username won’t be possible.
If you want to sign up again, you’ll have to wait a year before you can use your student discount. So think it through before you choose the permanent delete option.
How to Delete a Spotify Account for a Deceased Loved One
Your loved one may have created a spreadsheet or written document of their online passwords. In that case, you may be able to simply log in and perform the cancellation and deletion as mentioned above.
However, most people won’t have their deceased’s specific information. In this case, you can gather what you do know about them and work through the Spotify contact form. Deleting someone's accounts after they pass is a great way to protect their data and privacy. For more post-loss tips, use our post-loss checklist.
Start with the contact form
The best place to start is the Spotify support form. Here, you can explain that you are closing accounts for a loved one and need to know what they need to close the account.
They should respond to you within 48 hours. If they don't, the above-mentioned @SpotifyCares on Twitter or Facebook may be a good way to get connected with a person who can help.
Follow protocol sent in the email
The protocol they send you in an email will help you confirm that the person has indeed passed away. You'll be able to prove that you have the authority to close the account. Have any identifying information handy when you chat or email with the Spotify representative.
Deleting Spotify: Frequently Asked Questions
Here are the answers to a few more questions that sometimes come up when users delete Spotify.
What if I want to delete my Spotify free account?
As mentioned above, deleting a Spotify free account will require you to log in. You'll go to Account Help and follow the dialogues to get through and close your account. You’ll then receive a confirmation email that you must click to confirm the account deletion.
Can you delete your account on an iPhone or an Android?
Account deletion is done through a request to the Spotify contact form. It should be possible through an iPhone or an Android, but there won’t be an easy-to-click button in the app. It will be an official request made through the contact form in a mobile browser.
Are there any tricks to deleting if it’s connected to Facebook?
At least one Spotify user pointed out that if you cancel or delete your Facebook, your Spotify account may become inaccessible while still being in existence. Consider unlinking Spotify from Facebook and quitting one or both of them separately.
Delete Spotify Accounts With Minimal Hassle
Many people encounter difficulties when deleting online accounts for a loved one. One practical use for some of that energy is to start a usernames and passwords document. The best way to do so is through a password manager that keeps your data safe. By doing this, you give yourself peace of mind and save your loved ones hours of work.
You are doing useful and important work as you help to maintain the digital afterlife of your loved one. Recognize that there are a variety of avenues to try and don’t lose hope.
Down one of these paths, you’ll find the help you need to delete the Spotify account in question. Afterward, consider how to start end-of-life planning yourself, using Cake’s valuable and useful tools.
Post-planning tip: If you are the executor for a deceased loved one, handling the details of their unfinished business such as closing active accounts can be overwhelming without a way to organize your process. We have a post-loss checklist that will help you ensure that your loved one's family, estate, and other affairs are taken care of.
Sources
- “Close account.” Account Help. Spotify. 9 December 2019. support.spotify.com/us/account_payment_help/account_help/close-account/
- “Spotify Contact Form.” Spotify Support. Spotify. support.spotify.com/uk/contact-spotify-anonymous.
- Strixvaria36. “Cancelling an account for somebody who has died.” Spotify Community. Spotify. 7 September 2017. community.spotify.com/t5/Subscriptions/Cancelling-an-account-for-somebody-who-has-died/td-p/1986076