Tag: hacks

5 Spotify Hacks Every Free User Needs To Know

Whether you’re discovering your new favorite song or queuing up the latest episode of the hottest podcasts, Spotify is always innovating to deliver the best experience possible. And our Free users around the world have unprecedented access to the very best of what the platform has to offer: personalized music recommendations, a mobile-friendly data saver mode, the freedom to stream their favorite music and podcasts available on over 2,000 devices, and the ability to share the music they love via social media. 

To make the most of the Free music-listening experience on Spotify, we’ve compiled this list of hacks that every Free user needs to know (and some pro tips to help you stay on top of your streaming game).

Follow along with your next listening session

When you find yourself listening to a song and want to follow along—or you just want to figure out what someone is saying—our shareable Lyrics feature is here to help. 

With Lyrics, you can cultivate an even deeper connection to the music and artists you love, diving into the meaning behind each song. When listening to a song with available lyrics, users can swipe up from the bottom of the Now Playing screen in the Spotify mobile app to display the track’s lyrics, which will scroll line by line in real time as the song is playing.

Pro tip: With social sharing functionality built right into Lyrics, you can express how you’re feeling and share it with your friends via Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and more

Discover music that perfectly fits your mood

If you’re looking for the right songs to get you hyped up for a morning workout or focused for your nightly study sessions, daylist has you covered. 

A one-of-a-kind playlist that understands and reflects what types of music you like to listen to during particular moments in the day, or on specific days of the week, daylist is available to Free users around the world, regularly updating with different songs and titles, made for every version of you.

Pro tip: When there’s a specific daylist playlist you love, you can make a copy of it and save it by tapping the three-dot menu, scrolling down to “Add to playlist,” then tapping “New playlist.” Then, it will be available to revisit whenever you like.

Give your playlist covers a unique touch

You’ve mastered the art of curating incredible playlists, but if you want them to truly feel “made by you,” you can design your own playlist cover right on Spotify. Available in 65 Spotify markets around the world, this feature lets you personalize your playlist covers with unique images, colors, and text effects, graphic elements that match the distinct vibe of your playlists. 

Whether you’re on iOS or Android, just head to the Spotify mobile app (make sure it’s up-to-date) and select a playlist that you personally created (or create a new one) to get started. Then tap the three-dot menu and choose “Create cover art.” 

Pro tip: You can only save one custom cover art per playlist at a time, and each new cover you create will override the previous one for that specific playlist.

Revisit your favorite blasts from the past

Whether you’re looking to take a trip down memory lane with one of your all-time favorite songs or you want to rediscover a hit you haven’t thought about in years, you can jump into one of several personalized playlists that will take you back. 

Just head to the Made for You hub and let Repeat Rewind bring you back to some of your more recent past favorites, or press play on one of the Your Decades Mixes and let the nostalgia from a particular era wash over you. 

Pro tip: If you want to explore more of the biggest hits that you’ve loved over the years, our editorial team has curated playlists to take you further down memory lane, including Throwback Thursday, after school club 🪄, Throwback Jams, y2k, and our Decades hub, full of era-specific playlists rounding up all of the biggest anthems from the 1950s to the 2010s.

Jump outside of your musical comfort zone

Looking for your next favorite song but don’t know where to start? You can expand your own horizons through playlists like Discover Weekly, which offers a weekly dose of personalized recommendations based on your listening history, or you can stay ahead of the curve with Release Radar, which delivers the latest releases from the artists you follow.

Pro tip: Keep up with your favorite artists by navigating to their profile pages and tapping the follow button at the top. 

Want to take your listening to the next level? Check out our 5 premium hacks every Spotify user needs to know.

5 Spotify Premium Hacks You Need To Know

Finding the perfect song, pod, or audiobook can be transformative, which is why we here at Spotify continuously innovate our products and features to provide the best experience possible. For our more than 200 million Premium subscribers, that includes plenty of perks beyond access to ad-free music listening. If you’re a Spotify Premium user, here are five hacks you need to know to make the most out of your subscription.

How to download your favorites for offline listening

No Wi-Fi, no problem. Before you go off the grid, download your favorite music and audiobooks so you can listen anytime, anywhere.

Navigate to the playlist, song, album, podcast, or audiobook you want to download and tap the ( ↓ ) icon at the top of the page.

How to multitask like a pro with the Desktop Miniplayer

This top-requested feature from users is now live and available for Premium subscribers using Spotify on Desktop. Premium listeners can open up a miniature window for Spotify, giving them playback control while using other apps and windows.

So whether you’re listening to your daylist while answering emails or watching your favorite music video (available in select markets) while online shopping, the new Desktop Miniplayer is the ultimate companion. It’s fully flexible, meaning it can be stretched as big or as small as you’d like, and is easy to move around your screen.

How to find your next beach read with audiobooks in Premium

Booklovers, rejoice! In the U.S., U.K, and Australia—and coming soon in Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand—Premium subscribers can stream up to 15 hours each month of over 250,000 audiobooks on Spotify, all included in their existing plan. This includes a sweeping range of both contemporary and classic novels, from RuPaul’s The House of Hidden Meanings to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.

Any book marked “Included in Premium” is available to each Premium Individual subscriber, as well as plan managers for Family and Duo accounts. Just hit play and dive right in.

How to soundtrack your day using our AI DJ

Ever wish you could just sit back and let someone else pick your favorite music for you? Well, if you have Premium, you’re in luck. Did you know that Spotify has a personalized AI DJ named X? Simply tap the “Music” tab in the Spotify app or search “DJ” to launch your personal DJ experience complete with tailored song selections, cultural commentary, and more.

How to start a group-listening session with Spotify Jam

There’s nothing quite like connecting over a shared love of music. That’s the beauty of Jam, a personalized, real-time listening session for your group to tune in to together. While anyone can join a Jam in person, only Premium users can “host” a Jam session with full control over the queue. Premium users are also the only ones who can join or create a long-distance Jam wherever they are.

Select a playlist or song to get started. You’ll see the “Start a Jam” button by clicking the speaker icon at the bottom of your screen or by hitting the three-dot menu within the playlist or song. You can also select a device to play on, whether that’s your phone or a speaker.

You can then invite your squad by turning on Bluetooth and tapping your phones together, or by having your friends scan the QR code on your host screen. You can also hit “share” to send the link through social, text, SMS, and more.

Oh, and Jam also works on desktop. Simply tap the three-dot menu or right click on a playlist or song, click “Start a Jam,” and then invite your friends through a share link or QR code.

Ready for the perks of going Premium? Peruse our plans at spotify.com/premium.

*Update as of April 17, 2024: Now through May 21, Spotify Premium is offering three months free to eligible Free and first time-users for the Individual Premium plan. For those who are missing their Individual Premium plan and canceled for one reason or another, Spotify Premium is also offering three months for just $10.99 (or market equivalent). Explore offers at spotify.com/premium.

*Update as of August 14, 2024: Now through September 17, Spotify Premium is offering three months free to eligible Free and first time-users for the Individual Premium plan. For those who are missing their Individual Premium plan and canceled for one reason or another, Spotify Premium is also offering three months for just $11.99 (or market equivalent). Explore offers at spotify.com/premium.

*Update as of November 25, 2024: Now through December 31, Spotify Premium is offering three months free to eligible Free and first time-users for the Individual Premium plan. For those who are missing their Individual Premium plan and canceled for one reason or another, Spotify Premium is also offering three months for just $11.99 (or market equivalent).