Experienced Spotify users know that its interface is functional, but far from elegant. The streaming service is planning some updates targeted to the app’s home screen, making it easier to get the content you’re looking for. The changes focus on exploring the music you’ve already enjoyed and podcasts. Of course, podcasts.
Free and paid users will have faster access to a new “Recently played” section, extracting from their recently played tracks, albums and podcast episodes, with added context for music that was featured in movies, TV shows, etc. Premium subscribers will have access to new podcast episodes, shown with a blue dot, and a quick link to episodes you haven’t finished yet. A progress bar will show the amount of music remaining.
Premium subscribers also receive a new and updated discovery section, featuring new music from their favorite artists and similar artists that match their tastes. Why free users don’t understand this is unclear; Certainly, if the service were better at finding out what you want, would you be even more inclined to pay for it?
Spotify showed the changes with an embedded video, but did not say when they would be released on Android and iOS. It doesn’t seem to be live on the Play Store version, at least on my phone. Based on “this month” in the blog post, it should be in the coming weeks.
