Spotify is improving its free service by letting users search for and play specific songs, instead of being limited to shuffled playlists. The change allows one track to be played on demand before the platform returns to shuffle. Album playback remains locked to Premium, and it is unclear whether the six skips per hour rule has been updated.
Free users will also gain access to features such as immediate playback from shared links and custom playlist covers, which were previously available only to Premium subscribers.
The free tier still streams at 160kbps, while Premium offers 24-bit/44kHz lossless audio, though that is below some competitors. The updates begin rolling out today. Spotify may be aiming to attract more listeners and ad revenue through these expanded free features, while Premium users continue to enjoy an ad-free experience.
