Spotify on the Apple Watch gets offline music downloads

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Spotify has plans to bring offline music downloads to Google Wear soon. But that isn't coming out yet. iOS users, though, are getting the feature first. Spotify will let Apple Watch users download playlists, albums, and podcasts and play these offline, meaning you can listen to your favourite audio content without bringing a phone with you. 

Back in November, Spotify added the option to stream music using the Apple Watch, but it only worked as a remote for the streaming service. Now, the offline feature will be available on the Apple Watch Series 3 or later, running WatchOS 6.0 later, with WatchOS 7.1 and up recommended. You will also need a Spotify Premium subscription for the feature to work.

Source: The Verge

Dax Shepard's 'Armchair Expert' will become a Spotify-exclusive podcast

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Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert is the latest popular podcast that will become a Spotify exclusive. All past and future episodes will be available exclusively on the service starting July 1. The company also signed a deal with Armchair Umbrella Network to get first dibs on any other show the network creates. It isn't known how long Spotify will license the show because the terms of the deal weren't shared. But the podcast will move the hosting to Megaphone, a Spotify company, and Spotify will handle its ad sales in-house.

As The Verge pointed out, a key component of Spotify's podcasting strategy is to offer the shows both to free and paying users while keeping the ads in the shows so it can earn from every podcast listen. Having a popular show exclusive on its platform, like Armchair Expert, will draw in more listeners, which can help the company sell more ads.

Spotify redesigns Your Library on mobile

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Spotify has just announced it's revamping the Your Library tab on both Android and iOS. The goal was to streamline that way you can access your audio collection. According to Spotify, "Your Library's updated design and added features will enable you to spend less time looking for content and organizing your collection, and more time rediscovering the music and podcasts you've loved over the years."

The new look will make it easier to browse and search through your entire collection in one place. There will be new dynamic filters to help you look through your collection. You can choose between album, artist, playlist, or podcast. And for Premium users, you can tap on the Downloaded filter to see which content is available offline. 

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Spotify gets a new mini player in Facebook's mobile apps

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Now, you no longer have to leave the Facebook app to listen to songs or podcasts recommended on your feed. Spotify is rolling out this feature to its iOS and Android apps in 27 countries, including Canada. The first time you use the player, there will be a prompt asking you to connect the music and social apps. You'll be asked to sign in if you haven't yet.

As you play audio content, the mini player lives on the bottom of the interface just above the navigation icons. You'll see an album or show artwork and title and artist info. Premium subscribers get the full functionality of the player, while free users have access to shuffle mode. There will also be ads playing for free Spotify subscribers, as what happens on the Spotify app. Those without Spotify accounts will get a 30-second preview of the track.

Source: Spotify | Via: Engadget