Spotify launches AI Playlist feature
Spotify's new AI Playlist feature adds an AI component to the creation of playlists on the site. All it takes is to feed the AI some text and it does the rest.
Feed it "sing along songs while riding on a pony in Colorado", "songs while waiting for the microwave to go 'ping'", or "songs for boring bus rides in downtown LA", and you should get a list of matching music almost instantly.
At long last, Spotify Miniplayer launches on the desktop
It has been an extraordinarily long time coming, but Spotify has finally launched the miniplayer that users have been requesting for years.
The arrival of Spotify Miniplayer sees the music streaming service catching up with the likes of Apple Music. The new discreet player floats over other running apps, and gives users a choice of UI designs to switch between.
Spotify launches new collaborative playlist feature called Jam
Streaming music service Spotify has announced Jam, a group playlist feature that can be used by up to 32 people. Spotify describes the new social feature as a "personalized, real-time listening session for your group to tune into together".
It is, in many ways, an amalgamation of several existing features of Spotify, such as Blend, personalized playlists and collaborative playlists. All users of Spotify -- free and paying -- are able to contribute to a Jam, but the ability to create them is limited to Premium Subscribers.
Spotify is working on a new Your Offline Mix playlist feature
Streaming music services are great, but they are -- obviously -- reliant on an internet connection. While most give you the option of saving tracks to listen to offline, this requires a degree of preparation that not everyone has time for. So Spotify has come up with a solution.
The company has revealed that it is working on a feature called Your Offline Mix. It is a playlist that is automatically created from what you have been listening to recently, and it means that you will always have something to satisfy your musical appetite even if you don't have an internet connection.
Spotify is killing Heardle after less than a year
There can be few internet users who are not aware of Wordle, the outrageously popular word-guessing game that is now owned by the New York Times. The game has a huge number of fans all over the world, and it has served as inspiration for many derivatives.
One such Wordle-inspired game is one for music fans, developed by Spotify. Bursting onto the scene in the middle of 2022, the music-guessing game Heardle earned itself an eager following. But disappointment is on the horizon; Spotify has announced that Heardle is closing down.
Spotify launches powerful new playlist feature called Niche Mixes
Spotify has launched a new personalized playlist option which gives users a unique way to create mixes to suite any mood, occasion or activity.
The company describes Niche Mixes as "a set of personalized playlists that combines all that our Mixes offer in a playful way". What this means in practice is that you can search for an "activity, vibe or aesthetic" (running, 80s, meditative, for instance), add the word "mix", and you'll be provided with a custom playlist to suit.
Spotify is introducing a new Plus button, merging its heart and playlist icons into one
Spotify has announced a streamlining of its user interface which will see the existing Heart and "Add to playlist" icons replaced with a single Plus button.
The new Plus (+) button will serve a dual purpose, making it possible to not only add tracks, podcasts and more to your library, but also to add them to playlists. Spotify says that this new approach makes it quicker and easier to add content to multiple playlists, and the update button will roll out to iOS and Android users first before spreading to all users.
How much is your streaming account worth on the Dark Web?
Netflix recently announced a crackdown on the sharing of account details and has introduced a paid sharing option to allow multiple users. It isn't surprising then that there's a thriving Dark Web market for streaming account details.
Research from AtlasVPN shows that account logins for popular streaming services are being sold for an average of $11.
Microsoft releases Windows 11 Build 25290 with new Spotify and Phone Link widgets
Microsoft today stops selling Windows 10, instead redirecting would-be purchasers towards Windows 11. There are ways around this however.
For Windows 11 testers in the Dev Channel, Microsoft has released a new build, and this one is available for Arm64 devices. Last week’s flight (Build 25284) was blocked due to a known issue that resulted in devices getting stuck at the OS boot logo.
The 10 biggest internet outages of 2022
For the last decade the Downdetector site has been providing data on the real-time status and outages of online services.
Ookla, the company behind Downdetector, has released information on the largest outages seen in 2022. While nothing surpassed the biggest outage ever seen, experienced by Meta on October 4, 2021, there have been some significant ones this year.
Spotify is forcibly installing on Windows 10 and Windows 11 systems
If you have noticed the appearance of the Spotify app on your computer but you don't recall installing it, you are not alone. There are multiple reports -- or complaints, even -- from users of Windows 10 and Windows 11 that the app has installed itself without permission.
It is certainly not unknown for Microsoft to forcibly install apps on computers, but on previous occasions when apps have been foisted onto people, there has been some sort of announcement or notification. This has not happened this time around, so it is not quite clear what is going on. One thing is undeniable though: people are not happy.
Spotify has an intriguing new incentive to become a Premium subscriber
A lack of ads and unlimited track skipping are both pretty good reasons to cough up for a Spotify Premium subscription, but for some people it is not enough.
The streaming audio service apparently agrees that paying subscribers do not currently get enough for their outlay and is adding features to increase value for money. So, what does Spotify think will entice would-be subscribers into taking the plunge? New control buttons; buttons most people would reasonably expect to be included in an audio app as standard, rather than as a premium feature.
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Apple Music comes to Roku
Apple Music is the best streaming music service. Yes, it is much better than Spotify. This is fact. I know this to be true, as I have used both and found Apple's offering to be superior. Apple Music isn't limited to the company's own devices like iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV either -- it can also be accessed on Android and the web, for instance.
Today, Apple Music comes to yet another platform -- Roku. Yes, whether you have a Roku media box or TV with Roku integrated, you can now access Apple Music with it. How cool is that?
Spotify no longer shuffles albums by default because Adele has spoken
Following the release of her latest album, 30, Adele has had a greater impact on Spotify than the artist -- or anyone else -- expected. The new LP has already been streamed millions of times, and this is hardly surprising for Adele's first album in six years. But the singer has also managed to convince Spotify to make a big change to the platform.
The streaming music service has stopped shuffling albums by default, in recognition of the fact that bands and artists craft albums with a great deal of attention to detail, carefully curating track order to create a narrative or mood.
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