Spotify gets official Apple Watch app

The long-awaited Spotify app for the Apple Watch is now live. It’ll give Apple Watch users an easier way to navigate the app as well as make it easier to connect to other devices via Spotify Connect. It’ll let you play or stop music and podcasts, skip tracks, rewind a podcast by 15 seconds, favorite tracks, and access music playlists and other recently played tracks. You’ll need to have the latest version of Spotify (v.8.4.79) to gain access to the app. But you may or may not have access to it just yet as the company says it’ll be rolling out in the coming week. You can also expect features, like playing music and podcasts offline, at a later date.

Spotify is testing out a new timeline feature to help promote new releases

While helpful, the Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists on Spotify are rather limited resources for new music. Looking for new releases on the streaming service is somewhat a tedious process. It’s still a couple of taps away and as The Verge points out, these aren’t as attuned to your listening habits (although the redesign of the app for Premium users might be a step in the right direction). But a new feature Spotify is testing out with some users might change that. It could also be the service’s answer to helping promote new releases.

There’s a new “What's New” section that collates new releases in a timeline of sorts. Spotify confirms the existence of this test and says they are “always testing new ways to create better listening experiences for more users, while continuing to find ways to connect artists to their fans.” Whether this gets a wider release is something we don’t know yet. But as a music lover and heavy user of the service, I’d like to see this one for myself.

Spotify introduces ‘Endless Artist Radio’ for Premium users

Are you a Spotify Premium subscriber? Well, you’re getting a new Endless Artist Radio stream, which lets you search for a playlist based on your favorite musician or song and get a matching endless music stream. According to Spotify these lists are “updated regularly to keep things fresh” and these can be downloaded for playing offline. Spotify has also redesigned its Search page to make it “the new one-stop destination for artists, albums, podcasts, and more.” It doesn’t matter if you know what you’re looking for or want to search for something new. At the top, you’ll see your Top Genres to help you with your music search.

The streaming service has also streamlined its navigation at the bottom of the app. Spotify simplifies and cuts it down to three sections: Home, where you can get recommendations; Search, where you can discover new stuff; and Your Library, where you can access all your favorite songs, artists, playlists, and podcasts. These features are coming to both iOS and Android users and has started to roll out to all Premium subscribers globally.

Source: Spotify

Spotify stops test that asked family plan subscribers to share their GPS location

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We reported yesterday how Spotify has started cracking down on users who abuse the family plan. Their solution was to ask subscribers to confirm their location via GPS. They wanted to catch users who aren’t related but are taking advantage of the discount the plan offers. But as some users have pointed out not all family members live together. However, Spotify does state in its terms that all members need to share a physical address.  

This hasn’t been strictly enforced before but it seems the loss of revenue this plans pose is enough to catch the music streaming service’s attention. As expected, customers aren’t comfortable with sharing their exact GPS location with the company. And the company has received backlash for this method. The company rescinded the small-scale test. It was sent out to only four of Spotify’s markets. But now the company has shut it down. When asked to comment on this, a Spotify spokesperson told Tech Crunch, “Spotify is currently testing improvements to the user experience of Premium for Family with small user groups in select markets. We are always testing new products and experiences at Spotify, but have no further news to share regarding this particular feature test at this time.”