Spotify is blurring the line between its free and premium mobile apps.
Spotify’s premium tier mobile app has long been the only way users can listen without ads on demand and without using data. Now, Spotify is bringing some of those features to its new free version of the app.
A select list of 15 playlists can now be heard on demand. And playlists you make will now get continuous recommendations based on factors like the music already on that playlist and even the playlist name. Spotify free users will also be able to utilize a new Data Saver mode, which optimizes the music you play to use less data.
Those playlists get determined by artists and genres you like listening to, so someone else’s home feed is likely to look different than yours. The on demand playlists include ones you’ve listened to and recommendations.
The Spotify mobile app will also be getting a design overhaul. The bottom menu options will now include home, search, library and premium options, which Spotify’s vice president of product development, Babar Zafar, says is meant to improve the user experience. This leaves the radio tab moved away from the forefront of the app.
However, Spotify isn’t planning on giving everything away in its new free mobile app. Ads will be sticking around in the free version, and not all songs will be available on demand or offline. Spotify also says they’re not worried about losing any premium users by expanding its free tier experience. Gustav Söderström, Chief Researcher & Development Officer, noted that tests of the new version of the free app have brought in more engagement and typically led to more paying users.
Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly stated that Spotify free users will also be able to listen to select playlists offline. Coins2Day has updated this article to reflect the change.
