Latest from Android Central in Spotify

Spotify drives engagement the right way, expands into 'Fitness' with Peloton

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announces that it's expanding into Fitness, bringing a dedicated hub for free and Premium users.
This hub will feature guided workouts from established wellness creators, offering yoga classes and more.
Premium users will additionally take advantage of Spotify's partnership with Peloton in "supported markets."

Popping in your earbuds during a workout is probably second nature to most users, but now Spotify wants to do more with guided workouts.

A press release shared Spotify's new ambitions to step into the world of fitness this week in a way that feels proper and fleshed out. The company states that this new fitness category will introduce "guided workout experiences on Spotify, bringing fitness into the same ecosystem as music, podcasts, audiobooks, and video." According to its data, Spotify says "nearly 70% of Premium users work out monthly," and there are more than 150 million fitness playlists "active globally."

There's seemingly strong interest around vibing while we're working out. To get this done, free and Premium users will find access to a selection of "curated playlists, as well as content from established wellness creators." Spotify is leaning on Yoga with Kassandra, Sweaty Studio, Chloe Ting, Pilates Body by Raven, and more with its fitness introduction.

Additionally, Premium users are receiving support for a recognizable brand: Peloton. Through this partnership, users will have access to 1,400 ad-free on-demand workout classes "as part of their existing subscription." Spotify stresses that users will need no extra equipment to engage with Peloton's workouts for cardio, strength, yoga, and more.

It's worth noting that not everyone will see these Peloton workouts. Spotify says this is rolling out in supported markets only. Once this arrives, users should head to Spotify > Search: Fitness to access the new hub.

Earbuds in, Spotify Fitness on

(Image credit: Spotify)

What's interesting about Spotify's expansion into fitness is that users have been using the platform for heart-pumping vibes. The company states that ever since Prompted Playlists debuted, it has noted a "growing demand" for content like this. Fitness and workout content is reportedly "ranking among the top use cases" for Prompted Playlists.

If you missed it, this feature debuted in the U.S. and Canada earlier this year. It's like giving your description to an AI bot. With Prompted Playlists, users can write a description of the type of music they want to hear, and the platform will create it for them. It will factor in your account history, cultural influences, genre, and more. Users can head into Spotify > Create > Prompted Playlists to get started.

Android Central's Take

Never thought I'd see proper fitness support on Spotify. I'm like everyone else, I just make or find a decent workout playlist and go at it. Now, the platform's providing a dedicated hub for workouts, and partnering with Peloton for exercises that can really push you might make this shine bright. I might have to give this one a try.

Spotify looks brand new on tablets with a design rework that makes total sense

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 17:30:15 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced that it's rolling out a redesigned version of its app for Android and iOS tablets.
This rework provides an "adaptable" experience for tablets that shifts with your device's orientation to ensure the elements remain clean and smooth.
Spotify also announced an expansion of its Bookshop.org partnership to Android users in the U.S. and the U.K.

Large-screen support on Android (tablets, usually) is always getting reworked and refreshed, and now Spotify is getting in on that.

This morning (Apr 16), Spotify announced that it's rolling out a major redesign for tablet users, aiming to make its app smarter and "more responsive." Nicole Burrow, head of design, consumer experience at Spotify, commented, saying, "From TV to desktop to the car, we’ve been designing Spotify to feel native to each screen—and now we’re bringing that same experience to tablets." This redesign for Spotify isn't just about shifting elements around; it's about an "adaptive" orientation experience that moves with your tablet.

The company says its UI now "reconfigures" when you shift your tablet between landscape and portrait modes. In doing so, Spotify says it was able to keep the feel and familiarity of using Spotify on your Android phone with this tablet redesign. The nav bar at the bottom still retains the standard options (Home, Search, Your Library, and Create), while the side bar—collapsible with this rework—offers your profile and more.

Spotify highlights the inclusion of scrollable content in its sidebar in this update, without affecting your listening.

Listening and browsing fuel Spotify's other updates, as "parallel browsing" lets tablet users view their music or music videos while browsing their library or recommended playlists. Moreover, the "Switch to Video" toggle has reportedly been moved to a more convenient placement for users.

Reworks & Books

(Image credit: Spotify)

This new tablet experience should begin rolling out on Android and iOS tablets today (Apr 16).

Spotify's returned for a double-whammy this week, as it just revealed a new set of upgrades for readers (and listeners). Audiobooks took a step up this week, as Spotify expanded its language support for Page Match to include 30 additional languages. Page Match lets users sync their audiobook's placement with their physical book's placement. Speaking of holding real books, Spotify's partnership with Bookshop.org finally made its way to the U.S. and the U.K. as promised.

Consumers interested in purchasing a book can do so on Spotify via Bookshop. When this partnership was first revealed, Bookshop stated that purchases made would help support local shops.

Android Central's Take

The old tablet look for Spotify desperately needed this refresh. If you were to compare, you'd notice just how different the two versions look. One's a little clunky, while the updated one takes that a step further with some much needed large-screen reworks. While it does feel similar to the regular mobile app for phones, it also gives me desktop vibes. Spotify's PC app is pretty smooth, and the refresh gives me that PC vibe, but for tablets (since the nav bar is there).

Spotify, Bookshop expand to US, and 'Page Match' gets huge language support

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 19:06:50 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announces that its Page Match feature, which sync audiobooks with physical copies, expands its language support with 30 new additions.
The company's partnership with Bookshop.org finally arrives in the U.S. and U.K. for Android users, leaving iOS users to wait until "next week."
Spotify first launched Page Match and debuted its Bookshop.org partnership in February.

Spotify is busy this week, as its music side takes a back seat to its Audiobook and physical book sales.

A blog post sees Spotify's global head of audiobooks, Owen Smith, hype up the update this week, stating, "These updates demonstrate our continued ambition to make reading fit into modern life." Page Match is one of Spotify's largest updates for audiobook listeners who also possess the physical copy. Starting this week, Page Match is rolling out support for 30 new languages, including French, German, and Swedish.

Physical book copies are headed for the spotlight in the U.S. and the U.K., as promised, as Spotify's Bookshop partnership expands. Android users with the app can purchase physical versions of the books they may have listened to in their audio form. Apple's iPhone users will have to wait until "next week," as Spotify wraps up proper support for iOS devices.

The audiobook platform continues to receive updates this week, as Spotify announces that its Charts are expanding to kids and families in the U.S. and the U.K. This Audiobook Chart will highlight "popular and trending" titles that fit within these categories. Additionally, these charts are headed for users in Germany across a wide range of genres, like sci-fi, kids, mystery, and more.

Spotify wraps up its announcement with Audiobook Recaps on Android and iOS. These recaps are "short audio summaries tailored to your most recent listening point," serving as a refresher about the story thus far.

A Side Story

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify's Page Match was a huge part of its update a couple of months ago. The feature let users scan their physical book's placement to then sync it with their audiobook. Since its debut, Spotify says it has observed a 55% increase in audiobook listening "each week." Additionally, it saw a 62% spike in users trying out audiobooks for the first time and using Page Match.

The other side of this patch from February was the Bookshop.org partnership. Consumers still grab a physical book more than they do an audiobook, and Bookshop on Spotify was a way to help bring consumers to the stories they enjoy. All purchases made through Bookshop help support local bookshops.

Android Central's Take

I do enjoy holding a book, as opposed to listening to an audiobook. Not really sure why; even trying to read a book on my phone feels a little foreign. Nevertheless, Spotify's truly trying to step into audiobooks more (now hard copies) and for people that enjoy them, I feel like this is another significant update. It's also convenient—audiobooks, I mean. Whether you're on a walk or on a train/bus, audiobooks can make the time fly by.

Podcasts meet Spotify's Prompted Playlists for curious Premium US beta testers

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 08 Apr 2026 09:11:00 +0000

What you need to know

Podcasts enter the fray for Spotify's Prompted Playlists beta, available in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.
Similar to how you'd write a music-based description, users can tell the algorithm what podcasts they're interested in for a generated list.
Prompted Playlist's beta first got underway in the U.S. in January, granting access to its creation via the "Create" button.

AI has made its way onto Spotify to aid in musical discovery, but the platform is taking it a step further with its auditory shows.

Controlling the algorithm was the name of the game for Spotify's Prompted Playlists; now, it's sharing details on a beta update that's adding podcasts. Rolling out this week, Prompted Playlist testers in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand can begin adding podcast descriptions to their request. Spotify says users can unlock their curiosities with this, as Prompted Playlists can scour through millions of available shows.

Android Central's Take

I've never been one to indulge in podcasts, but there's a great deal of users who do. I have friends who enjoy listening into podcasts, so there is certainly a want behind it. Spotify reports that 34 million podcasts are discovered "every week" on its platform. If users could stop endlessly scrolling and tell the algorithm what show they're looking for, that sounds a huge win.

If users are looking to learn about what's happening in the entertainment world (think music, film, and fashion), tell Prompted Playlists about it. As an example, Spotify says you can write "Create a podcast playlist with the biggest entertainment news from the past few days. Include all things music, film, fashion, and major cultural moments."

There's more to podcasts than just the entertainment world. You can ask about shows involving science (Artemis II is going around the moon, did you know?) or even true crime mystery podcasts. After this update, Prompted Playlists aren't moving, nor are they changing. Users can still get started by hitting "Create" and selecting Prompted Playlists. From there, write your request as normal, whether that be for specific music genres or podcasts.

Moreover, Spotify highlights the ability for users to decide how often that playlist refreshes. Users can choose between daily and weekly updates, but there's also a "don't update" option.

Prompted Podcasts (Playlists)

(Image credit: Spotify)

As previously stated, Prompted Playlists is still in beta and rolling out to the above regions. The update should begin appearing today (Apr 7) and beyond for involved testers.

Android Central's Take

For the sake of personalization, Prompted Playlists put your musical algorithm in your hands. There are a few ways "personalization" exists on Spotify already. We have Discover Weekly, Release Radar, and those playlists in "Your top mixes," but this is like all of those rolled into one. You're in the driver's seat, you're controlling where the algorithm takes you. And, if you don't like, re-roll.

The Prompted Playlists beta first got going in New Zealand late last year before arriving in the U.S. in January. Canada was also involved in that expansion for Spotify. Prompted Playlists uses your description for music (and now podcasts) to create a list of songs you might enjoy. While you can throw in your desired genre and artists, Spotify will also take into account your account history and "vibes."

What you've been listening to recently, what you've liked, and skipped will help the algorithm create something worth listening to. Spotify stated that the beta could evolve, which is likely what we're seeing now with the introduction of podcasts. Moreover, it could introduce a "usage limit."

It's in the SongDNA: an 'immersive' Spotify test that lets you discover everyone involved

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 09:37:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify introduces a new beta for global Premium users called SongDNA, which takes users across a web of songwriters, collaborators, and more for a track.
SongDNA lets users discover even more music from more creators they may not have known about prior, as it aims to complement "About this song."
"About this song" lets users dive into the artist's mindset when creating a specific track, which is a more personal experience, as opposed to SongDNA.

Music discovery and enlightenment continue on Spotify with this new "immersive" test that aims to show how your favorite track came to be.

Spotify shared the details regarding its newest beta test rolling out for global Premium users: SongDNA. Subscribers can find SongDNA by opening Now Playing > SongDNA card. This card houses everything about a track that you might want to know. Spotify says this will include collaborators, music samples, interpolations (what shaped its sound), and covers. The songwriters involved in the production process will also be highlighted in the SongDNA card.

Android Central's Take

SongDNA sounds scientific. I know that sounds silly, but it's the production side of creating music. Who they've collaborated with, the songwriters involved, and perhaps their involvement with other artists. It's like falling into rabbit hole of music that you might want to sit in for a while.

Seeing as Spotify has been down a more music-discovery road, everything surfaced in SongDNA can be interacted with. The post states, "You can tap into any of those creators to discover the other artists they’ve worked with, then explore those collaborators in turn." According to Spotify, the goal behind SongDNA is to give artists a way to put their collaborations and influences "front and center."

Spotify's head of songwriter and publisher partnerships, Jacqueline Ankner, said SongDNA helps to make it "easier for fans to discover new music and see how songs connect and come to life." With that, SongDNA uses the information Spotify receives from its creators, alongside community-sourced data. This feature is simply a test for now, but Spotify has plans to put this in the hands of the artists in the future.

It says that SongDNA will evolve into allowing "eligible" artists and labels to tweak anything in the feature to ensure the right story is being told.

There's a lot that goes into songmaking

Spotify

"About this song" returns to the forefront in this update, as Spotify states SongDNA is intended to complement it. This feature debuted in February as a way for users to learn about the artist's inspiration for the track and their mindset while creating it. "About this song" is a little more personal in that regard, but SongDNA puts a new spin on it. Users will be able to see the other side of that, finding new artists they may become fans of in the process.

Android Central's Take

I thought "About this song" was interesting when it was first announced. It's that creative side of creating music that pulled me in. To see what influenced the artist or maybe the story they were trying to tell with that song. It felt more personal, as you get to dive into their mindset. SongDNA gives users a little more of a wider perspective, as we'll be able to see those involved and everything else they've done.

A more recent update in March was "Taste Profile." Spotify keeps track of your musical interests, and Taste Profile displays what it thinks you like the most. However, users can take control over Spotify in this regard by telling their Taste Profile what they'd like to hear more or less of.

Spotify on Wear OS just got a big redesign that makes it much easier to use

sanujb6@gmail.com (Sanuj Bhatia) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:53:10 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify has redesigned its Wear OS app to improve navigation and make features easier to access from your smartwatch.
The new Music-First Mode adds gesture controls and puts album art front and center for a more immersive view.
Users can now browse Home, Search, Library, and Downloads directly from their smartwatch without using a phone.

Spotify has just announced a new update for its Wear OS app that improves navigation and introduces several new features for smartwatch users.

Spotify says it has redesigned the Wear OS app to make it more discoverable and give users greater control from their wrist. Until now, the Wear OS app mainly acted as a playback control screen for music playing on your phone, but this update brings a much more feature-rich experience.

(Image credit: Spotify)

The app still opens to the familiar playback screen. However, swiping down now takes you into what Spotify calls "Music-First Mode." This view places album artwork front and center, and you can control playback using gestures. A single tap plays or pauses music, while a double tap skips to the next track.

Android Central's take

This is something we are seeing on a smartwatch music app for the first time, and in theory, it sounds quite promising. I haven't tried the new app yet, but bringing gesture controls similar to earbuds onto a smartwatch makes sense, especially when paired with large, vibrant album art on the display.

Swiping up in the app now opens a new discovery section that gives you quick access to Home, Search, your Library, and even Downloads. You can browse and start new content directly from your smartwatch.

There is also a new button on the playback screen that lets you manage your queue, set a sleep timer, or access a more detailed context menu.

Spotify says the update is rolling out over the coming days. To access the new UI and features, you will need to update to the latest version from the Google Play Store. The company also says more improvements for Wear OS are planned in the coming months, though it has not shared specific details yet.

All to your liking: Spotify's 'Taste Profile' beta puts you in charge of the music you find

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:11:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify's latest beta announcements highlights Taste Profile, a feature that lets the user see how the platform interprets their tastes and lets them control it.
Taste Profile will deliver a breakdown of a user's recent artist and genres, while giving them a text box to say what to add more of or less of.
Recent updates for Spotify include offline lyrics and a Prompted Playlists beta for the U.S. and Canada.

How Spotify gauges your musical tastes for suggestions is getting an upgrade following a beta that's preparing to take flight.

In a Newsroom post, Spotify announced that it's preparing to launch a Taste Profile beta in a select market overseas. Right off the bat, Spotify says Taste Profile will be the user's direct line into how the platform understands what type of music they enjoy listening to. It adds, "Taste Profile is designed to capture new dimensions of your taste, like your current interests and habits." In an attempt to steer the platform and the user's ability more toward personalization and "transparency," Spotify says users in this beta can manipulate their Taste Profile.

A short video showed that, upon entering Taste Profile's beta, Premium testers in New Zealand will see a full breakdown. This breakdown will consist of your "recent taste," including artists you've preferred listening to and any genres. However, the main highlight here is when you scroll down to find the "Tell us more" box.

This text box is where the user can write in what they'd like to hear more of. If you've really been feeling metalcore, Sabrina Carpenter, or maybe the K-Pop group, Itzy, you can let your profile know. Alternatively, as Spotify states, you can also tell the platform what to exclude from your Taste Profile. If it's been giving you too much of a specific genre or artist just because you listened to one or two songs someone recommended, you can tell it to chuck them.

The post states, "Your input helps determine what gets prioritized, what gets dialed back, and what you discover next on the Spotify homepage." As previously stated, this is a test for Premium users rolling out in New Zealand "over the coming weeks."

Walking that personalized line

Spotify

In the interest of personalization, Spotify had a beta to start the year called "Prompted Playlists." This feature finally expanded its beta to users in the U.S. and Canada, giving Premium the chance to describe to Spotify's systems the type of music they wanted to hear. Prompted Playlists would consider the user's account history, vibes, cultural influences, and more. After hitting "generate," Spotify would compile a playlist that (hopefully) fits the description you've given it, alongside a text description at the top of the list.

Spotify has since rolled out a few more updates, such as one for "About this song," which gives users background insight into an artist's inspiration. The top of February brought offline lyrics to users and the official rollout of lyric "Previews" when viewing the Now Playing screen.

Android Central's Take

Our musical tastes can be quite the conversation starter. I know people whose musical tastes differ from mine and I've gotten into their tastes, alongside my own. I listen to Spotify a lot, especially while writing, and there are times when there's a song that's a bit of an outlier. Maybe it's because of something I listened to in passing or perhaps something from years ago. But this beta, from my understanding, can help us really fine tune it, so that we're only hearing what we want. Thinking of it that way, I'm excited for when this hits the States.

Spotify's 'About the Song' beta lets you into the stories behind the artist's creation

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:17:22 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify's adding to its newest features this week by announcing an "About the Song" beta.
"About the Song" provides little stories for users that detail the artist's mindset and inspirations behind the title they're listening to.
This feature is rolling out in beta for Premium users in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.

Spotify's not done yet this week, as it announces one more beta that's starting to arrive for music-lovers who enjoy a lore deep-dive.

Spotify announced its newest beta, "About the Song," in a press release before providing greater detail in a recent blog post. According to the company, this new feature will bring "stories and context directly into your listening experience." You might've guessed that these little stories are headed for the Now Playing view when listening to music.

Spotify states that these lore drops are "summarized" from third-party sources to give listeners a general sense of the song's intent and inspiration.

As this beta arrives, users can scroll down in their Now Playing view to the "About the Song" portion for supported songs. Users can swipe through these story cards to learn more about what helped the artist through the song's creation and the meaning behind the lyrics.

This test is stated to be rolling out for Android and iOS users in English with a Premium subscription. Those in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia will see it soon.

The record keeps turning

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify's had a busy week, rolling out updates to its offline experience that lets users take their lyrics with them. Downloading songs for offline listening will now include the title's lyrics, so you can still enjoy your sing-alongs. More than that, Spotify's rolling out lyric translations for users globally. "Previews" for lyrics are also appearing in the Now Playing view beneath the title's album.

Just yesterday (Feb 5), Spotify announced "Page Match," a feature that lets users scan their reading placement in a physical book to sync their audiobook. What's more, that update saw the platform partnering with Bookshop.org, an organization that connects consumers with local bookstores to purchase physical titles. Now, through Spotify, users can purchase physical books, which will contribute to local shops.

Android Central's Take

Spotify's just been adding little things here and there for the past little while. It's refreshing to see, as it's small additions that make up a whole pie. It feels like the platform is truly trying to become that place where music-lovers can visit to enjoy their time and to fully immerse themselves in what they enjoy. But it goes beyond that; there's translations, book purchases, and offline lyrics. These "About the Song" stories are the latest addition, which I feel is a take it or leave it, but die-hard fans might enjoy diving in. Plus, if you have ambitions of becoming a music artist, this is fuel to your fire.

I'll never stop reading with Spotify, Bookshop's partnership and 'Page Match' on Android

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 18:33:56 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify's huge audiobook (and physical book) update is here, as the company announces "Page Match" for Android and iOS.
Page Match lets users scan their physical book's placement, which will help sync the audiobook version to that point.
Spotify is also partnering with Bookshop.org, bringing the ability for users to purchase books off the platform later this spring to support local shops and authors.

Spotify's been working on a major update to how users interact with audiobooks, and it's completely changing how you'll read moving forward.

In a press release, Spotify announced the launch of "Page Match," a new feature that lets users sync the reading position of a physical book with its audiobook version. Officially, Spotify states Page Match lets users "move between physical books or e-books and their audiobook counterparts with just a quick scan."

For a general understanding, the post says that, as this rolls out, users should first discover the title they're reading (physically) after opening the app. Navigate to the Page Match button > scan your book's placement with your phone's camera. After that, Spotify will automatically jump to wherever that page is in the audiobook version. However, Page Match works in reverse, too.

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify says users can "scan again," so they know where to hop to in their physical book. Page Match is currently rolling out on Android and iOS, with the claim that most English titles will be available for the feature by the end of February. More importantly, free Spotify users can use Page Match with the individual audiobooks they've purchased. Those on the Premium track (or Audiobook Plus) can "use the feature with their monthly allocation of audiobook listening hours."

For more detailed instructions on how to get started with Page Match, Spotify has it detailed to get you going.

A Bookshop Partnership

(Image credit: Spotify)

That's not all that Spotify has under its belt this week, as the company also announced a partnership with Bookshop.org.

The company states this partnership is the product of physical books remaining the number way most readers get their stories. Beginning later this spring, Spotify will roll out a way for its users to purchase physical books off its platform in the U.S. and the U.K. These purchases will be made through Bookshop, which is an organization that focuses on connecting "readers to independent bookshops."

These purchases are also said to directly support the local bookshops that provided the product, as well as the authors who created them.

Android Central's Take

For a reader such as myself, as well as many others, this update piques my interest. It gives users the option of deciding which form of reading they'd rather partake in seamlessly. Spotify even gave the example of someone needing to make a quick run, but still wanting to go through the story. They can use Page Match to scan it, pop their earbuds in, and get going. I also vibe with the Bookshop partnership. I'm a huge physical book lover, probably always will be. To be able to support local bookshops and the authors who created these stories, it feels like a packaged deal that I can get behind—and I probably will.

This Spotify update lets us take our lyrics offline, and there's more for users globally

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 17:03:00 +0000

What you need to know

A mid-week update from Spotify informs users about upgrades headed for lyrics, such as offline viewing when downloading songs.
Another update includes lyric translations, which are rolling out globally to free and Premium users, alongside "Previews" on the Now Playing screen.
Spotify's recent updates include "Request to Jam" in Messages and the "Prompted Playlists" beta arriving in the U.S. and Canada.

Whether you've forgotten about lyrics or not, Spotify's rolling out an update to make the experience better for listeners and Premium subscribers.

Early this morning (Feb 4), Spotify's press release to Android Central revealed "upgraded lyrics" on the platform. A subsequent blog post went into more detail, beginning with how lyrics will be tailored to a user's preferred language. Lyric translations have expanded since Spotify launched them in 2022; however, the platform has announced that this feature is arriving globally for users.

Free and Premium users can get in on this convenient feature. Users should be aware that lyric translations are not available for every song. Spotify states that, for songs that the feature is available for, users can tap the translate icon. The app will automatically convert what's been written into your device's primary language (whether that's Spanish, French, Korean, you name it).

Another major update is offline lyric viewing.

Spotify Premium users will know that you can download songs to listen to without a proper connection. Beginning this week, Spotify's rolling out the ability to take the track's lyrics, too, when downloading for offline listening.

Sing-alongs made easy

(Image credit: Spotify)

The final update to lyrics is "lyric previews." When viewing Now Playing, Spotify says users should soon notice lyrics appearing beneath the album cover, line by line. The post attributes "early testing's" positivity in rolling this out to free and Premium users on Android and iOS. We've noticed this feature arrive already (using a Galaxy S25 Ultra). So, more users should begin noticing it as the week winds down.

All three upgrades for lyrics are arriving for mobile devices. Keep your eyes peeled moving forward.

Spotify's off to a fast start in 2026, as its latest update involved a beta "Prompted Playlists" arriving in the U.S. This was a beta the company first started overseas. More importantly, Prompted Playlists helps users generate a playlist based on their written description. What you want, the type of vibe, genre, cultural influence, and more, are all taken into account. Users are advised to be as detailed as possible.

Elsewhere, "Request to Jam" debuted in Spotify's Messages early in January. If you see your friend grooving to some tunes, send a request, and get going.

Android Central's Take

I've been a Spotify guy for a while now, and lyrics have always felt like they were just there. I suppose it's hard to do a lot with lyrics, as the song itself is the true star. I noticed Lyric Previews appear in the app a few days ago and thought it was a nice addition to Now Playing. It feels like an addition that'll remind people—or, at least, alert people—that they exist. Even taking them offline seems like a small, but useful upgrade to share with someone while you're traveling without a proper connection.

Apple Music is sneakily becoming the best music streamer for Android

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 15:35:00 +0000

Apple services haven't always remained locked inside the walled garden. In fact, Apple first made a name for itself in the consumer tech space with the iPod and iTunes, which were both compatible with Windows PCs in addition to Macs. Apple Music is following suit, as the music streaming service is now widely available on platforms like Android, Windows, Google TV, and ChromeOS. There's also a web app for Apple Music that can be accessed on virtually any device.

I've been a fan of Apple Music since it was called Beats Music before the Apple acquisition. Since then, the music streaming service continued to win me over, adding features like Dolby Atmos and lossless audio support while keeping prices low. I've acknowledged that Spotify and YouTube Music were better options for Android users in the past, but it's getting harder and harder to make that argument.

Specifically, Spotify's consistent price hikes and YouTube Music's missing support for high-fidelity audio make them tougher to recommend, even for Android users. If those two streamers aren't the best option for Android users, their next pick might be Tidal or Amazon Music Unlimited. Both are quality options that remain competitive with Apple Music. But I'd bet that if Apple Music were made by any other company, it'd be an instant Android hit.

Where Spotify is falling short

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Spotify is the largest music streaming service, with over 700 million monthly active users and roughly 281 million subscribers as of 2025. It's a music streaming giant in every sense, with over 100 million songs available for listening and downloading. Spotify is also incredibly expensive, with the company's most recent price hike raising prices by a dollar or more across all of its subscription tiers.

Spotify was already one of the more expensive streaming services. The platform's individual plan now costs two dollars more per month than the likes of YouTube Music, Apple Music, and Tidal. Amazon Music Unlimited is $1 cheaper monthly for everyone and $2 cheaper for Prime members. It's a relatively small premium to pay, but over time, the extra costs add up.

People typically flock to Spotify for its excellent algorithms and recommendations. The platform's social features, including the famous Spotify Wrapped experience, are another appealing aspect of the service for fans. I tend to view these extras as both a blessing and a curse. While they're sometimes neat, others are unnecessary — like Spotify DMs — and add bloat to an already-overloaded music app.

I could ignore them, but the larger issue here is that Spotify is paying someone to develop and maintain these features. If my music streaming bill is $2 higher each month so that my music app is cluttered with another messaging inbox, I won't be happy.

What about YouTube Music?

(Image credit: Android Central)

If Spotify is out, YouTube Music sounds like the next sensible option for Android users. YouTube Music is a streaming service that's hard to judge, mainly because it is bundled with YouTube Premium for $13.99 per month. While you can subscribe to YouTube Music Premium individually for $10.99 monthly, the YouTube Premium bundle is certainly the better value. With that being said, YouTube Music Premium is an outstanding perk of subscribing to YouTube Premium, but it struggles to stand on its own.

Those who thought Spotify was bloated might be even more disappointed with YouTube Music. It now serves as Google's primary distribution channel for podcasts, cluttering the app. You can also find audiobooks on YouTube Music, since the platform taps into the YouTube database. This comes with benefits and drawbacks — you can find niche content that isn't available anywhere else, but you might also be distracted by it.

YouTube Music's willingness to cram artificial intelligence into the app isn't inspiring for music purists, either. Most recently, it began testing AI-generated backgrounds for lyric cards. Many of YouTube Music's AI tools, including this experiment, come off as unnecessary.

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

The big reason YouTube Music's status as a serious music streamer is in doubt is its low song quality. I'll be the first to admit that lossless quality is unnecessary without the right gear. However, YouTube Music's mere support for up to 256kbps AAC or Opus is lacking even by lossy standards. It just isn't good enough, especially when it's missing Dolby Atmos too.

If you already planned to subscribe to YouTube Premium and are content with what YouTube Music Premium offers for free, by all means, keep using it. It's an excellent add-on to YouTube Premium. But until the streamer's sound quality and music features improve, it's impossible for me to recommend it as a standalone subscription.

Apple Music shines, even on Android

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Then there's Apple Music, a fully featured, noncontroversial music streaming app for Android. The service costs just $10.99 per month while offering hi-res, lossless audio up to 24-bit/192 kbps (yes, that's higher quality than Spotify). There is also Dolby Atmos support, so you can take your pick of a lossless or immersive audio format.

Crucially, the app supports every feature Android users care about, including Google Cast.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

I like that the Apple Music app isn't littered with unnecessary AI features or other media, like podcasts or audiobooks. It's all about music. There is a surprising amount of customization available, as the app allows users to manage animations, lyrics, listening history, volume normalization, crossfade, and audio quality.

Best of all, Apple Music supports importing libraries from YouTube Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, Deezer, and Tidal. If you're sticking with Spotify despite the price hike over fears of losing your library, fear not.

I've been a loyal Apple Music user for a decade and probably won't ever switch. I can't say it's the best music streaming service for everyone. However, it does offer the best music quality and feature set for the price point ($10.99/mo). If you've avoided the streaming service because it's hosted by Apple, you might be missing out.

Apple Music

A steal

Apple Music offers hi-res lossless audio, Dolby Atmos support, and more for the same price as YouTube Music and two dollars cheaper than Spotify per month. It's fully supported on Android, Windows, and the web, making it a capable option — even for those outside the Apple ecosystem.

Spotify's 'Prompted Playlists' beta grooves into Premium in the US, more markets

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:00:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announces that its Prompted Playlists beta will open for more users in markets like the U.S. and Canada by the end of January.
Prompted Playlists leverages a user's description of the type of music they want, taking into account vibes, account history, cultural influences, and more.
The platform says that the beta may continue to evolve and that a "usage limit" could appear for the sake of the test.

Spotify's looking at you to tell its software what you're interested in listening to, which is why Prompted Playlists are headed to more places.

Spotify originally discussed Prompted Playlists in December. The company introduced the feature in beta for New Zealand subscribers; however, today (Jan 22), that's going to change. In a press release, Spotify confirms that it's starting to roll out its beta for these unique playlists in more markets for Premium users in the U.S. and Canada "by the end of the month."

Once this arrives, Premium users can open Spotify > Create > Prompted Playlist. That's when the platform says your creativity and musical interests begin to shine. Users can describe what they'd like to hear, using vibes and scenarios as fuel for their lyrical, musical interests.

Spotify's Prompted Playlist will generate its results based on your description. Additionally, if you're vibing with what you said, you can set that playlist to refresh its contents daily or weekly.

(Image credit: Spotify)

There's a little more to Prompted Playlists. According to Spotify, once you've described what you want, its software will use "real-time information" from the music industry. The platform wants people to think of "trends, charts, culture, and history" when it comes to what makes up the industry.

More than that, Spotify takes into account your listening behavior from the moment your account first opened. This feature will resurface your favorite artists, but it will also turn you toward newer sounds and creators to widen your musical knowledge. Customization extends to users telling Spotify genres it loves and genres it would rather not hear, too.

Spotify says you're never locked into one avenue with Prompted Playlists. If, at any point, you're interested in a refresh, Spotify says you can "edit your prompt at any time or start fresh whenever inspiration hits." The company reiterates that the generated playlist will create a "one-liner" about why it put a particular song in that playlist. However, if your mind's looking to chill, Spotify has included "Ideas" to help get you going.

More music-lovers are in

(Image credit: Spotify)

When this feature debuts in beta, users may notice a few example prompts on the app's home screen from music editors and experts.

While this expanded beta isn't expected to hit the U.S. and Canada until the end of January, Spotify says it's not closing out user feedback. With this expanded beta, Spotify is continuing its interest in listening to users to improve Prompted Playlists as much as possible before launching it fully. One thing is for certain: some aspects of the feature are bound to change, and Spotify may deploy "usage limits" during this test.

This curious Spotify feature in the works might sync your real books with audiobooks

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 10:07:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify was reportedly found developing a new audiobook feature that will work to sync its progress with that of your physical edition.
A tipster found that the platform is working on "Page Match," which will let users scan their physical book's page with their phone to sync their audiobook progress and follow along.
Spotify recently introduced "Request to Jam" in Messages and it also raised U.S. subscription prices.

A tipster has reportedly discovered what looks like an upcoming feature for Spotify that's all about connecting readers with the physical and audio worlds.

Spotify's recent version reportedly has a new feature under the hood, indicative of a new audiobook feature the platform is working on. Tipster AssembleDebug (Android Authority) brought this to the surface, claiming that this supposed feature aims to sync your physical book with its audiobook version. Currently dubbed "Page Match" in the early code, AssembleDebug unearthed code that states users can "jump between the book (or EBook) and the audiobook."

It seems like Spotify is trying to elevate this feature by bringing the user's involvement into greater play.

According to the post, a code description reads, "scan a page to match your progress." If you've already started the audiobook and have recently picked up its physical edition, users can use their phones to scan the real-life version's page. Essentially, if you want to start on pg. 45, you'd scan that page, and Spotify's "Page Match" will (literally) match the audiobook to that, so you can continue.

However, the tipster reports an additional feature. Another line of code states users can utilize Page Match in reverse. Instead of first scanning the physical page to sync Page Match's audiobook feature to you, users can have Page Match tell them what page they're on, so they can get there in the physical version.

Get some reading in today

(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

There's still more work to be done, as there's no clear-cut answer as to when we might see this. What is clear is that Spotify is looking to bridge its audiobooks with physical and e-books for users. Moreover, this will likely be a Premium feature; be aware of that. The tipster also speculates that Page Match will be "limited" to markets that have audiobooks available on Spotify currently.

If you remember, Spotify let its audiobooks section fly a few years back when it launched 200,000 "free" titles. There was a caveat here: Premium subscribers could listen to audiobooks for 15 hours per month before the platform would ask for an additional $12.99 (for an extra 10 hours) to keep going beyond that.

As far as recent happenings go, Spotify introduced a "Request to Jam" feature in its platform's DMs. Now, if you see one of your friends listening to some swanky tunes, you can ask to join in, offering your selection of music, as well. On a different note, the service also raised its prices. U.S. subscribers were met with a $1 increase for its Individual and Student plans ($12.99 and 6.99). Elsewhere, Spotify Premium Duo and Family plans went up by $2.

Spotify is basically telling its subscribers to switch with latest price hike

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 20:16:05 +0000

Spotify customers received bad news this week: the cost of Spotify subscriptions in the U.S. is going up for the third time in under three years. The change immediately makes Spotify Premium one of the most expensive music streaming services on the market, with the new individual plan costing $2 more per month than comparable options on Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music.

Specifically, Spotify Premium Individual will cost $12.99 per month (up from $11.99), and Spotify Premium Student will cost $6.99 per month (up from $5.99). The company is raising the cost of Duo and Family plans by an even greater margin. The two-user Spotify Premium Duo tier will cost $18.99 per month (up from $16.99), while the Spotify Premium Family plan will cost $21.99 per month (up from $19.99).

As announced in a blog post, these new rates take effect immediately for new subscribers. Existing Spotify customers will be charged the increased prices starting at their next billing date. Spotify's short explanation of the price hike said the changes "reflect the value that Spotify delivers."

Occasional updates to pricing across our markets reflect the value that Spotify delivers, enabling us to continue offering the best possible experience and benefit artists.
Spotify

At the old price of $11.99 per month, Spotify's Premium Individual plan was already priced higher than the individual subscriptions for Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music.

The old price was the same as Amazon Music Unlimited for non-Prime members, but Amazon Prime subscribers are eligible for a cheaper $10.99 per month rate. Now, Spotify is more expensive than every competitor listed above, and the gap is particularly wide for multi-user plans.

While Spotify notes that pricing updates help it "benefit artists," the situation is more complicated than that. Spotify pays out a larger percentage of its revenue to music rightsholders (which pass on earnings to artists) than some competitors, like Apple Music. However, due to Spotify's pricing model, including a free tier, it ends up paying rightsholders less on a per-stream basis than Tidal and Apple Music.

If you uploaded a song to every major streaming service and it earned a thousand streams, Tidal would pay out the most, with Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, and YouTube Music following in that order.

(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)

The timing of the price hike isn't a good look for Spotify. It comes just a few months after the company finally delivered lossless, CD-quality streaming for Spotify Premium subscribers in September 2025. The move ended an embarrassing saga for Spotify, as it announced the feature in February 2021 but took nearly half a decade to release it.

The feature was included free with Spotify Premium when it debuted, but just a few months later, the price of that subscription service is going up. Rumors of a Spotify price hike started appearing just one month after Spotify Lossless became available.

Other streaming services, like Apple Music, Tidal, and Amazon Music Unlimited, offer lossless streaming in higher quality than Spotify at lower monthly prices.

That's not to say Spotify isn't investing in upgrading its music streaming platform. It continuously adds features, but they may not be the ones music lovers want. Spotify added direct messaging to the app before adding support for lossless audio. It has also leaned into podcasts and audiobooks while cramming artificial intelligence tools into the app.

However, it's worth noting that Spotify fans rightly prefer the app's algorithm, recommendations, and social features over the competition, which are generally considered superior.

Is it time to leave Spotify for another subscription service?

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Spotify's latest price hike brings more attention to the fact that the music streaming service is actually not a great value compared to competitors. That is, despite the platform having the largest active user base of any music streaming service on the planet. For Android users in particular, YouTube Music and YouTube Premium look incredibly appealing following Spotify's price change.

The standard YouTube Music Premium Individual plan costs $10.99 per month or $109.99 annually, although it's worth noting that YouTube Music lacks lossless audio support. The real value option is subscribing to YouTube Premium for $13.99 per month — just a dollar more monthly than the new Spotify Premium Individual plan, which grants you all the benefits of YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, as well as all the hidden gem remixes that you likely can't find on Spotify.

For lossless audio fanatics, I like both Apple Music and Tidal for just $10.99 per month over Spotify. These streaming services deliver higher-quality lossless audio than Spotify. They also each offer Dolby Atmos tracks, which Spotify does not. Amazon Music Unlimited also offers high-res lossless and Dolby Atmos support, but its base price before the Prime discount is higher than Apple Music and Tidal.

Is the Spotify price hike enough to finally push you to switch to a different streaming service? I use Apple Music, even on Android and Windows, and I love the no-nonsense experience. It's just a music app, prioritizing hi-res and immersive audio formats and omitting unnecessary features like podcasts, audiobooks, and AI. Now, it does all that while costing two dollars less per month than Spotify.

Unlock friendship: Spotify's 'request to jam' and listening activity are here for users

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:09:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced a new update for users this year, as it starts rolling out Listening Activity and "Request to Jam" in Messages.
Soon, in your DMs, you can request to join another person's listening session, and begin adding tracks similar to how Jam already works.
Listening Activity, when enabled, lets others see what you're listening to, and they can even add those songs to their own playlists.
The update is headed for Android and iOS markets where Messages exists.

Looking to strengthen your friendship bonds this year? Spotify announced an update that's rolling out for devices that brings more interactions via DMs.

Earlier today (Jan 7), Spotify announced that it's bringing two key feature updates to its Messages that might facilitate better user-to-user interactions. The first feature involves those coveted Jam sessions, as users can soon "Request to Jam" in Messages. The platform states users will find a convenient way to invite friends or family into a live listening session.

This update in Messages is for Premium users. Spotify's update will place a Jam icon at the top right of your DM thread with someone. Upon tapping, it will open a "Listening Activity" sub-menu, to which you'll tap Jam again and "ask to join" if they're listening to tracks already. Spotify states that the recipient in this scenario will become the session "host," but both parties can easily add songs to keep the party moving.

The rest of the session operates pretty similarly to how Jam already works on Spotify currently.

The second update, if you spotted it, involves bringing Listening Activity to Messages.

After activating Listening Activity within your Privacy and Social settings (check your side menu), users can then select who's able to view it. This lets you keep some people in the loop, while leaving others out and guessing. If someone has enabled their activity, you'll see their name and what they're listening to down in the Messages area.

I like to party

Spotify

Moreover, Spotify states you can quickly engage with their activity and add songs they've streamed to your personal playlist. Regions with Spotify Messages should begin seeing these two features appear soon on Android and iOS. However, a "broader" rollout is expected in February.

Spotify Messages arrived as a late summer update in 2025. A patch that focused on music-lovers and helping those people connect with other like-minded individuals. Messages was stated as a one-on-one chatting service that lets users share music, podcasts, and audiobooks featured on Spotify in one convenient place. Fortunately, you won't receive texts on Spotify from just anyone.

The update states that users must accept a Message request before they can begin texting. This should, hopefully, assist users in weeding out any potential nefarious users ahead of time. Spotify's Jam also made its rounds to Android Auto, making those long car rides not so long, and definitely way more enjoyable.

Android Central's Best of 2025: Apps and Services

shruti.shekar@futurenet.com (Shruti Shekar) — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 16:07:00 +0000

My favorite part of a phone is not just what it can do, but the services that power it. This year, we used plenty of services, and we all agree the winners are truly deserving of their awards!

From music streaming and video streaming services, to the best Android app and best Android game, here are our winners! Congratulations to all, you made our phones so much more fun to use, and we are very grateful.

Best music streaming service: Spotify

(Image credit: Shruti Shekar/ Android Central)

We’ve seen some notable updates from music streaming services this year, but Spotify continues to lead in quality and sheer feature set. This year finally saw the launch of the app’s long-awaited Lossless audio feature, which significantly improves the quality of your music when you’re listening through wired headphones or via Wi-Fi with Spotify Connect. The best part is that it comes at no extra cost to Premium subscribers, despite rumors that it would be its own tier or cost extra.

Of course, Spotify also continues to update and add features, such as its AI DJ, Jam, and a new Prompted Playlist that lets users generate a playlist by describing the kind of music they want. Users can also bring DJ vibes to their playlists with Automix, which creates natural transitions between songs to keep the party going without pauses. Finally, the most significant update for free users came this year when Spotify finally gave them the ability to play and search for individual songs, bringing it a step closer to the premium tier and making it easier to enjoy and share tunes.

Best video streaming service: Netflix

(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

2025 was a weird year for streaming services. The standoff between YouTube TV and Disney finally boiled over, everyone and their mother tried to buy Warner Bros, and yes, most of the apps got more expensive. None of this drama benefited the consumer, of course, but that didn’t stop Netflix from having one of its strongest years yet.

Even amid price hikes and password crackdowns, Netflix continues to dominate the video streaming space, striking that delicate balance between crowd-pleasers and Oscar-worthy feature films. We’re sure to see more battles between the big companies in 2026, but once the dust settles, don’t be surprised if Netflix is the last service standing.

Best Android app: Gemini

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Artificial intelligence might be a very divisive and polarizing topic, but one thing’s for sure: it’s here to stay. When used ethically and efficiently, it can be an outstanding productivity tool and intellectual aid. Gemini is one of Google’s best Android apps right now, and it is integrated with everything else. This cross-platform integration makes Google’s suite of apps even more powerful, useful, and extremely convenient.

If you have a Google Pixel device, your Google Assistant must already be replaced by Gemini, and you must have noticed how much more intuitive and functional the experience is with it. From deep research and generating images to data analysis and quick stats, there are a hundred good reasons why Gemini is the best Android app of the year.

Best Android game: Pokémon TCG Pocket

(Image credit: Android Central)

Did you think that the post-pandemic Pokémon craze was over? Think again. Not only did Nintendo release a new Switch game in the form of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but before that, it surprised many of us by releasing Pokémon TCG Pocket for both Android and iOS at the tail end of last year, and the game has received a steady stream of updates throughout 2025 to keep players vying for the latest cards and packs!

The premise is simple and familiar: Open packs of cards, collect your Pokémon, build decks, and battle! Not only that, but you can even trade cards from your collection with friends, while also competing in ranked matches to put your skills to the test. Best of all, it’s absolutely free to do all of this, without you needing to spend a dime.

Anna's Archive backed up 99% of Spotify listens in the name of 'preservation' — but is it really just piracy?

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 23:12:10 +0000

Libraries are still an excellent resource for physical media, whether it be books, audio CDs, DVDs, or other content types. One thing libraries still haven't figured out how to consistently make available to communities at large is digital content. There are plenty of digital libraries available online, but concerns about piracy and proper compensation for media rights holders make the experience complicated. It's a problem Anna's Archive, self-described as "the largest truly open library in human history," is trying to solve.

In an absolutely stunning twist, Anna's Archive announced it backed up almost all of the music available on Spotify. The Dec. 20 blog post reveals Anna's Archive "discovered a way to scrape Spotify at scale," and the team "saw a role for us here to build a music archive primarily aimed at preservation." The data backup contains 86 million music files, which Anna's Archive says represents 99.6% of Spotify listens.

Anna's Archive began in 2022 as a torrent aggregator and search engine for primarily text-based files stored across LibGen, Sci-Hub, Z-Lib, and other torrents. It emerged in response to U.S. government efforts to shut down Z-Library. The group, made up on anonymous contributors, now wants to create something similar for music.

Understandably, Spotify isn't happy with the reports of Anna's Archive scraping its music files, with the company calling out the use of "illicit tactics" to bypass DRM and copyright protections. A ton of questions remain, like whether Spotify or regulators will attempt to take legal actions against Anna's Archive, or if a "free" database of Spotify songs will be made available for the average listener.

The massive music backup, unlike anything we've ever seen before, is going to force companies, regulators, and users to answer the following question: what separates preservation from piracy?

What Anna's Archive managed to back up

(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

Anna's Archive said it chose to back up Spotify tracks based on the company's own popularity metric. There are a ton of songs on Spotify that get virtually zero listens. For perspective, the archive estimates the top three songs on Spotify were streamed more than the bottom 20 to 100 million songs combined. In all, the backup includes metadata from 256 million tracks and audio files for 86 million songs.

Spotify defines its popularity metric as "a value between 0 and 100, with 100 being the most popular." It's calculated by an algorithm that's "based, in the most part, on the total number of plays the track has had and how recent those plays are."

Using this categorization, Anna's Archive backed up the 86 million most-popular songs, which accounts for 37% of Spotify's entire catalog. However, it also makes up 99.6% of listens. In other words, while the archive backed up less than half of Spotify songs, it covers almost all of the tracks people actually listen to.

(Image credit: Anna's Archive)

While Anna's Archive backed up Spotify metadata for 99.9% of tracks, making it the largest music metadata archive in the world, it stopped at only 37% of Spotify music files due to storage constraints. The 86 million archived songs represent 300TB of storage, and the rest would've required 700TB of additional storage "for minor benefit," according to the blog post.

The music files are formatted in OGG Vorbis at 160kbps for songs with a popularity metric greater than zero. Songs with a popularity of zero were re-encoded in OGG Vorbis at 75kbps. Anna's Archive added metadata to the audio files, including "including title, url, ISRC, UPC, album art, and replaygain information." Audio files typically contain no metadata of their own, so this is significant.

Spotify says this is just scraping using 'illicit tactics'

(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

We have to point out that Anna's Archive backup is illegal for a variety of reasons. The scraping of Spotify's databases violate the company's terms of service, and the removal of digital rights management (DRM) features and sharing of copyrighted material both violate copyright law. By definition, the Anna's Archive music backup is piracy.

Spotify seems to agree, as it made statements to both Android Authority and Ars Technica commenting on the Anna's Archive release.

"An investigation into unauthorized access identified that a third party scraped public metadata and used illicit tactics to circumvent DRM to access some of the platform’s audio files," Spotify told Android Authority. "We are actively investigating the incident."

Notably, Spotify doesn't confirm the scope of the Anna's Archive backup, only saying that "some" of the site's audio files were accessed. In a separate statement, Spotify said it is taking action to prevent something like this from happening again.

"We've implemented new safeguards for these types of anti-copyright attacks and are actively monitoring for suspicious behavior," a Spotify spokesperson told Ars Technica. "Since day one, we have stood with the artist community against piracy, and we are actively working with our industry partners to protect creators and defend their rights."

(Image credit: Android Central)

While Anna's Archive cites altruistic motivations as their reasons for trying to "preserve" Spotify's music catalog, there are major concerns for artists, record labels, and streaming services. The backup could create ways for listeners to stream music without paying for it, hurting the music industry. As it is currently released, it would be difficult for the average listener to find or stream individual songs within the 300TB backup, but that could change.

"For now this is a torrents-only archive aimed at preservation, but if there is enough interest, we could add downloading of individual files to Anna’s Archive," the archive's blog post notes. "Please let us know if you’d like this."

It's currently unclear what, if any, legal action could be taken against Anna's Archive as a result of this move. Theoretically, the archive's decentralized network structure prevents it from being shuttered completely. However, when it comes to music, there's a lot of money on the line — giving rights holders and regulators incentive to protect copyrighted material.

In September 2025, the Internet Archive settled a lawsuit claiming it served as an "illegal record store" for 4,000 songs (via Reuters). As a reminder, Anna's Archive just backed up 86 million.

Is this preservation or piracy?

(Image credit: Android Central)

As a music enjoyer and someone who closely follows the industry, I see both sides here. There is a valid argument to be made for the need to preserve digital media.

On a high level, songs can quickly become "lost media" without preservation — lost media is usually defined as "any type of media thought to no longer exist in any format, or for which no copies can be located, partial or otherwise." The idea of music becoming lost media is terrifying, and if archival can prevent that from happening, a preservation angle starts to make sense.

Just this month, Taylor Swift replaced the original versions of two songs with new recordings with altered lyrics. Without physical media or digital archives, those original recordings could disappear forever.

Another reason I buy the altruistic goal of the Anna's Archive backup is the quality of the songs scraped. At 160kbps, the highest-quality songs are very low-quality, making them less appealing to listeners. These music files are lower-quality than 256kbps AAC and far worse than any lossless format. The archive could've backed up fewer songs at higher quality, but it didn't, which tells me this really was about preservation.

Here's the problem: from a legal perspective, it doesn't matter. This is piracy according to U.S. copyright law. I can't tell you whether Anna's Archive is correct on a moral or ethical basis, but I can tell you its actions are illegal. And if the songs stripped from Spotify are made easily available for consumers as an alternative to paying for music, it could do irreparable harm to the music industry.

Android Central does not condone the sharing or distribution of copyrighted material. You are responsible for following the local copyright laws in your country or region.

Spotify's recent outage leaves users locked out — but now it's back up and running

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 15:42:41 +0000

Update 12/15 12:20 pm ET: After being impacted by the outage for several hours this morning, Spotify has finally confirmed that it has fixed the issue that caused widespread login problems for many of its users, and said that things are "All clear! Thanks for your patience." It has urged users still facing issues to post it on Spotify's community thread.

All clear! Thanks for your patience. If you're still having issues, you can find out more on this issue on our Community support thread: https://t.co/IaZcQTy9jFDecember 15, 2025

What you need to know

Spotify is facing widespread access issues in the U.S., U.K., and parts of Europe.
Users report account login failures and disappearing playlists amid streaming troubles.
Spotify acknowledges outages and suggests users try reinstalling the app or using the website.

If you'd opened up Spotify this morning expecting to beat the Monday blues while you drive to work, then you may have been disappointed to say the least. The streaming platform seems to be facing widespread issues across the U.S., U.K., and some parts of Europe today(Dec 15).

According to several users on X and reports on DownDetector, Spotify seems to be having issues where users are unable to access their account, both in app and on the website, while some other users, though, have access, say that their curated playlists have unexpectedly disappeared.

The outage appears to have started around 9 am ET, with over 27,000 reports on DownDetector, with 80% of users reporting issues with the Spotify app. The bug seems to be logging out users from their accounts automatically, without allowing them to log back in. Other major issues include the app crashing multiple times, with "loading dots" persisting on the home page and search screens.

@Spotify I am having difficulty logging in to my account on my phone with my account based here in the UK, even though I have tried all the usual fixes? Any idea what is going on?December 15, 2025

Furthermore, users reported "Server Connection" errors, essentially preventing them from streaming songs or even accessing their playlists. Spotify took to X to acknowledge the outage, stating that they are aware of the issues on the app and are "checking them out!"

As of now, several users are looking for potential workarounds to get their streaming app online, like reinstalling the app as suggested by the "SpotifyCares" account on X. While some say that using the Spotify website worked for them on DownDetector, the best course of action, according to us, is to sit tight and wait till Spotify fixes things on its end.

Around 10:40 AM ET, reports on DownDetector seem to be dwindling, with only 1,200 users seeing issues, indicating that Spotify is actively working on resolving the issue. Some users commented, "Spotify's back (at least a few functions of it are..)."

Spotify’s ‘Prompted Playlists’ lets you take more control of its algorithm

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 10:47:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced a beta for a Premium feature called "Prompted Playlists," which puts the user in control of their musical algorithm.
Similar to Discover Weekly, users can "generate" their own personalized playlist of music by describing the kind of music they'd like to hear.
Spotify states this feature leverages your listening tastes and habits over the years, even back to your very first listen.
The beta starts in New Zealand for Premium users; however, there's no word on when the test could hit the U.S.

Spotify already curates and produces content it believes you'll enjoy, but its newest update relinquishes control to the user.

Spotify announces in a Newsroom post that it's beginning an overseas beta for Premium users called "Prompted Playlists." This beta, exclusive to New Zealand users for the time being, lets users generate a playlist that abides by their interests, curiosities, and more. Tapping "Create" at the bottom right in the app is where users will find Prompted Playlists. From there, users can "describe" and dictate everything about the playlist.

If you're looking to get into metalcore, you can tell the playlist to start there, and then offer suggestions you've never heard before. If you're in your K-Pop era, then describe the kind of playlist you want to listen to.

The post states that Prompted Playlists leverages "your entire Spotify listening history, all the way back to day one."

After writing your prompt, users can hop into "set updates." This is where you can channel your inner Spotify by setting how often the playlist should refresh its content. Users can decide to have it update daily at specific times or weekly. The "ideas" button is just what you'd expect: suggestions on where to start if the ole noggin's not sure where to begin.

After everything's said and done, and the playlist has been generated, Spotify states it will offer a little story behind every song. The company says the purpose of this is to make your generated playlist "feel alive."

Prompt, generate, listen

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify informs users that, since Prompted Playlists is in beta, its experience may change as time progresses. This is in part due to user feedback and changes the platform envisions. What's more, Spotify states that the feature is wrapped in its bigger goals for the platform moving forward. The post highlights an interest in creating a more "personal" and "responsive" musical experience.

Spotify wants the user to take control of their music. The post teases that 2026 will hold more for listeners and artists. Regarding Prompted Playlists, there's no word on a U.S. beta; however, if all goes well, users in the region might not wait long.

We're starting to close out 2025, and with that comes the usual Spotify Wrapped. This year, the platform shook things up with "listening age" and "top albums." Users, of course, still got the usual "top songs" for the year, as well as some analytics behind the many music genres they listened to. Spotify Wrapped 2025 ended with files about you, which are detailed notes about your most diverse listening days and how your tastes might've changed throughout the year.

Elsewhere, an update last month made it easier for users to switch with TuneMyMusic's library transfer service.

How to find your Spotify Wrapped 2025, YouTube Music Recap, or Apple Music Replay

andrew.myrick@futurenet.com (Andrew Myrick) — Mon, 08 Dec 2025 19:54:19 +0000

For music lovers, December really is the most wonderful time of the year — it's when we get to see our end-of-year stats from our favorite music streaming services. Whether you listen to music only a few hours a week or all day and night, you're still logging significant hours on your favorite streaming music service.

As great as these services are at surfacing new artists for us to discover, it's also fun to revisit our old favorites at the end of each year. This year, the top end-of-year roundups include some exciting new elements you won't want to miss, like Spotify's "listening age" and "listening archive" features. Here's how to find those year-in-review playlists on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.

How to find your Spotify Wrapped 2025 playlist

Spotify's Wrapped 2025 experience is now available in the app and on the Spotify Wrapped webpage. This year, the Wrapped 2025 experience includes a variety of statistics based on your listening history, with plenty of ways to share and revisit your year in music.

There's also an outside-of-the-box feature: your "listening age," which computes your age based on your music taste. It compares your Wrapped 2025 data to others in your age group based on the release dates of the songs you enjoyed the most. New for 2025 is also a "Spotify Club" feature that connects users with others who have similar music tastes. Here's how to access your Wrapped 2025 experience:

1. Open the Spotify app.

2. From the tags at the top of the page, swipe right to left and tap Wrapped.

3. Tap the Let's go button.

4. From the main Wrapped landing page, you'll also have options for Your Stories, Your Feed, and more.

(Image credit: Spotify)

There are also Wrapped 2025 cards for audiobooks and podcasts. Some users will get video messages from authors of their favorite audiobook, including Dan Brown, James Patterson, Abby Jimenez, and more.

(Image credit: Spotify)

The big AI-powered feature for 2025 is "Listening Archive." It uses AI to comb through Spotify users' listening history to find their most memorable or significant streaming days in 2025. You might see days like "the biggest listening day" or the "most nostalgic day." All of these features and more are available in the Spotify app for Premium subscribers.

How to find your YouTube Music 2025 Recap playlist

1. Open the YouTube Music app.

2. Tap the 2025 Recap banner that appears on the Home tab. It may also appear on your Speed dial on the YTM home tab.

3. Tap the Get your Recap button for your stats, or scroll down to view your 2025 Recap playlist.

(Image credit: YouTube)

If, for some reason, the banner for your YouTube Music Recap doesn't appear on your Home tab, there's another way you can access your 2025 Recap, as well as past seasonal Recaps.

1. Open the YouTube Music app.

2. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner.

3. Tap Your Recap.

From here, you'll likely be able to see your 2025 recap. If you see "Nothing to hear here," then the 2025 Recap is not yet available for your account.

(Image credit: Android Central)

Even if you don't have a 2025 Recap for your own profile, this section will also show various YouTube Music Playlists comprised of top songs from the past year. You can scroll from left to right to view the different playlists, with the hopes of discovering something that you have not listened to yet.

How to find your Apple Music Replay 2025 playlist

Apple changed things up with Replay this year. You can now view your Replay 2025 stats at any time on a month-to-month basis on the Apple Music Replay website. And, the full year-in-review experience is now available for 2025. Here's how you can find it in the Apple Music app using the steps below.

1. Open the Apple Music app.

2. Tap on the Home tab.

3. At the top of the page, tap Replay — Your music story is here.

4. Tap the Play your highlight reel button.

(Image credit: Future)

If you haven't seen these year-end playlists in your favorite music app, be patient. They are slowly rolling out in Spotify and YouTube Music, as well as in Apple Music, but not everyone has them yet. Try going into the Google Play app and seeing if there are any updates for your apps. We expect more streaming music services to be updating their apps and rolling out these playlists through the end of the year.

In the event that you don't already subscribe to one of these popular streaming music services, what are you waiting for? Many offer free trial periods of one to three months, and some offer additional discounts and family plans too!

Almost everyone's default

Spotify is the default streaming music service for most people, and it has the most options for year-in-review playlists.

From $11.99 per month at Spotify

Already on your phone

YouTube Music is the smallest of the major streaming services, but it continues to add new features. You can also still get it bundled with YouTube Premium, so that's a plus!

From $10.99 per month at YouTube Music

Still great on Android

If you live in a mixed-device family with iPhone users, you might want to consider an Apple Music plan. It has over 60 million songs, and its customized playlists rival those of Spotify.

From $10.99 per month at Apple

Explore Spotify Wrapped 2025: A year in music, top albums, and your unique listening age

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 17:35:31 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify Wrapped 2025 introduces new features like listening age and top albums for a personalized music experience.
AI enhancements allow users to explore significant streaming days and nostalgic listening habits.
New 'Spotify Club' connects users with similar musical tastes through interactive community engagement.

Is it that time of the year already? Spotify unleashed its highly popular Spotify Wrapped this morning (Dec. 3), which gives you a personalized look at your listening habits, including the songs you had on loop for several days, your favorite artists you listened to, and more. The streaming platform has been dropping hints on its "wrapped" feature for a few days now, and finally, it has landed for its listeners, as confirmed in an X post.

Psssst, we wrapped something special for you. Spotify Wrapped is here. pic.twitter.com/fWPE0iKtN8December 3, 2025

Like every year, Spotify gives you your "Classic Core Stats" in a typical Instagram story style. These stories include the user's total minutes listened, their Top five songs, which is presented in a fun interactive quiz for the user to guess their top track before it is revealed, neat, right?

Last year's Spotify Wrapped brought in a whole bunch of AI features, like an AI DJ that got an upgrade, and an AI Playlist would help you create different playlists using information from Wrapped.

What's new this year

(Image credit: Shruti Shekar/ Android Central)

Spotify has brought in some new features, like your "listening age," which compares your musical tastes to others’ in your age group, based on the release dates of the tracks you listened to the most.

Furthermore, for the first time, users also get to see a list of their top albums, top podcasts, and also their top audio genre based on the audiobooks they've heard on the app. Spotify has also snuck in messages from authors of the user's favorite audiobook, including authors like Dan Brown, James Patterson, Abby Jimenez, and more.

Additionally, a new "Spotify Club" will connect you with others who like the kind of music you listen to. "You’ll be sorted into one of six Clubs—each representing a unique listening style—and see the role you play within that community," Spotify added in its press release.

Spotify

The company seems to be leaning into AI a lot more, bringing "Listening Archive," which will enable users to explore details of their most memorable or significant streaming days from the past year. Stories are captioned "the biggest listening day," "the most nostalgic day," and so on.

Almost gives you the feel of a personalized music diary, capturing your moods based on your song choice. Along with the above features, you also get to see the "Top Artist Sprint" and "Fan Leaderboard" within your Spotify Wrapped 2025.

You can access it by clicking on the "Your 2025 Wrapped is Here!" banner or feed at the very top of your Spotify Home screen. Much like Spotify, YouTube Music also began rolling out its Recap last week, giving users a peek into their year of listening.

What is Spotify Wrapped?

Spotify Wrapped is an annual, highly personalized campaign released by the Spotify streaming service, typically in late November or early December. It acts as a fun, data-driven summary of your entire year of listening across music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

Tech news wrap: Google Nest's major lawsuit, Spotify's price hike, and Bixby's AI glow up

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 11:38:00 +0000

News Weekly

(Image credit: Future)

News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week's top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.

This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, Google is getting sued again, Samsung might finally make Bixby useful, Spotify is coming for your wallet, and more. Let’s spill the tea.

Google caught in the midst of a class action lawsuit

(Image credit: Chris Wedel / Android Central)

Read more here

If your Google Nest has been ghosting you lately—ignoring commands or just losing Wi-Fi for no reason—you aren’t crazy. A massive class action lawsuit just dropped, claiming the devices are basically broken.

The case simply states that the Google Nest Hub, Google Nest Hub Max, Google Nest Mini, and Google Nest Audio have become faulty and have otherwise "malfunctioned" over the years.

Some of the highlighted issues were that these devices no longer "respond to even basic verbal questions." Not only has the Q&A portion of these Nest devices failed over time, but the plaintiffs ( Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, and Kaplan Gore, LLP) state "widespread complaints" have been reported from consumers who state that these devices do not "interpret or act on voice commands, returning irrelevant information, losing internet connectivity despite a stable WiFi connection, and failing to recognize registered user voices."

This is being framed by the plaintiffs as a "consumer case" to secure compensation for individuals who purchased these drastically deteriorated devices.

OnePlus confirms US launch for 15R, with the OnePlus Pad Go 2

(Image credit: Qualcomm / OnePlus)

Read more here

OnePlus officially announced that it will be ending the year with another product drop. This time, it's bringing two budget devices to the U.S. and Canada — the OnePlus 15R and the OnePlus Pad Go 2 ( a tablet with a stylus)

The OnePlus 15R is being positioned as a “value flagship” in the U.S. and Canada markets. The initial specs point to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip, up to 16GB of RAM, 1 TB storage, and a dual-lens camera setup (50 MP + 8 MP) similar to the Chinese OnePlus Ace 6 model.

The phone will likely show up with a redesigned body, consisting of a flat metal mid-frame and a camera module rotated exactly 45 degrees off the top-left corner. More importantly, the phone carries a stack of durability ratings you rarely see on a midrange device: IP66, IP68, IP69, and IP69K. These are the same IP ratings you see on the OnePlus 15.

As for the Pad Go 2, it gets a built-in stylus, the Stylo, which is said to be sleek (anti-glare glass finish) and productivity-focused for creativity and note-taking when paired with the Stylo. It is available in Shadow Black in the U.S. and Canada, but only as a Wi-Fi model (no 5G).

Spotify could cost you more next year

(Image credit: Android Central)

Read more here

Spotify is reportedly planning another price hike, and this time it may pinch U.S. subscribers. According to a recent report by the Financial Times, there has been some chatter that the streaming platform may increase prices for U.S. customers early next year.

Spotify increased its prices for subscribers in the U.S. back in 2024, when the cost of every tier went up significantly. The Family plan experienced the largest jump, rising by $3 to reach $19.99 per month, while the Duo plan increased by $2 to and the Individual plan went up to $11.99. Amidst these widespread increases, the Student plan was the only option to remain unchanged, holding steady at $5.99. Reports suggest that Spotify is being pressurized by major music labels (Universal, Sony, Warner) to raise prices.

Samsung might give us One UI 8.5 beta sooner than expected

(Image credit: Max Jambor)

Read more here

Samsung's next major UI update has been showing up in leaks lately. We got to see some features like the priority notifications, privacy display, camera presets, internet app redesign, and so much more. However, this one talks about something more important than features — the beta's timeline.

Samsung could gift its Beta users the One UI 8.5 update this Christmas, well, at least according to rumors by a South Korean tipster, as well as Tarun Vats. Vats quotes another tipster, who alleges that Samsung has "set their plan" to kickstart a One UI 8.5 beta program on December 8, though that date could change. Vats hops in, claiming that others have said similar things, and that this could be the case for "Phase 1."

One UI 8.5 Beta 1, is expected to be followed by Beta 2, which the tipster suggests could start two weeks later, on December 22. It appears that each subsequent "phase" or beta release might be made available to a new group of users.

Bixby..is that you?

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

Read more here

Remember Bixby? The assistant you immediately disabled? Rumor has it Samsung is giving it a major glow-up with the Galaxy S26 using Perplexity AI. According to a new leak, Samsung is reportedly amping up the Galaxy S26 series that would transform Bixby from a basic command-based assistant into a more advanced conversational tool.

According to a post on X by a reliable tipster, Samsung plans a major Bixby reboot powered by Perplexity AI, instead of relying solely on Google’s Gemini. Samsung might be planning to equip the Galaxy S26 with a significantly enhanced in-house assistant. This more capable and conversational Bixby would provide the phone with a distinct identity, so a Bixby resurrection could be in the works.

Spotify might raise prices again for US users in early 2026

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:02:45 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify plans potential price increase for U.S. subscribers as early as Q1 2026.
Major music labels pressure Spotify to raise subscription prices to match video service trends.
Analysts predict $500 million boost in revenue from a $1 increase per month for U.S. users.

Spotify is reportedly planning another price hike, and this time it may pinch U.S. subscribers. According to a recent report by the Financial Times (as spotted by 9to5 Google), there has been some chatter that the streaming platform may increase prices for U.S. customers early next year.

Spotify increased its prices for subscribers in the U.S. back in 2024, when the cost of the every tier went up significantly, the Family plan experienced the largest jump, rising by $3 to reach $19.99 per month, while the Duo plan increased by $2 to and Individual plan went up to $11.99. Amidst these widespread increases, the Student plan was the only option to remain unchanged, holding steady at $5.99.

(Image credit: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)

But if these rumors are indeed true, then it would mean U.S. users are facing their third price increase in less than three years (July 2023, July 2024, and potentially Q1 2026).

And while we don't know for sure how much each specific plan will see an increase, if Spotify follows its similar pattern from the previous years, then the multi-user plans may see a higher price point when compared to individual plans. Considering that these plans involve multiple people, cancelling the subscription is more of a hassle as it affects the entire household.

Why this sudden hike?

Reports suggest that Spotify is being pressurized by major music labels (Universal, Sony, Warner) to raise prices. These labels feel that music subscriptions are capped at a lower cost compared to video services like Netflix or Disney Plus, which have raised prices multiple times recently.

This potential price increase could also be linked to the renewal of Spotify's licensing deals with these labels. New agreements are expected to include clauses that would result in higher royalty payments, costs that Spotify may pass on to its subscribers.

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Furthermore, this could benefit Spotify's financial standing as well. Analysts estimate that a mere $1 per month increase for U.S. subscribers alone could generate approximately $500 million in additional annual revenue, leading to consistent profit margins for investors.

Given that Spotify has already implemented price increases across the UK, Switzerland, Australia, and emerging markets throughout 2025, a similar hike in their largest subscriber market appears imminent.

Spotify is making it easier to switch with in-app TuneMyMusic playlist transfers

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:37:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify is integrating the TuneMyMusic library transfer service directly into its mobile apps to make switching easier.
TuneMyMusic supports playlist transfers between Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more services.
The TuneMyMusic web client supports transfers both ways, but Spotify is the first to build the platform into its iOS and Android apps.

There's plenty of competition in music streaming, with Spotify leading the pack. Apple Music and YouTube Music aren't far behind, and there are niche options like Deezer, Tidal, and Amazon Music too. Switching music streaming services can be stressful, as users worry they'll use their stats, playlists, and music libraries. In an effort to court new subscribers, Spotify is adding in-app TuneMyMusic playlist transfers to make the process of switching nearly seamless.

The company is partnering with TuneMyMusic to bring the versatile library transfer tool to the Spotify app. TuneMyMusic supports playlist transfers between Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more services, and it has a web client. It can transfer, share, or backup your music library, or use AI to create "the perfect playlist" based on its contents.

However, this process previously relied on users knowing about TuneMyMusic and seeking out the web-based transfer tool. Spotify's in-app TuneMyMusic integration completely removes that barrier to entry, making it easier for users to switch.

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Now, Spotify users can scroll down to the bottom of the Your Library tab in the app, where they'll find an Import your music button. A few prompts will appear that connect to the TuneMyMusic service, where users can select the streaming service they want to transfer from. After that, users need only to select the playlists they want to import, and continue to have everything appear in their Spotify app library.

This feature reduces the friction involved in switching music streaming services, and it's available now on the iOS and Android versions of the Spotify app. It's rolling out globally over the next few days.

The other ways you can switch music streaming services

It's worth noting that TuneMyMusic will help you transfer a library to or from any of the following services, plus some others: Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer. Spotify is the only streaming service to integrate TuneMyMusic directly into its mobile streamer. However, you can use the TuneMyMusic web client to transfer from Spotify to another music streaming service as well.

It's not the first time streaming companies have banded together to make switching easier. Previously, Apple Music and YouTube Music partnered in 2024 to create library transfer tools between its music streaming services.

Spotify lossless lands in India, and there's the inevitable price hike: it's 40% costlier than Apple Music, and I'm now paying 3x as much as my previous plan

harish.jonnalagadda@futurenet.com (Harish Jonnalagadda) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 08:24:24 +0000

While I subscribe to Apple Music and YouTube Music, I use Spotify the most — a lot of that has to do with the fact that it has better playlists and recommendations. That said, the lack of a lossless tier has been a major issue for a while now, and Spotify is addressing that with the introduction of its Premium Platinum plan in India, following its rollout in other global markets.

The plan lets you listen to lossless music in Spotify with bitrate of up to 24-bit/44.1kHz, and it's just great to be able to stream higher-quality music on Spotify. While it has been a long time coming, what isn't so great is the pricing: the Premium Platinum costs ₹299 ($3.38), which is a 40% increase from the ₹179 ($2) family plan. Annoyingly, the family plan is no longer available for new subscribers, and has been moved to the legacy tier — if you subscribe to it, you can continue using it.

I used Spotify's family plan for close to a decade now, subscribing in the U.S. and switching over to Indian pricing when the service debuted in the country. Honestly, the Indian family plan always felt like it was an unbeatable value, and it's clear why Spotify chose to go with ₹179 — Apple Music's family plan also costs the same in India.

That is what makes the Premium Platinum price hike a little jarring; with Apple Music still continuing to cost ₹179, Spotify's lossless tier is 40% costlier, and I don't think the plan will find many takers in the country. While I don't have an issue as such with the new pricing — I pay the same for YouTube Premium and don't use it anywhere as much — what's egregious is that the Premium Platinum plan is limited to just three accounts, half as much as the previous family plan.

Basically, I now have to take two Premium Platinum plans to be able to get the same features as my earlier family plan, just so that I can listen to lossless music. That comes out to ₹598 ($6.75) a month, which is a 70% increase from before. Spotify also states that the plan has AI-assisted DJ and AI playlists, and honestly, I see that as a downside.

I switched over to the Premium Platinum plan as I've been waiting to use Spotify lossless for a while now, but limiting it to three accounts is just plain annoying. Not having a standard family plan as an alternative is just asinine — particularly when all other music streaming platforms have one. If anything, I think this will be the impetus that will get me to switch to Apple Music wholesale.

Android users can now share their favorite Spotify songs through WhatsApp Status

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 15:02:00 +0000

What you need to know

WhatsApp users can now add content from Spotify directly to their Status, like an Instagram story.
Spotify cards shared in WhatsApp Status contain a title, cover art, and a brief audio snippet.
Spotify users are starting to see WhatsApp Status integration now, but the gradual rollout might take a few weeks to reach everyone.

Spotify's social features make it an excellent streaming service for those who want to share their favorite music, podcasts, and more media types with their friends. Spotify Wrapped, a year-in-review feature perfect for social media sharing, is the perfect example of that — and Spotify just made a similar version of it available year-round. Now, Spotify is teaming up with WhatsApp to bring music and media sharing to WhatsApp Status.

WhatsApp Status is a temporary way to share what you're loving with your friends and family, and it previously included support for photos, videos, voice notes, and text. Spotify content is now coming into the mix, as you'll be able to share songs, albums, podcasts, and more on your WhatsApp Status — and they'll last for 24 hours. Spotify's new sharing features on WhatsApp work similarly to existing integration with other Meta apps Instagram and Facebook.

Spotify explains that users can now share songs, albums, playlists, podcasts, artist clips, and audiobooks to their WhatsApp Status. After sharing, a visual card for the Spotify content will appear with its title and cover art. The visual card includes short audio preview that'll play when your friends and family open your WhatsApp Status. Plus, they'll see an Open in Spotify link that opens the shared content in the Spotify app or web client.

(Image credit: Jay Bonggolto / Android Central)

WhatsApp Status integration for Spotify is rolling out now for all users globally. It's a gradual rollout, so it may take some time for every Spotify user to gain access to the feature. Spotify says all Free and Premium accounts will start seeing WhatsApp Status integration "in the coming weeks." When available, you can find it in the Share menu in the Spotify app.

Spotify songs, playlists, and podcasts can also be sent within individual WhatsApp chats. That functionality is still around, but the WhatsApp Status connection is for when you want to share your audio vibe with a bunch of people at once. Aside from WhatsApp, there are seven more ways to share Spotify content with others, as the brand shared in a blog post.

Spotify can now tell which songs Android users are addicted to

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 19:56:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced "listening stats," a weekly overview of music that users have been listening to on repeat.
Listening stats will display a user's top artists from the past "four weeks," bringing highlights, milestones, and more, which can be shared with others.
Spotify's recent updates include bringing text-based song requests to Premium users for its AI DJ and more for ChatGPT users.

Spotify's latest feature announcement is all about keeping track of what music and artists have got you singing on repeat.

This morning (Nov 6), Spotify announced that it's looking to make music more personal for listeners, as it rolls out "listening stats." On its way to "more than 60 markets" globally, Spotify says these stats will be accessible via your profile icon > listening stats. What you can expect is a weekly overview of "your top artists and songs from the past four weeks."

The platform states that aside from reliving what you've been jamming to, your listening stats will also deliver personalized highlights. These highlights will include listening milestones, fan moments, "a new discovery," and what makes your listening unique.

Though personal, Spotify says your weekly listening stats are shareable, too.

The entire week's stats or simply a condensed highlight can be shared with others through Spotify or in other apps, like Instagram and WhatsApp. The new Listening Stats will provide playlists inspired by your recent week's listening habits, as well as song suggestions that you might want to check. Users can look at listening stats as a miniature end-of-the-year Wrapped, which Spotify itself alludes to.

Still, for those chunkier stats, you'll have to wait for the year's end for that colorful overview.

Stats for what's been on your mind

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify's listening stats should start rolling out to Android devices soon, considering the announcement came late this week. Keep your eyes peeled for the update on your devices.

As Spotify continues to refine its music streaming, an update from October shone a brighter light on its AI DJ. Now, for Premium users, you can text your song requests to the AI DJ, instead of speaking them aloud. This can be particularly useful when you're around other people or in loud, busy places. Additionally, the DJ will also display a few suggested prompts to get you started, if you're unsure of where to begin.

On the lines of AI, Spotify and ChatGPT got together, giving users the choice of merging their accounts, so the AI can play songs for them. Users conversing with ChatGPT can ask the AI to find a specific song from their favorite artists through weekly playlists like Discover Weekly or New Music Friday. ChatGPT free, Plus, and Pro users can ask the AI to create an entirely new playlist for them based on themes and more.

YouTube Music paid out a record $8 billion to the music industry in a year

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 12:37:00 +0000

What you need to know

YouTube Music paid out a record $8 billion to the music industry in a 12-month period.
It represents major growth for the platform, as it paid out $6 billion and $4 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively.
YouTube Music still lags behind Spotify in terms of overall payouts, but its per-stream payouts are supposedly higher.

YouTube Music is a relatively young music streaming service compared to industry stalwarts like Spotify, but it's growing fast. The streaming service debuted in 2015 along YouTube Premium, and a decade later, it has over 125 million paid subscribers as of March 2025. The large subscriber count and user base allows YouTube Music to inject more cash into the music industry, and it hit a big milestone in 2025.

YouTube paid out more than $8 billion to the music industry in the year between July 2024 and June 2025, it said in a blog post. The brand says this major payout reaffirms its "commitment to the music industry." It's the most YouTube Music has ever paid out to artists and the music industry at large in a 12-month period, and shows that payouts are rising with subscriber counts.

"Today's $8 billion payout is a testament to the fact that the twin engine of ads and subscriptions is firing on all cylinders," said Lyor Cohen, who is YouTube's global head of music, in the blog post. "This number is not an endpoint; it represents meaningful, sustained progress in our journey to build a long-term home for every artist, songwriter, and publisher on the global stage."

The company attributes the larger payouts to what it calls a "twin-engine revenue model." That includes subscriber revenue from the over 125 million users that pay for either YouTube Music or YouTube Premium. It also includes logged-in viewers who watch music videos on YouTube and see ads — YouTube says there are 2 billion of them each month.

Between revenue sharing from subscribers and ad-supported users, YouTube Music was able to pay out the $8 billion figure to the music industry.

How YouTube Music's payout compares to itself — and the competition

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

YouTube Music's payouts are rising with its subscriber count. It paid out $4 billion to the music industry in 2021, $6 billion in 2022, and now $8 billion in 2025 (via TechCrunch). Spotify, the industry leader and YouTube Music's biggest competitor, paid $10 billion to the music industry in 2024.

While YouTube Music isn't quite on Spotify's level yet, it's inching closer. Despite having far fewer subscribers, YouTube Music's industry payout is impressive because it pays more on a per-stream basis than Spotify, according to Duetti.

Spotify's having major issues on Samsung and Google phones—this is why

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:12:00 +0000

What you need to know

Users have taken to Spotify's forums, reporting that the app on their Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy device are crashing and freezing.
It seems that the app is consistently crashing when attempting to stream over Wi-Fi; however, switching to mobile data solves the issue.
Spotify is investigating a more permanent fix, as reinstalling the app hasn't proved fruitful.

Spotify users are having a rough go of it today (Oct 22), as reports fly in about severe freezing and crashing.

A thread started on Spotify's community forum by a moderator, highlighting reports from users about the app becoming unresponsive. While users are having issues with the app, it only seems to have affected certain devices from Samsung and Google. Moreover, these problems are seemingly only happening when connected to Wi-Fi.

Users have continued to report problems to Spotify, such as one who commented, "Recently, my Spotify app has become unusable while connected to my home wifi." The user states this is affecting their Pixel 9, similar to a few other reports mentioning the same device.

A user tested the Spotify app on their Galaxy S25 Ultra and their Tab S10 Ultra, and encountered the same freezing/crashing problem when on Wi-Fi. A Pixel 8 owner from Germany chimed in, reporting similar problems.

Spotify has offered that users can cleanly reinstall the app on their devices, but that hasn't reportedly helped. The main culprit seems to be that, when connected to Wi-Fi, the Spotify app is crashing on Galaxy and Pixel devices. At the moment, as users have reported, switching to your mobile data solves the issue.

Spotify is aware of the issue and is investigating a potential solution.

There have been other problems

(Image credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

Google's Pixels ran into problems with Spotify last year after the company rolled out its June feature drop. From some initial reports, it was evident that the issue affected the Pixel 6, Pixel 7, and Pixel 8 devices, which caused widespread crashes when running Spotify. The problems forced devices into a seemingly endless loop; however, manually rebooting those phones got them out.

Some band-aid fixes included shutting off Spotify's notifications and clearing the app's cache.

The issues happening today have a much simpler solution, though it's still frustrating to have to lean on your data for your music streaming.

Spotify had a strange issue earlier this year, too, though that involved Premium users hearing ads... despite being Premium. While speculation suggested it was likely a bug initially, Spotify confirmed as much shortly after those February reports. It quickly rolled out a fix for ads slipping into Premium streams, solving the issue that same day.

Spotify's AI DJ takes requests in a new way on Android with prompts to get you started

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 10:55:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced an update today (Oct 15) regarding its AI DJ, bringing "text requests" to Premium users.
Users can now write in their song requests instead of speaking, while also finding new "personalized" prompt suggestions before listening.
Spotify's DJ now accepts voice and written requests from Spanish-speaking users, as these updates rollout.

Spotify's rolling out a couple of noteworthy updates to its AI DJ this week for Android users that help make it more personal.

Voice requests through Spotify's AI DJ were a major update this past spring, and the platform is interested in upgrading that experience in this update. According to Spotify, its updates rolling out this week are coming off the back of user requests, such as one consistent interest in "text requests." Beginning this week, Premium users using the DJ will find an option to type their song request alongside the typical voice feature.

Spotify says the AI DJ will adapt itself to your needs while listening. Joining this new feature are "personalized prompt suggestions." It seems these suggestions are based on your listening history/taste profile. Spotify says that when you're beginning a new DJ session, you can choose from three personalized prompts that encompass a musical genre you enjoy, plus the time of day.

On the other side, Spotify is rolling out new language support for Spanish-speaking Premium users with the AI DJ.

This was another prominent community request, as Spotify states users can now voice their interests or write their interests to the AI DJ in Spanish. These updates are rolling out for English and Spanish-speaking Premium users in over 60 markets this week, the U.S. is included.

Keep the requests coming

(Image credit: Spotify)

We've had Spotify's AI DJ could a couple of years now, and, earlier this year, the platform updated it with song requests. It started as a voice-only feature that lets users on Android long-press the DJ icon when listening to speak their request. Users can tell the DJ what song they'd like, who it's by, and so on. However, you can also get a little more personal, asking the DJ to play songs based on your mood or even a particular genre you want.

As Spotify reiterates, if you're not seeing the DJ on your homepage, then you can search for "DJ." After which, you can tap on it and begin listening to music curated by the AI, using your listening history as its backbone.

It's also worth not forgetting about Spotify's big Lossless Listening update that started rolling out in September. The long-awaited update is finally here, bringing audio to mobile that refines sound, so every beat is felt and appreciated. Lossless Listening is for Premium users only, and offers its rich and deep sound to private playlists, liked songs, DJ, Jam, Mix, AI Playlists, and Daylists.

It's time to break up with your music streaming app — your phone deserves better

bradypsnyder@gmail.com (Brady Snyder) — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:56:00 +0000

Music streaming services are fantastic at doing a lot of things. They're generally affordable, they offer millions of songs a tap away, and they are superb for discovery and socialization. That's why services like Spotify have nearly 700 million monthly active users, and competitors like Apple Music have over 140 million monthly active users.

The way you interact with these streaming services is usually through a first-party app, like Spotify or Tidal on the Google Play Store or Music on iOS. There's one small problem with that, though. When streaming services try to cater their app to meet the needs of nearly a billion people, these apps are unlikely to meet the specific needs of you.

That's why you should consider keeping your preferred music streaming provider, but giving your music player app a facelift. Usually, we think of custom music player apps from Android as being alternatives to streaming. That doesn't have to be the case.

There are apps that can tap into services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, YouTube Music, and many more — all while providing a more custom and thoughtful listening experience. That's in addition to classic options that leverage audio files stored locally on your device. Over the past few months, I've slowly replaced multiple default music streamers with third-party alternatives, and I think they're worth your time.

Poweramp is a fantastic on-device music player

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Download Poweramp on the Google Play Store

Starting simple, Poweramp is an excellent and well-known local music player for Android. It's ideal for people who don't depend on streaming services for music playback. It could come in handy if you have a large physical media collection that you've transitioned to digital, or for those who prefer high-fidelity source material, like FLACs or ALACs.

In other words, if you already have the files, Poweramp can play them — no streaming service required. There's a free app, but you'll probably want the paid version that costs a few bucks. It's a one-time fee compared to the perpetual charges from a streaming service.

Poweramp comes with a lot of features that span use cases far beyond what I require. I opened up my wallet for Poweramp because of its customizable user interface and design language, which includes options to overemphasize, deemphasize, or disable Material You colors entirely. Of course, I also enjoy the complete support for hi-fi audio, since most of my files are 24-bit, 44.1KHz ALAC.

It's impossible to list music player alternatives without mentioning Poweramp. However, it's definitely more of a local player than a streamer, even if it does support radio streaming. Considering Google Pixel phones don't have a default music player app and Samsung Music isn't pre-installed on Galaxy phones anymore, there's a need for a third-party option now more than ever.

Echo is a free, open-source app for streamers

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Download Echo on GitHub

For streamers, the alternative music player app I recommend is Echo. It's free and open-source, and really is the best of all worlds when it comes to music playback. Echo can handle on-device playback from local files, and is built upon integrations with streaming services as well. The app is extension-based, and you can install extensions for streamers, lyric providers, social apps, and more.

Echo offers extensions for Deezer, iHeartRadio, Radio Browser, Saavn, Spotify, TuneIn, and YouTube Music. There's Jellyfin support, so you can stream music from your home server or NAS with the Echo app for Android.

Integration with Lastfm means you can sync data between the Echo player and the tracking service. Rounding out the experience is a long list of lyric database extensions, including Musixmatch and Genius.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

What's fantastic about the Echo app is how it offers quick access to a variety of streamers in one place. You can see your on-device files and streaming library all in one place, or choose to only view specific extensions. So, I can tap the Spotify extension to view my library there, or switch to YouTube Music, or rely on my saved offline files. That's all in just one app.

The customization features are another benefit, as I detest the look of certain streamers, like YouTube Music and Spotify. With Echo, there's one look for all my streamers. Personally, I think this is the best way to play music on Android, especially if you use multiple music sources.

Albums is an Apple Music client that puts your catalog first

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Download Albums on the App Store

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Albums, the Apple Music client for iOS that sent me down this rabbit hole in the first place. I've almost completely replaced the stock Music app on iOS with a beta version of Albums, which is essentially a remote control for your Apple Music library.

An iPhone Air running Albums 2 (left) beside an iPhone 17 Pro running the standard Apple Music app (right). (Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

It puts the emphasis on albums and their covers, rather than social clutter and discovery features. It's like a modern version of Cover Flow on iPods, and offers the perks of streaming without all the extras. You can also favorite albums in a separate view, which I love as a hater of playlists.

Why it makes sense to ditch your default music streamer

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

Music is only part of the reason player apps from streaming services exist. They're primarily centered around discovery of new music and social features that cultivate sharing — the more you find and share, the longer you'll stay subscribed and the more likely your friends will, too. It's why Spotify shipped DMs before lossless audio.

That's why we should get back to the basics with a new music player, like Poweramp, Albums, or Echo. You can have all the perks of streaming without the drawbacks, or use both a default and third-party app in tandem.

How to enable Spotify Lossless audio on your smartphone

klpmediallc@gmail.com (Tshaka Armstrong) — Fri, 10 Oct 2025 04:19:10 +0000

You’ve been waiting for this. A lot of people have. been. waiting. for. this.

Spotify lossless audio is finally here! It’s like Christmas a couple of months early, and I’m going to play Spotta Claus and help deliver that warm, cuddly, ear-hugging, high-resolution audio to your phone, tablet, or Spotify Connect, supporting stereo to you.

Some folks may have already received a notification on their smartphones or other devices, informing them that lossless audio access is coming. Others like myself did not. It just appeared unannounced. Either way, you’ll need to activate the functionality manually.

If you aren’t up on the hype around lossless audio, we have background information that will help you decide if it’s for you. The short of it is this: it’s like IMAX for your ears. The sound is “bigger” and more immersive, but you’ll need the right gear to reap the benefits.

With that out of the way, let’s get your Spotify lossless audio activated and help you make your way to that HiFi Highway to Heaven!

Enabling the Spotify lossless audio feature

1. First things first, open up the Spotify app.

2. Tap on your profile image. The "K" in the image above.

3. Select Settings and privacy.

4. Tap on Media quality.

(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)

5. In Wi-Fi streaming quality, select Lossless

6. In Cellular streaming quality, select Lossless.

(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)

With that, you're set to start listening to music in the highest-possible quality! However, there are some things you'll want to keep in mind when using this feature.

Data-thirsty!

(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)

- Tech Talk: What is lossless audio?

- These are the best DACs you can buy right now

- These wired earbuds are excellent for lossless audio

When looking over the cellular quality options, be mindful of your data plan. If you’re on a metered cellular data plan, you’ll want to choose a lower quality setting because the lossless option will chew through your data plan at the rate of up to 1GB per hour.

Suppose you really want to listen to lossless audio at all times. In that case, a workaround for conserving streaming data is to connect to a Wi-Fi network and then download your favorite playlists for offline playback.

For both cellular and Wi-Fi streaming, Spotify recommends “a steady internet connection of 1.5 to 2 Mbps for the best lossless listening experience.”

But wait... there's more!

(Image credit: @tshakaarmstrong)

Things are a little more complex than simply playing your lossless audio stream. Bluetooth earbuds won't work with lossless audio because the data for those files is too large. No worries! Our resident audio tech gurus have compiled a list of recommendations for the gear you'll need if you truly want to get the most out of your new Spotify lossless experience.

Bottom line, you'll need to go wired, but our list makes it very inexpensive and easy to do just that! Do you already have Spotify lossless enabled? Let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

Spotify in ChatGPT lets Android create entire playlists without lifting a finger

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 18:57:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced that it has arrived in the the ChatGPT app on Android and iOS, bringing AI capability to music discovery.
Users can ask the AI to find new music from their favorite artists and songs from regularly updated weekly playlists like Discover Weekly and New Music Friday.
ChatGPT free, Plus, and Pro users can even ask the AI to create playlists based on certain themes and moods.
Spotify brought an extension to the Gemini app last year, as well as one for YouTube Music, which sports similar capabilities.

Spotify's extending its reach to more places, and this time that expansion includes OpenAI's ChatGPT app.

Spotify announced this week that users can now use the ChatGPT app to find "personalized" music and more, using their prompts. Spotify in ChatGPT is rolling out for the app, and the company states you will need to connect your account during your first prompt. Users with free or Premium accounts can take advantage of the AI's assistance with Spotify, though each tier has varying capabilities.

Users on the Free tier of Spotify can lean on ChatGPT to access the service's music in Discover Weekly and New Music Friday playlists that are updated on their respective days (Monday and Friday). Spotify Premium users in the ChatGPT app can do more, like "collaborating" with the AI to create whole new playlists.

Spotify states users can ask the AI to create a playlist that fits a specific theme, mood, or topic. If you know what you're looking for, such as a genre of music, you can just use that. On a related note, the AI can lean on Spotify's music library for users asking about new music from their favorite artists.

Whatever you ask ChatGPT to do, whether it's surfacing a certain selection of playlists or asking it to create a playlist full of popular Latin artists, it will surface Spotify's results in the app. Users will see what resembles a Spotify widget in the app. The post states users can tap individual tracks, which will toss them into the Spotify app. However, if you've asked ChatGPT to create a new playlist for you, there will be an "Open in Spotify" option, so you can see everything as it is in the app.

Spotify in AI

(Image credit: Spotify)

When it comes to the ChatGPT app, the post states free, Plus, and Pro accounts can utilize Spotify, so long as they're signed in. This feature is reportedly arriving in over 145 countries this week on Android and iOS.

It seems fitting that Spotify would lend its musical knowledge to OpenAI's ChatGPT app, considering it did the same thing with Google's Gemini. Those on Android using Gemini can find a Spotify extension, which lets the AI dive into Spotify to try and satisfy the query at hand (there's also an extension for YouTube Music). In the Gemini app, users can tell the AI to play a specific album, playlist, or ask it to play a song by a specific artist.

On a grander note, Spotify finally (finally) launched its Lossless Listening feature for Premium subscribers in September. While the music you'll hear will be more refined and rich, Lossless Listening comes at the cost of siphoning even more data, so it's worth expressing caution if you're not listening on a Wi-Fi connection. Lossless Listening is available in private playlists and Liked Songs, as well as DJ, Jam, Mix, AI Playlists, and Daylists.

YouTube Music 'borrowed' this divisive Spotify AI feature, and I don't hate it

derrek.lee@futurenet.com (Derrek Lee) — Sun, 05 Oct 2025 17:06:00 +0000

I've used YouTube Music as my primary streaming app for some time, and it has mostly managed to avoid the onslaught of AI features that have come to other apps. However, thanks to YouTube Labs, it's now the testbed for a new AI feature that brings AI hosts to the music listening experience.

It's not unlike Spotify's AI DJ, which features an AI-generated host that talks between songs to provide commentary or context for upcoming tracks. Except for YouTube Music, there are two AI hosts that converse with each other as part of a "radio show" called Beyond the Beat.

To some, this might sound annoying; after all, who would want some AI-generated voices interrupting their listening experience? However, I've found that I don't actually hate this new feature, and I hope it sticks around, with some changes.

Diving into my favorite songs

(Image credit: Chris Wedel/Android Central)

Beyond the Beat sneaks its way into your listening experience every few songs, with the two AI-generated hosts, Mo and Flow, chatting about the song that just played and/or the upcoming song. The first time you enable the feature, they'll even introduce themselves after the first listen to let you know that they are, in fact, AI, and that they can get some things wrong.

However, despite being AI, they actually have surprisingly great chemistry and ooze personality. The conversations flow pretty seamlessly between these two, and if you didn't know they were AI, you might think they were actual radio hosts.

Like Spotify's AI DJ, they'll only interject every so often, and when they do, it'll last for less than a minute, usually around 40 seconds. Usually, the conversations provide context to a song, such as backstory or trivia, and I actually find much of the commentary pretty fascinating.

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

The first time "Beyond the Beat" came on, the hosts discussed how the song "Yours" by Mariah Carey was initially intended as a duet with Justin Timberlake, but contractual complications resulted in only a solo version being released. That's something I had heard before, but it was surprising to hear it from the hosts.

At one point, they discussed Doja Cat's "Jealous Type" being performed at the VMAs and how it was Kenny G's first time performing at the awards show. It reminded me of how shocked I was to see him opening for her performance, so this was a great context to add to what I thought was a fantastic moment.

They also pointed out how Kelly Rowland's "Commander" has some deliberate grammatical errors, and provided the history behind the name of the track "Lionheart (Fearless)" by Joel Corry and Tom Grennan. I was also surprised to learn how people apparently thought that "Rocketeers" by Far East Movement was copying a track from Justin Bieber (despite it being produced first).

I also got a chuckle when the hosts were discussing how Craig David's "Ain't Giving Up" was instrumental in his big comeback, and at one point, Flow commented how she remembers him "from way back."

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Of course, many of these facts are things you could learn with a quick Google Search, but I'm often not that curious enough about what I'm listening to, at least enough that would warrant a search. That's probably a big reason why I appreciate the short interruptions, as I feel like it adds, not detracts, from my listening experience.

It's not for everyone

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Of course, I understand this isn't for everyone. If you're listening to music, sometimes you just want to get lost in the tunes without being interrupted by AI-generated music trivia.

Even a quick search on Reddit will reveal people complaining about the feature, with some questioning why anyone would want such a feature, and others expressing frustration about the inability to permanently mute it. One compares it to Spotify's AI DJ and notes that it doesn't significantly enhance the listening experience on the popular streaming app.

Comment from r/technology

Fortunately, YouTube Music knows my tastes pretty well, and the hosts are only available when you start a radio station or an auto-generated mix, so the vibe of the songs melds pretty well in my experience.

It should be noted that while you can't permanently mute the hosts, you can snooze the feature for one hour or a day. That said, it's only a test at this stage, so it's not yet widely available. US-based subscribers will have to consciously sign up for and enable the experiment for it to appear. As a result, most users won't have to worry about an annoying AI-generated radio show ruining their music experience.

With any luck, any kinks will be ironed out before a potential wide release, and the AI hosts will be an opt-in feature rather than an opt-out. It would also be great to see how Google can expand on it, similar to how Spotify has expanded the feature to support voice requests for songs (as opposed to just choosing a song for you).

How to get started

(Image credit: Android Central)

If you wanna give this a try, enabling YouTube Music's AI hosts is pretty simple. However, it is currently only available to US-based YouTube Music/Premium subscribers, and it's unclear if or when it will be rolled out to more countries.

Spotify's top leadership changes hands as Ek exits CEO role

techkritiko@gmail.com (Jay Bonggolto) — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 22:00:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify’s founder Daniel Ek steps down as CEO in January 2026 to become Executive Chairman, staying hands-on with strategy and big decisions.
Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström officially step in as co-CEOs, a move that formalizes leadership duties they’ve shared since 2023.
Spotify says this “European chairman” setup keeps Ek actively involved, unlike the distant board roles common in the U.S.

Spotify’s leadership is entering a new era. The company announced that Daniel Ek, Spotify’s founder and CEO, will step aside from the CEO role and become Executive Chairman starting January 1, 2026.

In his new capacity, Ek plans to remain deeply involved as an active strategist overseeing long-term direction, capital allocation, regulatory issues, and key decisions.

Why now? According to Ek, it’s because the two executives already running much of the day-to-day are ready to take formal control.

Spotify is handing over the CEO reins to Gustav Söderström (formerly chief product and technology officer) and Alex Norström (formerly chief business officer). They will become co-CEOs, reporting to Ek and (pending shareholder approval) joining Spotify’s board of directors.

The streaming platform says this is not a major change. It is simply making official what has already been happening since about 2023, when Söderström and Norström started leading strategy and operations.

In its announcement, Spotify calls the new setup a 'European chairman' model, meaning Ek will stay involved, unlike the more distant role of a typical U.S. board chair.

In a joint statement, the incoming co-CEOs emphasized their long cooperation at Spotify and their commitment to maintaining momentum.

Controversy in the mix

(Image credit: Android Central)

A layer of controversy shadows the timing. Ek’s involvement via his investment firm Prima Materia in the defense tech company Helsing (with a €600 million backing) has stirred backlash in the music community.

Several artists, including Massive Attack, Deerhoof, and others, have pulled their catalogs from Spotify, citing ethical concerns about supporting military tech.

Though Spotify and the Board maintain this leadership realignment was in planning for years, critics suggest that the move may also be a reaction to reputational pressure.

Still, Spotify today is not a small startup. It operates across 184 markets, supports over 700 million users, and claims leadership in streaming.

Ek stressed that Spotify’s first full year of profitability has arrived, and that the business is stable and capable of this transition.

Tech Talk: What is lossless audio? Understanding Spotify's new feature and why it matters

jerry.hildenbrand@futurenet.com (Jerry Hildenbrand) — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 15:20:42 +0000

Welcome to Tech Talk, a weekly column about the things we use and how they work. We try to keep it simple here so everyone can understand how and why the gadget in your hand does what it does.

Things may become a little technical at times, as that's the nature of technology — it can be complex and intricate. Together we can break it all down and make it accessible, though!

Tech Talk

(Image credit: Future)

How it works, explained in a way that everyone can understand. Your weekly look into what makes your gadgets tick.

You might not care how any of this stuff happens, and that's OK, too. Your tech gadgets are personal and should be fun. You never know though, you might just learn something ...

What is lossless audio?

Remember tiny headphone holes? LG remembers. (Image credit: Jerry Hildenbrand)

It's hard to get excited over something if you have no idea what it really is, and for a lot of people, that's the case when it comes to audio and audio equipment. With Spotify finally making the move to provide higher quality (maybe) streaming music with its new Lossless Listening feature, it's time to figure out if you should even care.

Lossless audio is technically a digital compression method that reproduces the original analog sound perfectly. With the right equipment, it can be converted back to analog (speakers need this) and be an exact reproduction of the original.

Normally, you need to compress audio files so they aren't too large to stream. An uncompressed WAV file can be huge, even bigger than a video file. Lossless formats compress audio and programmatically toss out unnecessary information while keeping everything needed to recreate the original.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

On the more practical side, lossless audio is a type of compression that provides enough information so that a human can't detect a difference from the original, but it's compressed and not identical. If it's compressing information, it's no longer an exact copy. But the term works and fits.

You might have been listening to the "practical" version of lossless audio all your life and never even knew it. CD quality is a type of lossless audio. The files are differentiated by their bitrate, and a CD-quality file is 16-bit/44.1kHz (a bitrate of 16 and a sample rate of 44.1kHz). Other popular lossless formats are 24-bit/48kHz or 96kHz, and even 32-bit with as high as 128kHz for a sample rate.

Confused yet? Don't be. This is cool to know if you're into this kind of thing, but in layman's terms, lossless audio is music that should sound better and more like the original recording than a lossy file like those MP3 files you downloaded from Napster back in the day. That's what you need to know if you don't care about how any of it works.

Do you need this in your life?

(Image credit: Nicholas Sutrich / Android Central)

I hate to say it, but maybe. If you can tell the difference when listening and using the phone and headphones you like, then yes, you totally should want this. Enough to pay extra by signing up for Spotify Premium or Apple Music? That depends on you.

That's the thing. There is a big difference, and if you can hear it, you already know that. However, not everyone can tell the difference, and not every piece of gear we like is capable of making the difference.

A normal and budget-friendly phone like the Pixel 9a and a cheap pair of wired (more on that in a bit) headphones will be able to take advantage of a lossless stream. When it comes to Bluetooth, everything turns into a big maybe again. Since almost everyone uses Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, that is the real deciding factor.

(Image credit: Qualcomm)

It all comes down to file size and bandwidth. Qualcomm's aptX Lossless Bluetooth codec gives us a perfect example. According to Qualcomm, the new codec can stream at about 1.2 Mbps to deliver CD-quality 16-bit/44.1kHz audio.

The aptX Adaptive codec has a maximum bitrate of 420kbps. The aptX HD codec has a maximum bitrate of 576kbps, and Sony's LDAC codec has a maximum bitrate of 990kbps. For reference, a CD audio file is 1,411kbps, so Qualcomm's "lossless" codec is close enough that almost nobody will ever be able to detect a difference.

Now, is your device supported? Are your headphones? The Snapdragon sound platform is supported on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or newer and the S3 audio chip or newer, so it very well could, and the technical specs of your device can give you the answer. However, it may still not work with your supported phone and headphones, in which case, there are still workarounds and accessories you can buy to take advantage of Spotify Lossless.

This is a perfect scenario, and any sort of interference can make all the difference. Bluetooth is like that. The solution and recommendation from companies like Spotify is to use wired headphones.

So the answer is still maybe. If you can hear the difference and it just doesn't work for you, try it with cheap wired headphones and a cheap USB-C audio adapter. Is that worth it to you?

Spotify just gave free users a major upgrade, and it's rolling out now

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 19:16:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify detailed an updated free tier experience rolling out for users on its platform this week.
The company is improving its Discover Weekly for free-tier users, bringing a fresh mix weekly and encouraging more interactions for better recommendations.
The update also revamps its search and play experience while detailing the ability to share lyrics and tracks with others.

Spotify is starting to roll out a massive update for its platform, but this time, the update holds free-tier users close to heart.

Spotify's latest announcement via a Newsroom post states its updates for free-tier users are rolling out this week. The update begins with its coveted Discover Weekly playlist, which updates every Monday. Spotify says users will find "a fresh mix of personalized recommendations every week based on what you’ve been listening to." More importantly, the more you use and listen to music on Spotify, the better it can "find the right tracks" for you.

Using Spotify more flows right into its daylist. This unique playlist attempts to understand your listening habits during specific times of the day—throughout the week, as well—and develop a playlist for that. Spotify states that if you like your daylist at any particular time, you can save it by scrolling down to add to playlist > new playlist.

Other playlists, such as personalized playlists, curated editorial selections, and even the ones you make yourself, are available for free-tier users. Creating your own and adding a few songs to get you going is said to help Spotify recommend you more. Additionally, updated Android and iOS devices should soon find the option to create their own playlist cover.

Hit the three-dot menu and tap "create cover art" to find a variety of images, text effects, and graphics.

More musical control, and more singing!

Spotify

Spotify's free tier is upgrading users' ability to play and search for songs on its platform, as well as sharing what they've found. The post states users can easily play any song they find on its platform. Any song you've searched for can be played instantly, and you can even save it to your "Liked" songs or a specific playlist.

Elsewhere, sharing songs is made easy. Whether you've shared it or received a link from someone else, all you need to do is tap the link, and it'll play instantly through the Spotify app.

Sharing extends to lyrics in the Spotify app, too. Not only can users swipe up when in the Now Playing screen to view any available lyrics, but they can also share their favorite parts. Tapping the share icon at the bottom left will let you send those meaningful blurbs to people on Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.

Free-tier users on Spotify should expect updates throughout the week, as the platform's patch makes its rounds.

Spotify 'Lossless Listening' lets Premium subscribers hear every refined note

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 10 Sep 2025 19:01:00 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced the arrival of Lossless Listening, a Premium-exclusive feature that brings even more refined sound at the cost of more data for users.
Lossless Listening works with private playlists and Liked Songs, but it supports everything else, too: DJ, Jam, Mix, AI Playlists, and Daylists.
Users can activate it by going into their Profiles > Settings & Privacy > Media Quality > select where to enable Lossless.
Lossless Listening is rolling out today (Sep 10), but it isn't expected to be completed until October.

We've been not-so-patiently waiting for this one (since 2021, to be specific), but Spotify is finally rolling out its lossless audio upgrade.

Announced this morning (Sep 10) via its Newsroom, Spotify states Premium users will "gradually" see a Lossless Audio option for streamed music in "more than 50 markets." Spotify's vice president of subscriptions, Gustav Gyllenhammar, said, "The wait is finally over; we’re so excited lossless sound is rolling out to Premium subscribers." Those getting into "Lossless Listening" via Spotify Premium today will find music streamed in 24-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, per its post.

Spotify states this new streaming method will offer listeners "greater detail" for every song on the platform. New releases and even some of those older tracks that you may have in your favorites are supported by Lossless.

To activate Lossless, users should tap their Profile icon in the app > Settings & Privacy> Media Quality > select where to enable Lossless: Wi-Fi, Cellular, or Downloads.

Spotify says you will have to enable Lossless on every device you have manually. More than that, it's recommended to experience Lossless over Wi-Fi with "wired headphones or speakers or a non-Bluetooth connection." Spotify says the size of streamed Lossless audio is much larger, and Bluetooth signals don't have the capacity to support it at its level of crispiness. After you've listened to a Lossless song once, though, it'll load much faster the second time around.

Lossless is here

(Image credit: Spotify)

Premium subscribers can use Lossless audio in their own private playlists and Liked Songs, of course. However, Spotify says this feature extends to features like DJ, AI Playlists, Jam, Mix, and Daylist. It's worth keeping in mind that Spotify's Lossless seems to consume roughly 1GB of data per hour it's playing. Spotify says you can choose your Lossless audio quality to help manage how much data is used.

Lossless Listening will be available on mobile, desktop, tablets, and devices that support Spotify Connect, like Sony, Bose, Samsung, and Sennheiser. Sonos and Amazon devices will grab support "next month."

As Lossless makes its way to supported regions, Spotify says it's already appearing for users in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Sweden. We haven't seen Lossless appear on the mobile app yet, but we did get a splash screen, stating "we'll notify you when it's available."

We've been waiting on Spotify's Lossless audio, which we've seen previously talked about as Hi-Fi (high fidelity), since 2021. The company first made the announcement as an "audio upgrade" that just never saw the light of day, leaving Premium subscribers (and us) wondering if it'd ever come out.

Spotify gets its own DMs for music-lovers sharing tracks and podcasts

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 19:37:41 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced that it's rolling out Messages, a one-on-one chat service for users looking to share music, podcasts, and audiobooks with users they know.
Users must accept a Message request before chatting, and can quickly send a music link to those chats via the Now Playing view in the app.
Spotify recently rolled out an Android Auto update for Jam sessions, making it easier for multiple users to contribute.

Spotify just announced a new feature that's designed to help friends and family better connect over the music they love.

Rolling out this week on Spotify is "Messages," a place that feels like you're own personal DMs between people for sharing content. Spotify announced the feature earlier today (Aug 27), stating users can share a song, podcast, or audiobook. Accessible by tapping your profile icon at the top left on mobile, users will find a Messages section and a "New Message" creation button.

Spotify says its Messages are restricted to one-on-one chats within the app between people "you've interacted with before." With Messages arriving, users can quickly share songs and more by tapping the Now Playing view in the app and hitting the share icon.

Users on the platform that you've contacted (or can contact) will appear in the top row. You can easily share that song, which will appear in your chat with its cover, alongside any text you want to attach to it. Upon sending, your chatting partner can respond or react to the content you've shared with an emoji.

Receiving a Spotify link from another app by someone you know can also open an opportunity to chat further on the platform.

Getting Started: Spotify Messages

(Image credit: Spotify)

While Spotify's Messages will display people you're friends with or others you've previously interacted with, it'll also "suggest" users based on joined Jams, Blends, collaborative playlists you're in, and more. However, with messaging capabilities come safety concerns—Spotify says it's on the case. The post states that you must accept a Message request before being able to text one another.

If you don't know who that person is, you don't have to accept the request. Moreover, Spotify says its messaging service should be used for sharing music, podcasts, and audiobooks. If someone sends you something "that doesn't feel right," you can report them by long-pressing their text. Users can block others or disable Messages altogether via Spotify's settings.

Spotify adds that its Messages are encrypted using industry standards when "in transit and at rest."

The platform's Jam feature recently got an upgraded experience for drivers with Android Auto. Now, multiple users can contribute to the Jam, placing their music suggestions in a queue while on the road. Guests (riders) can join the driver's Jam session in the car by scanning the QR code present on their vehicle's display.

News Weekly: The Pixel 10 leak week, Spotify increases its prices, Pixel Watch 4 could see a new charger, and more

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Sat, 09 Aug 2025 09:00:00 +0000

News Weekly

(Image credit: Future)

News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week's top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.

Made by Google is just around the corner, and like every year, Android Central has curated an exclusive guide. Think of it as a destination for everything we expect to see on August 20. We'll keep updating this Ultimate Guide with all the latest info, so you won't miss a thing.

It's raining Pixel 10 leaks this week, with a tipster dropping a whole load of spoilers just before the launch event, Spotify increases its prices, and Pixel Watch 4 could get some design tweaks and a new charging mechanism, Meta's new VR prototype headsets are giving Quest 4 a run for its money, and Samsung Galaxy S25 FE could launch in September.

Pixel 10 leaks just keep getting better

pic.twitter.com/RRch0mJhyqAugust 8, 2025

Read more here and here

Pixel 10 leaks have been coming in at warp speed thanks to prominent tipster Evan Blass. In an X post titled "PD" (Pixel Drop), we get a good look at the alleged Pixel 10 in some of its rumored colorways. Blass also shared images of the alleged Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro Fold in a grey colorway (supposedly called Moonstone).

Additionally, they posted videos showing the Pixel 10 Pro with a clear look at the camera bar, the power button, and the volume controls. As for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, the video zooms in on the hinge of the device and shows the inner display with thinner bezels, giving it a bit more screen space than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold .

When we thought we'd seen it all, Blass took to X to post a series of images that look like Google's planned promo material, claiming the Pixel 10 Pro XL will feature a 6.8-inch Super Actua display. The battery can last ~24 hours or more with Pixelsnap wireless charging available. It seems the RAM size for the 10 Pro XL is capped at 16GB, alongside Google's expected Tensor G5 SoC.

The tipster also revealed the camera specs of all the devices, along with a claim that not much will change with the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Spotify set to increase its subscription prices again

(Image credit: Andrew Myrick / Android Central)

Read more here

Spotify is all set to increase its prices on the Premium Individual plan by a pound ($1.34). In a Newsroom post, the music streaming platform announced that it will soon change the billing prices for users in several regions starting in September. Spotify states it will raise the price of its plan from €10.99 to €11.99 per month. This pricing change will affect consumers in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions.

Additionally, the company states that users in South Asia and the Middle East will be impacted by the price hike. While the slight change seems like nothing, it could pile up in your wallet along with your other monthly subscriptions.

Spotify says it's doing it to "continue to innovate on our product offerings and features, and bring you the best experience." While there could be additional regions added to this list, Spotify says it will be sending out emails about the change in pricing to its users, as and where applicable.

Pixel Watch 4 could get a new charging dock

Bedros-P / Github

Android Headlines

Read more here and here

Google's next Watch has also been at the center of leaks this past week. Two days ago, an X user, Bedros Pamboukian, posted a link to their GitHub repository where they've allegedly discovered the Pixel Watch 4 in all its colors.

Pamboukian suggests the wearable will launch with four watch band colors and three main body 41mm variations. Those colors are as follows: Iris (silver body), Lemongrass (brass body), Porcelain, and Obsidian (obsidian body). For its 45mm version, the tipster alleges a Moonstone, Porcelain, and Obsidian.

Later, Evan Blass' X post also brought a full look at the Pixel Watch 4, a purported close-up of the smartwatch in all its glory. The Pixel Watch 4 could seem to retain the familiar circular, domed-glass design of its predecessors.

It also highlights the rumored side-mounted charging system, which will feature an "indentation" with "two charging contacts" inside. It seems as if the Pixel Watch 4 will sit on its left side to charge, meaning the display can now face users, almost like a mini-clock.

Meta's prototype VR headsets could be a gamechanger

(Image credit: Meta)

Read more here

Meta Reality Labs Research showed off two new prototype VR headsets, codenamed "Tiramisu" and "Boba 3," and showcased them at the SIGGRAPH 2025 conference.

The prototypes represent two different approaches to achieving a more realistic and immersive VR experience: one focused on hyperrealistic visuals, and the other on an ultrawide field of view.

To start, Tiramisu could potentially bring hyper-realistic VR experiences, which means that the virtual experience will be as close to the real world as possible. According to Meta, it features an angular resolution of 90 pixels per degree (PPD), which is 3.6 times higher than the Meta Quest 3's 25 PPD.

The Boba headset, developed by Reality Labs Display Systems Research (DSR) team, gets a 180-degree horizontal field of view (FoV) and 120-degree vertical FoV, using pancake lenses to keep it reasonably light at 660g.

Samsung Galaxy S25 FE could land next month

(Image credit: SammyGuru)

Read more here

Last week, Samsung confirmed that there are more devices in the hopper for release this year, including the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE. But we didn't know when exactly it would launch.

According to a report by Korean outlet FNNews, Samsung will launch the Galaxy S25 FE in Korea on September 19. While the report didn't mention when the global release will happen, if Samsung follows its usual pattern, the Galaxy S25 FE should launch internationally around the same date.

The report also says that the Galaxy S25 FE will retain a starting price below 1 million won (~$720), with no price increase currently planned. Like other Fan Edition phones, it is said to offer flagship features from the S25 series lineup, but at a more affordable price.

Spotify prices are going up for Premium subscribers in these regions

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 19:02:47 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announced this week that it will increase prices for its Premium Individual plan in several regions.
Pricing will go up from €10.99 to €11.99 per month in regions like Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions.
The company will begin sending out emails to inform users ahead of its planned September changes.

Spotify is making an announcement this week regarding an increase in Premium pricing; however, it won't affect every user.

In a Newsroom post, the music streaming platform announced that it will soon change the Premium ibilling prices for users in several regions in September. Spotify states it will raise the price of the "Premium Individual" plan from €10.99 to €11.99 per month. This pricing change will affect consumers in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific regions.

Additionally, Spotify states users in South Asia and the Middle East will also see this pricing change.

While seeing this pricing change could begin to sway user opinion, Spotify says it's doing it to "continue to innovate on our product offerings and features, and bring you the best experience." It seems that Spotify will also send out emails to users in the areas where it plans to raise prices. This announcement comes a month before everything takes place, so keep your eyes out.

Users can check Spotify's Premium plan page for the updated prices when the time comes.

Spotify's continued to implement changes

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Spotify's been busy as of late in 2025 updating its desktop and mobile apps for users, such as its Discover Weekly patch in July. Actually, that update came during Spotify's 10-year celebration for the Discover Weekly playlist. Alongside those birthday celebrations were two updates: the first brought a refreshed playlist design to users while the second added new controls to "steer the vibe."

If you're looking for something specific in your Discover Weekly playlist, you can choose between "five genres" and let the software work its magic to pair you with tracks you might like.

A couple of months earlier, in May, Spotify rolled out an update for "Queue." While this concerned Premium users more, the update lets users manage songs within their Queue a little easier by placing Shuffle, Smart Shuffle, Repeat, and Sleep Timer in more convenient places. Mobile app users got a small update to playlists, which involved "Adding" and "Editing" options for their content.

Listening to music on Spotify could get easier for these Android users

vishnu.skar@gmail.com (Vishnu Sarangapurkar) — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 16:22:40 +0000

What you need to know

An APK teardown of the HeyMelody app reveals code referencing Spotify Tap for OnePlus/ Oppo earbuds.
Spotify Tap enables users to play and switch songs with a double or triple tap, bypassing the need to open the app or unlock the phone.
The feature is currently in early testing, with official rollout details and specific earbud compatibility still to be determined.

OnePlus and Oppo, together might soon make listening to Spotify hassle-free on their earbuds, as new evidence from their HeyMelody app hints at.

Folks at Android Authority have managed to perform an APK teardown of the HeyMelody app — the native app available for Android phones and iOS devices to set up the audio accessories from Oppo and OnePlus. The teardown of the HeyMelody v115.8 version has revealed new code referencing Spotify Tap.

For the unaware, Spotify Tap is a feature that lets users start playing tracks with a double tap or triple tap on compatible earbuds without the need to unlock the phone or open the Spotify app. The feature is already a prominent one on audio products made by Bose, Jabra, Sony, and Marshall or some Samsung Galaxy Buds, for that matter. The latest evidence suggests that OnePlus and Oppo are joining the list sooner.

(Image credit: Android Authority)

The publication further notes that the mention of Spotify Tap in the HeyMelody app didn't specifically say whether it is for current audio products like the OnePlus Buds 4 via an update or tailored for the upcoming products from both the sibling companies.

Early testing, however, indicates that the alleged feature is in the works, and once enabled, users will be able to assign either a double or triple tap on the earbud connected to an Android phone to play their favorite song from Spotify and repeat the aforementioned process to switch to the next song.

Still in works?

These APK teardown findings need to be taken with a grain of salt as the feature needs more polishing, according to the publication. As it remains unclear whether the double tap or triple tap gesture to trigger the Spotify app can be set to a single earbud or both earbuds of the Oppo or OnePlus.

Plus, there is a possibility that it would be applicable to products made by either of these companies, too. Things should make sense when the official rollout of the feature commences.

On the other hand, Spotify is working on rolling out the most requested Hi-Res audio feature rollout, according to the latest evidence that recently popped up. The said feature, for the unaware, was first announced back in 2021.

Earbuds deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Amazon | Samsung | Dell

Android users can now "Jam" together with this new Spotify feature

vishnu.skar@gmail.com (Vishnu Sarangapurkar) — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 21:16:51 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify's "Jam" feature is now available on Android Auto, allowing multiple users to contribute to a shared music queue in the car.
The host can initiate a Jam session, while guests can join by scanning a QR code on the car's display.
Other updates include a new "Downloaded" section for offline music, indicators for downloaded songs, and a floating Search shortcut.

Spotify rolled out a new update last week that seems to be bringing one of the most favorite "Jam" features for Android users.

As noted by 9to5Google, Spotify is gaining a redesign for Android Auto that brings support for the Jam feature, which shows up on the car's display when connected. The latest feature is believed to be seen in Spotify's 9.0.58.596 version for Android phones, which is already out.

9to5Google

The popular Jam feature can be spotted in the top right corner on the app's "Now Playing" screen. Tapping it would then open up the QR code, which can be scanned by Spotify users in the car to hop in and play their favorite music.

Guests added via QR code can always be removed by the host — the person whose original Spotify account is connected via Android Auto. For the unaware, it is a fun and pretty useful feature to have as it lets users in the car experience all kinds of music per the traveler's choice with the help of "Jam."

Other than the Jam feature, there seem to be other notable changes coming with the Spotify app update. Users can find a new prominent Downloaded section in their Library for offline music listening.

(Image credit: 9to5Google)

Users can also find an indication to spot the difference between downloaded songs and regular tracks. 9to5 further notes that they can spot a new floating Search shortcut while scrolling through the tracks. The latest addition seems to be a part of Google's announcements related to Android Auto made during the IO event.

On the other hand, Spotify is also likely to add the most anticipated Lossless audio feature soon, per the findings from the recent app code. Announced in 2021, the feature is yet to see the light of day, and it should perhaps be happening sooner rather than later.

Spotify's Discover Weekly turns 10, but gifts you two big updates instead

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Thu, 03 Jul 2025 12:55:38 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify is celebrating the 10th birthday of its Discover Weekly playlist, which specializes in delivering new music to users every Monday.
Its birthday brings two updates to Premium users: a refreshed playlist design and new listening controls to "steer the vibe."
Spotify's platform also has other personalized music methods, like its AI DJ, which recently picked up song requests.

Spotify Discover Weekly turned 10 this week, and users can get in on the fun with substantial analytics and updates they should keep their eyes out for.

Spotify has continued to improve its ability to suggest music to its users that they might be interested in. This week, Spotify celebrated the 10th birthday of its most prominent suggestion engine: Discover Weekly. There are a few gifts to unwrap; however, the music streaming service is gifting users two first: a new look and new listening controls.

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify states in its blog post that it's beginning to roll out a refresh, vibrant design for the Discover Weekly playlist's "ever-evolving nature." Additionally, users will soon notice new listening controls on mobile. These controls will be placed at the top of the playlist, so users can "steer the vibe of their discovery."

The post says that users can "choose up to five genres," which are already personalized based on your listening history. When chosen, Discover Weekly will provide a brand new selection of 30 songs.

These updates are rolling out for Premium users this week.

The celebrations continue as Spotify takes a look back at 10 years of Discover Weekly. Designed to bring users music they might like to listen to, users have streamed over 100 billion tracks in Discover Weekly. This huge number has some special modifiers, according to Spotify. Discover Weekly has enabled listeners to discover more than 56 million new artists per week (average). Additionally, in just one year, Spotify says users saved over 556 million songs found through Discover Weekly.

Also, Discover Weekly appears to have helped new artists find more ears. Spotify's stats show that new artists made up 77% of Discover Weekly's suggestions.

Happy Birthday!

(Image credit: Spotify)

Spotify is available in a wide range of regions, and it seems many places have engaged with Discover Weekly. The city with the highest number of discoveries is New York, followed by London, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Berlin, Chicago, Sydney, Paris, Warsaw, and Istanbul. With rising artists, there are also rising genres, which Spotify says are spearheaded by Amapiano.

Artists who've been spotted reaching new audiences include BL3SS, Djo, Goldford, Lola Young, and Mark Ambor.

Spotify reiterates that Discover Weekly refreshes its content every Monday. If you've never engaged with it before, now's the time. You can find your personal Discover Weekly selection in the "Made for You" tab (just make sure you're updated).

Let's not forget Spotify's AI DJ, which is an extension of the platform's interest in delivering users personalized music. A recent update for the DJ brought song requests, so users can tell the AI what they want to listen to. It's kind of like the old days, but digital. Users can press and hold the DJ's icon to speak their suggestion.

Spotify says listeners aren't restricted, as they can combine genres, moods, artists, and songs into their query for a truly personalized time.

Spotify may finally launch lossless audio after years of delays

vishnu.skar@gmail.com (Vishnu Sarangapurkar) — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 07:54:16 +0000

What you need to know

Lossless audio spotted in Spotify app code (v1.2.66) and UI, indicating the feature is finally incoming.
The feature is expected to be exclusive to Spotify Premium subscribers and will support high-resolution playback (up to 24-bit/44.1 kHz).
This development supports earlier reports of a "Music Pro" add-on, suggesting Spotify is prioritizing high-fidelity audio.

Spotify is yet to introduce lossless streaming, and we've seen hints of it going back to 2021. But if recent evidence is any indication, the mode is set to go live soon.

The evidence pops up through Spicetify account on X (via The Verge). It shares that the latest Spotify version 1.2.66 has code referencing the lossless feature.

Spotify 1.2.66 mentions lossless in more parts of UI 👇#NewSpotify #SpotifyLossless #SpotifyLossless (pigeon) is mentioned in "Connect to the device" sidebar & under the artist in NPB (Now Playing Bar)Lossless will be available up to 24-bit/44.1KHz (FLAC + Widevine).Lossless… pic.twitter.com/QYbqg1ZKN3June 19, 2025

Per the shared images, lossless mode is spotted under the "Streaming quality" section unde raudio quality preferences on the music platform. It mentions that using the lossless mode will be utilizing up to 1GB per hour of data, and it supports up to 24-bit/441.kHz playback — with FLAC and Widevine. The code also hints that it would be available on Spotify Connect as well as Web Player.

Users have to further note that the feature seems to be available for the Spotify Premium subscribers only. The Spicetify post further mentions a new Enhance Headphones feature, which the music platform seems to also be working on. However, what the feature precisely does is yet to be determined.

Waiting since 2021

We have been hearing about the Lossless feature coming to Spotify ever since the first announcement made by the company back in 2021. While things didn't materialize, a recent Bloomberg report had indicated Spotify's plans to launch a new add-on subscription tier dubbed Music Pro. It aims to be a budget-friendly add-on, which will likely cost $6 extra on top of the current existing plans.

(Image credit: Source: Joe Maring / Android Central)

The prominent aspect of the supposed plan, which is tipped to launch this year, will be including the higher quality audio (HiFi) streaming next to remixing tools, access to concert tickets, and the ability to mix songs from various artists — backed by AI assistance.

Together, the Lossless streaming option spotted on the latest Spotify app indicates that the company is stepping up its game to bring high-quality audio streaming to its users sooner rather than later.

Streaming deals: Disney+ | Max | Sling | Fubo | Peacock | Paramount+

Spotify just made it super easy to grab your favorite tracks on Wear OS

techkritiko@gmail.com (Jay Bonggolto) — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 17:24:06 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify just made life easier for Premium users by letting you send playlists straight to any signed-in device, like smartwatches.
Whether it’s your phone, laptop, tablet, or smartwatch, your tunes are just a tap away from landing where you want.
Managing your music library across up to five devices is way smoother now, all handled from the Spotify app on your main phone.

Spotify is rolling out a new perk for Premium users. Now you can send playlists straight to your smartwatch or other devices without ever touching them, so you don't have to wrestle with tiny screens or dig through the app.

Spotted by 9to5Google, Spotify’s fresh feature lets you push your music to any signed-in device, and it doesn’t matter where it is. Whether it’s your phone, laptop, tablet, or favorite smartwatch (think Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, or even your Apple Watch), your playlists are just a tap away from landing wherever you want them.

Prior to this update, getting music onto your smartwatch meant fiddling with your wearable's tiny screen, and it's annoying at best. Now, Spotify has made it way easier with a “Download to other device” option right from your phone, so you can skip the watch-tapping hassle and send your tunes over without breaking a sweat.

Push music anywhere

Few things kill the vibe of a good walk or run like realizing you missed downloading your go-to playlist. Spotify’s new feature wipes out that problem because now you can queue up music anytime, even if your watch or other device isn’t nearby.

9to5Google

At the same time, Spotify is fine-tuning how you manage downloads across your devices. Now, you can easily oversee and organize your music library on up to five devices, all from the Spotify app on your main phone. It’s a smarter way to keep your tunes in check without hopping between devices.

Once you hit the "Manage Downloads" button in the options menu, you’ll instantly see which devices have that playlist saved offline. It’s a slick way to keep tabs on what’s eating up your five-device limit, and you can even clear out downloads right then and there.

SamMobile reports that this feature is already live on Samsung devices running One UI 7 and Galaxy Watches with Wear OS 5.0. Spotify is rolling it out slowly, so not everyone will see it immediately, but it’s definitely on the way.

Google, Spotify, and more were hit by a widespread outage impacting thousands

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 21:35:16 +0000

What you need to know

Google's services, including Cloud, Google Search, Gmail, as well as Spotify and more, are experiencing a widespread outage.
The outage seems to have peaked around 2:30 p.m. ET, with thousands of people reporting issues via DownDetector.
The outage seems to be ongoing; however, some users report services being restored.

It seems to be a week of outages, as almost all of Google's services, like Gmail, Meet, Search, Nest, and Cloud, were all offline for thousands this afternoon (June 12). Several reports on DownDetector suggested even wider Internet issues, implicating Spotify and Amazon in the mess, although the e-commerce giant tells Android Central that the AWS service was not affected.

According to the outage tracking website DownDetector, all these outages began at around 2 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon, with the outage peaking at 2:30 p.m. ET. Some speculate that the internet itself was down, taking several services offline. There were more than 13,000 incidents of people reporting issues with Google Cloud by 3:30 pm ET and more than 27,000 reports on Spotify.

The tech giant's incident status page states that there is still an ongoing multi-region outage, but that it has "identified the root cause and applied appropriate mitigations."

The site also states that Google's engineers are aware that customers are still experiencing issues and are actively working on full recovery.

Cloudflare, which provides a wide range of internet services, was also significantly impacted by this outage. However, the company stated that they weren't directly hit by the outage but stated that "a limited number of services at Cloudflare use Google Cloud and were impacted."

Cloudflare's status page states that "All Cloudflare services have been restored and are now fully operational." But it will continue to monitor the situation closely.

(Image credit: DownDetector)

Several people reported on DownDetector that they were experiencing disruptions with Amazon and its services. However, despite these reports, Amazon confirmed in an email to Android Central that all of those reports are false concerning AWS and Amazon, stating that "AWS operated normally today, and we continue to operate normally."

According to the Independent, third-party websites that rely on Google’s services have also been affected by this outage. These apps include Snapchat, Discord, and more. The outage of Google Cloud seems to have had a domino effect on the apps that rely on it; however, several users who were experiencing outages are seeing services slowly come back online.

Correction: The previous version of this article stated that Amazon was affected by the recent outage and was among the first services to go offline. However, Amazon states that its operations remained uninterrupted. The article has been corrected to reflect the same.

Canadian artists thrive as Spotify hits record $10 Billion payout to music industry

nandika.iyerravi@futurenet.com (Nandika Ravi) — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 19:20:15 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify has released its annual "Loud and Clear" report — a comprehensive look at how artists have performed on the platform.
Spotify said it paid out over $10 billion to the music industry globally in 2024, marking the largest single-year payout by any retailer in music history.
The report suggests that in the last year alone, Canadian artists earned nearly CAD $460 million in royalties on Spotify.
Spotify reports that Canadian music revenue has grown by 129% over the past five years, reaching CAD $909 million in 2024 alone.

Spotify recently published its annual "Loud and Clear" report, in which it discusses the economics of music streaming every year. This year, Spotify said it paid out over $10 billion to the music industry globally in 2024, marking the largest single-year payout by any retailer in music history.

The report also adds that nearly 1,500 artists generated over $1 million in royalties from Spotify alone in 2024. And 80% of these artists didn't have their song reach the Spotify Global Daily Top 50 chart. Meaning, without having a mainstream hit, they were still able to generate revenue.

The surprising part, however, is that Canadian artists seem to be thriving globally, and in 2024, Canadian music artists earned CAD $460 million in royalties on Spotify, which is almost double the earnings they made since 2019. Spotify says this was possible because Canadian-grown global stars like The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Céline Dion, and more have built a strong foundation for budding artists.

"That’s not just streams; that’s sustainable careers being built in studios, basements, and tour vans from Vancouver to Halifax," the streaming giant added.

(Image credit: Spotify)

Speaking of where these royalties were earned, Spotify says that 94% of the money earned by Canadian artists through Spotify came from outside Canada.

This means Canada has become one of the world's top music exporters, and that Canadian music is not only being streamed locally but also in "cities like Jakarta, Osaka, Melbourne, London, São Paulo, Berlin, Mexico City, and Seoul."

Since Canada is a bilingual country, its French music also saw a 15% growth in global Spotify royalties just in the past year.

For instance, "Québécois artist Patrick Watson’s 'Je te laisserai des mots' was the most popular francophone track on Spotify globally in 2024, and the first French-language track to pass 1 billion streams," the report stated.

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

Furthermore, Spotify says that Canadian women have also been at the front and center of music creation, and since 2020, their global streams on Spotify have also doubled. And as of 2024, "40% of Canadian artists earning over CAD $1 million on Spotify were women or in groups with both male and female members."

“This is what Canada sounds like—diverse, digital, and not just thriving domestically, but leading on the world stage. The data is clear in underscoring the vital role that export plays in sustaining the overall health of Canada’s music industry,” said Xenia Manning, director of Global Music Policy, Spotify.

How to transfer playlists to YouTube Music from Spotify and other streaming services

christinep2424@gmail.com (Christine Persaud) — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 15:36:39 +0000

So, you’re using YouTube Music but you don’t want to redo that entire epic playlist or two (or a dozen) you already created in another service. It might be your party playlist for when friends and family members are over, a themed selection of tunes for the holiday season, summer vibing pop hits, or even your daily workout or running playlists. You can easily move playlists you’ve already created over to YouTube Music from services like Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services. From there, you can access them all in one place while enjoying all the benefits of YouTube Music.

How to transfer playlists to YouTube Music from Spotify

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

1. Sign in to your YouTube account.

2. Go to Settings.

3. Select to Privacy & Data.

4. Select Transfer playlists from other apps.

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

5. Select the desired service (in this case, Spotify).

6. Select Let’s Start.

7. Agree to the terms for allowing Spotify to connect to TuneMyMusic, which powers this feature.

(Image credit: Derrek Lee / Android Central)

8. Select your library or specific playlists you want to transfer. (Note: make sure to select the Gmail account associated with your YouTube Music Premium account so the playlist goes to the right place). Then select Transfer to YouTube Music.

9. Wait for the process to complete and voila! Your Spotify playlists are ready for listening right from YouTube Music.

How to transfer playlists to YouTube Music from Apple Music

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

1. You’ll likely already be signed into your Apple account on your device, but make sure that you have an active subscription to Apple Music as well.

2. Visit privacy.apple.com from a web browser on your device.

3. Select Request to transfer a copy of your data.

4. Under Choose what you’d like to export, select Apple Music playlists to YouTube Music and hit Next.

5. You’ll see the number of playlists to be transferred from Apple Music. Select Continue.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

6. Sign in to your Google account or if you’re already signed in, choose the account you want to use (if you have more than one).

7. Sign in to Apple Data and Privacy to confirm that you agree to share your name, e-mail address, and profile picture (if you aren’t already signed in or have previously confirmed this connection) then grant Apple Data and Privacy access to your Google Account and select Continue.

8. Select Confirm the Export.

(Image credit: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

9. You’ll receive confirmation that your playlists will be exported, then wait for the process to complete. It could take up to 24 hours for the request to be verified (more than likely, however, it will be done within minutes). You will receive a security e-mail confirming the request, and another from Apple advising once it’s complete. At any time, you can visit the Privacy page to check on the status or cancel the transfer if desired.

10. Once complete, you’ll see confirmation on the Privacy website. From there, go to YouTube Music and you’ll see your Apple Music playlists there for enjoying.

What else to note about transferring playlists to YouTube Music

(Image credit: Chris Wedel / Android Central)

I’ll bet you didn’t even know this feature existed. Now that you do, you can take full advantage of it. But there are a few things to note as well.

You won't lose your playlist

You don’t need to worry that transferring a playlist from one service to YouTube Music will remove it from that host service. The playlist will still exist there. (Though you will lose access everywhere it exists if you no longer subscribe to a paid service).

Changes don't sync

Note that if you make changes to the version of the playlist in YouTube Music, these modifications won’t sync with the other one. So, if you add or remove a song or two, for example, you’ll have to go back to Spotify, Apple Music, or your other service as well to mirror that change manually. If you want to get around that, always update the playlist in the main service then transfer it over again whenever you’ve made big changes so the two playlists are in sync.

Easily transfer an entire Apple Music library

A useful tip: if transferring from Apple Music, you can use the handy Add Entire playlist to library shortcut first to instantly create a playlist with all your songs. From there, you can then transfer your entire library to YouTube Music in one fell swoop as a new, massive “playlist”.

Some songs might not match

If there are songs that aren’t available on YouTube Music within the playlists you try to transfer, you won’t be able to transfer them. You should receive a notification, however, advising that the song could not be matched. Playlists with podcasts are not supported and cannot be imported to, or exported from, YouTube Music.

The process can take long for larger playlists

Since the process can anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours depending on how many playlists you want to transfer and how many songs, plan to do this when you’re at home and can keep your device plugged in and fully charged.

Transfer away!

The feature is one of the reasons YouTube Music is among the best streaming music apps. It’s a great way to keep all your favorite playlists from different services in one place, accessing them when and how you want. You can integrate YouTube Music into your existing set-up without having to go through the gruelling task of recreating playlists you already worked so hard to build.

YouTube Premium

Upgrade your experience

YouTube Music is free to access, but there are limitations and ads. You can upgrade your experience with a subscription to YouTube Premium to enjoy tons of benefits. For music, this includes features like offline downloads, background play, and the elimination of pesky ads that might interrupt your otherwise smooth musical flow.

Spotify's DJ takes song requests for music that fits what you want

nickodiaz@sbcglobal.net (Nickolas Diaz) — Fri, 16 May 2025 17:51:59 +0000

What you need to know

Spotify announces its AI DJ is now capable of taking vocal song requests on mobile for Premium users.
Users can press-and-hold its icon to speak a request that includes/combines various music aspects like genre, mood, artist, or songs for an activity.
Spotify says this is rolling out for users in more than 60 countries today (May 16).

Spotify is busy rolling out an update for its AI DJ that lets users unlock more of its potential for a real-time discovery experience.

In a press release, Spotify stated it's making good on a user-requested feature by adding more interactions with its AI DJ. For English Premium users in over 60 countries, Spotify says users can control the DJ with their voices for increased personalization. In a follow-up post, the platform states users can "update their personalized sessions" by telling the DJ what they want to hear, rather than letting it go on its own.

To get this started, Spotify Premium users can search for the DJ and hit play. When you want to change up the DJ's style, Spotify states you will need to press and hold its icon on the bottom right of your phone. This activates the ability for users to fine-tune the DJ to their preference. Users can tell the DJ to play a specific artist, genre, mood, or music to help them get through an activity, like running.

Additionally, Spotify says its DJ can understand requests about these areas in combination. The post gives the following example: "Give me some electronic beats for a midday run.”

Spotify's DJ still pulls from your listening history and preferences to guess what you'd enjoy.

Requesting...

(Image credit: Spotify)

While the DJ's press-and-hold option is rolling out, Spotify reminds users that you still retain the "skip" function, which encourages the AI to rethink its vibe.

The AI DJ's song request feature is arriving slowly to users beginning today (May 16); however, Spotify warns that it's still in beta. The DJ could get things wrong or even give you a podcast instead of a song.

We've had Spotify's AI DJ for two years now, after it debuted with OpenAI technology alongside the platform's music experts. The feature has remained consistent, leveraging users' listening history and genre preferences to understand and produce songs that they know. The DJ has also continued to suggest songs that users may like, using all of their history as a base.

Sometimes it gets things wrong, and that's where the skip button comes into play.

At its core, the DJ's purpose was to facilitate easier, quicker real-time curation of music. With the inclusion of voice descriptions for users, the process speeds up, while also becoming a little more specific based on your tastes.

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