It’s not only Spotify’s paying customers who are treated to regular updates — even if it does save the best for those with bigger wallets, with the most recent taking the form of the streamer’s long-awaited lossless audio solution. Announced in a blog post, Spotify has made some big changes to how free users consume music on the app.
There’s no such thing as a free Spotify
Specifically, it’s altering the order in which users listen to their music. Where before free users were forced to suffer through a shuffled playlist, they now have the power to “search and play any track or jump right into something your friend just shared.” It’s a no-brainer for Spotify to help it compete against the likes of YouTube Music, which already offers the feature (albeit with its own set of caveats).
Before you rush off to cancel your Premium, it’s worth knowing a couple of things. On-demand tracks are still limited for free users — after you listen to a single song of your choice, you’ll go back to the shuffle-only mode. Spotify hasn’t made it clear how long users have to wait before unlocking another on-demand track. That means listening to an album in its correct order is still a Premium-only perk.
Read More: Spotify lossless is finally here
Don’t go wasting any of those skips, either. ‘Round these parts, they’re a rare commodity, with Spotify still only offering free users six skips per hour. After that, you’ll be at the mercy of Spotify’s shuffle until you wait out the clock.
Ads, too, have stuck around, and they’re just as annoying as ever. Sure, it’s certainly less annoying once you know that your on-demand track is waiting patiently behind a thirty-second ad for groin groomers, but it’s still a hassle. The streamer’s Premium tier is still the one to get if you can afford it after the streamer hiked prices earlier this month, but there’s no denying the free tier is more viable now.
