Spotify overhauls Android, iOS interface for better engagement

According to internal data, Spotify said more listeners prefer to preview artists and songs before they commit to them. (Image: Spotify)

Spotify has announced a major redesign to its interface on Android and iOS.

The music streaming service has updated the interface with a new scrolling, vertical feed similar to TikTok. The video-focused discovery feed will make it easier to find content with previews, and segregation of the home screen into separate sections for Music, Podcasts & Shows, and Audiobooks.

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Spotify's big bet on previews to increase engagement

According to internal data, Spotify said more listeners prefer to preview artists and songs before they commit to them. The company has doubled down on the data, and made previews one of the defining features of the new update.

The Music feed shows users personalised recommendations for new artists, songs or albums that you may like. At the top, the feed will show you personalised mixes (playlists) driven by your listening history.

Like the Music feed, the Podcasts & Shows section will contain recommendations on content. The feed will automatically generate previews for content in the store, and will feature real-time transcriptions for podcasts that will help you preview them, even without sound.

The Audiobooks feed will show users their purchases or saved audiobooks at the top, and will generate previews up to five minutes in length for audiobooks you may want to try out.

Once you see a preview, you can download or share it with friends, you can also play the full content from the beginning or continue where you left off in the preview. Tapping on the recommendation will take you to playlists featuring that content, or albums or singles from the artist.

Music and Podcasts & Shows previews are available in all markets, whereas Audiobook previews will be available in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.

Smart Shuffle for premium members

The premium-only Smart Shuffle functions similarly to the Enhance feature, which it replaces.

When enabled, Smart Shuffle will attempt to find songs that are similar to tracks you are currently listening to and automatically add them to your playlist. It will also mix up the listening order to keep things fresh.

If you don't prefer the new recommendations, you can turn off the feature, and it will automatically remove all suggested content from your mix.

Autoplay for podcasts

Like it does for music, Autoplay will take you to another "relevant episode" after you are done listening to your podcast.

It chooses the next content based on what you are currently listening to. If you don't prefer it, you can simply turn it off.

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When will the new changes roll out? 

Spotify hasn't shared a definitive timeline for the updates, though it has said that some features will arrive before others.

Some regions will also see the updates first, so that Spotify can tweak and adjust the features based on feedback.

At launch, these features will be restricted to mobile devices only but they will be rolled out to other devices down the line.