Tag: SpotifyEverywhereEvent

Here’s How to Play Spotify on Samsung’s Recently Unveiled Devices

February 11, 2020

Some things, while great on their own, are even better together. Think cookies and milk, Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus, and Spotify and Samsung. Spotify was named Samsung’s go-to music service provider in 2018. Since then, the partnership has expanded to create an even better experience for users, culminating in made-for-Spotify integrations on Samsung’s newest devices. Now that’s a match made in music heaven.*

Spotify comes preinstalled on millions of new Samsung devices globally. That means users can start playing their favorite music and podcasts as soon as they start up their new devices. And the latest integrations on the Galaxy S20, Galaxy Z Flip, and Galaxy Buds+—just revealed at Samsung Unpacked—provide more ways than ever to play, share, and listen to Spotify. 

Here’s what users can look forward to.

Samsung Galaxy Buds+ x Spotify

Whether you’re on the train, in the car, or still rushing out the door, you can start Spotify with a single touch on the new Samsung Galaxy Buds+. That’s thanks to the latest update rolling out soon to Android devices. Just put on your Buds+ and get the tunes playing with a simple long press. We’ll start playing wherever you left off—or, if you weren’t listening to anything, you’ll hear something new that we think you’ll like. Not feeling it? Press again and we’ll dig up something just for you. 

Samsung keyboard integration

Ever heard a new song that you just had to share with friends? Soon it will be easier than ever to quickly search and share music from Spotify. That’s because Spotify will be integrated directly into the Samsung keyboard. Songs, albums, and playlists are sent through a generated link that, once tapped, brings you directly to Spotify or to a page to sign up for an account.

Spotify Free Users: You Can Now Stream Music on Amazon Alexa, Sonos, and Bose Speakers

November 20, 2019

Has your smart speaker become a beloved member of your family? From its spot on your kitchen counter, bedside table, or living room entertainment unit, these devices can provide hours of audio entertainment. Spotify Free users will be able to hear their favorite music on even more smart speakers, including from Amazon, Sonos, and Bose. 

That’s right—free users in Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. will, for the first time, be able to ask Alexa to play Today’s Top Hits, their Discover Weekly, or a custom-made playlist on their Amazon Echo or Fire TV. Not sure how to link your Spotify account to your new Alexa, or set Spotify as your default music player? Learn how here.

Free users around the world can also set up Spotify Connect with their Sonos speakers directly from the Spotify app. Spotify Connect works with all Sonos speakers, including the new Sonos Move, a durable, battery-powered smart speaker for great sound indoors, outdoors, and on the go. You can also connect wirelessly with the SYMFONISK IKEA WiFi Speaker—fully integrated in the Sonos Home Sound System—to play music in any or every room for a rich, home-filling sound.

Spotify Free Users can now start streaming through their Bose smart speakers and soundbars as well. Through Spotify Connect, you can use Spotify on your smartphone or desktop as a remote to get the jams going.

To play music using your Smart Speaker through Spotify Connect, first make sure that your Sonos or Bose system is updated to the latest firmware. Then open the Spotify app on your phone, laptop or tablet. Play any song, then select the “devices” icon. Finally, select the device you want to stream from and start listening. For more detailed instructions, visit our support page.

Incorporating Spotify into these devices is all part of our goal to create a truly frictionless experience for our users. Play from your phone, transition to your smart speaker, back to the phone, over to the car—with just a tap or the sound of your voice.

Head over to Explore Spotify to see more of the smart devices that allow free users to stream their favorite music, wherever, whenever.

Update June 23, 2020: Starting today, Spotify Free users in the U.K., Ireland, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and Mexico, will begin to be able to stream Spotify through Amazon Alexa. Both Spotify Free and Premium users in India will also be able to stream Spotify through Amazon Alexa for the first time.

6 New Ways to Stream Spotify from Your Smart Devices

October 7, 2019

These days, you’re likely always with a smart device—whether using your smartwatch on the go or enjoying your smart speaker at home. Now, more and more of these items include integrations with Spotify, so not only are you always with your device, but you also always have access to all of your favorite audio content.

It’s all part of our ubiquity strategy—the idea that you should be able to tune in to Spotify wherever, whenever, using whatever.

The end state here is to ensure that Spotify aligns more deeply with the multiple devices in your life so that you won’t need to find the songs or podcasts to suit the moment—they will find you.

– Sten Garmark, VP of Product

Introducing Two New Personalized Playlists: On Repeat and Repeat Rewind

September 24, 2019

You play Discover Weekly when you’re looking for something new, Release Radar when you’re looking to stay ahead of the trends, and Your Summer Rewind when you need a bit of summer nostalgia. No matter what you’re looking for, one of our personalized Spotify playlists has you covered—and now, we’re releasing two more into the mix: On Repeat and Repeat Rewind. 

With these two new playlists, you can sit back, relax, and fall in love with the songs you’ve played most all over again. Check out what each has to offer.

On Repeat – The music you’ve been streaming nonstop

Get even more of your current favorite tracks with On Repeat. This playlist helps you keep track of what you’ve been playing most over the past 30 days. On Repeat auto-updates, so you can be sure everything on there is the most up-to-date account of what you’ve been playing nonstop. It’s a great combination of all the music you love, no matter what artist or genre, so each time you tap play, it will sound a little different. 

Repeat Rewind – The tunes you used to play a lot, re-delivered

On the other hand, Repeat Rewind is a great way to reminisce with the songs you fell in love with in the not-so-far-off past. It includes tracks that you played over a month ago for you to rediscover. Whether you’re constantly discovering something new or a purveyor of the classics, sometimes it feels good to just kick back with the familiar. Similarly to On Repeat, your songs can span across artists, moods, and genres, and update every five days. (But don’t worry, the tracks will never appear on both playlists at the same time).  

Can’t wait to see the songs you’ve been streaming nonstop? These two playlists are now available globally for Free and Premium users in the Made For You Hub, as well as the “Uniquely Yours” shelf on Home. See if yours stack up with the top 10 most-repeated songs globally.* 

  1. “Señorita” – Camila Cabello, Shawn Mendes
  2. “China” – Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, J Balvin, KAROL G, Ozuna
  3. “Ransom” – Lil Tecca
  4. “Goodbyes (Feat. Young Thug)” – Post Malone, Young Thug
  5. “boyfriend (with Social House)” – Ariana Grande, Social House
  6. “Beautiful People (feat. Khalid)” – Ed Sheeran, Khalid
  7. “Dance Monkey” – Tones and I
  8. “How Do You Sleep?” – Sam Smith
  9. “Lalala” – Y2K, bbno$
  10. “Lover” – Taylor Swift

*Songs that have been played by users more than once per day, in the past 30 days

How to Listen to Spotify in the Car

August 26, 2019

Whether driving the familiar streets of your daily commute, breaking out the guidebook for a road trip, or just going around the corner to grab some milk, the first thing most people do when they get in the car is turn the volume up. And if you already use Spotify to listen to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks—maybe through your home speaker or Bluetooth headphones—you can easily and seamlessly continue listening from the car.

And your car-listening experience keeps getting better. Thanks to Spotify playlists such as Your Daily Drive, which combines the very best of news talk shows with the best of audio streaming, you can arrive at your destination even more informed. Plus, we’ve made it even easier to sync Spotify with two of the most popular navigation apps, Google Maps and Waze. It’s quick to enable playback controls within the navigation settings, making switching and selecting music as seamless as possible. And, with our integration to Google Assistant, it’s also possible to use your voice to control what you listen to in the car. 

From belting out the best songs to binging a podcast, setting up Spotify in your car is simpler than ever, with a variety of ways to play Spotify through your car speakers. And with a Spotify Premium account, you can save your music, podcasts, and audiobooks for offline listening, perfect for when you drive through spotty areas. So no matter what type of car or phone you have, take a look at the options below to see which works best for you. Soon you’ll be well on your way.

Please remember that safety is the #1 priority on the road. ALWAYS observe traffic laws.
NEVER attempt any of these connectivity methods while you are driving, and avoid interacting with your device while your car is in motion.

If your car has an AUX or USB socket, using a cable is probably one of the fastest ways to connect.

  1. Make sure you have the correct type of cable to connect to your phone (you can check with your car’s manufacturer if you don’t know which type you need). Some phones no longer have a phone jack, so you may also need the dongle that came with your phone.
  2. Find the AUX or USB socket in your car and plug in the cable. (Try looking for it on the center console.)
  3. Turn on your car and stereo, select the AUX (or USB) input, then open Spotify and tap “play.

Use Bluetooth to go wireless and enjoy all the functionalities of your smartphone or tablet.

  1. While you’re in park, go to “Settings” in your car stereo or to find the Bluetooth menu, then choose the option to pair your device. Some cars have a voice control button on the steering wheel instead—press that. 
  2. Sync by turning on Bluetooth on both your mobile device and your stereo.
  3. Select your car, enter the pairing code if needed, then open up Spotify and hit “play.”
  4. If you have audio controls on your steering wheel, you may be able to control what you’re listening to from there.

Have Android Auto or CarPlay? Simple!

  1. For Android Auto, start your car, plug your phone into the USB port, and play Spotify.
  2. For CarPlay for iOS, start your car and make sure Siri is on. Plug your phone into the USB port or connect wirelessly. Then, on your iPhone, go to “Settings,” then “General,” then “CarPlay.” 
  3. Select your car and get listening!

Is Spotify built into your car? No phone needed, just log in and drive!

  1. Check whether Spotify is preloaded as an audio source—look under either media or audio.
  2. If your car has an “app store” built in, simply search for Spotify, download, and log in—it’s that simple!
  3. Be sure to check with your car’s manufacturer if you have any questions and also to make sure your car has a data plan activated to use Spotify. Just to note, some cars require Spotify Premium for integrated listening.

Take Spotify along for the ride, no matter where you’re going or what you drive to get there.

Also be sure to check out our Driving Hub, the ultimate pit stop for the best driving music and podcasts. Or take Spotify for the ride with additional information on how to introduce your car to your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks.

*Updated as of April 9, 2024, to include Spotify Audiobooks and built-in car offering.

Your Daily Drive: Music and News That’ll Brighten Your Commute

June 12, 2019

If it feels like you’re always in the car, you’re not alone. Americans log 70 billion hours behind the wheel each year, with a big chunk of that time spent commuting to and from work or school. To help make that time fly by, stay up to date on the world around you, and maybe even rock out to a few timeless classics, we are excited to introduce Your Daily Drive.*

It’s a new Spotify playlist that combines the very best of news talk shows, including the relevancy and personality of the hosts, with the best of audio streaming (on demand, personalized playing and discovery). It combines music you love with relevant, timely world updates from reputable sources – all put together in a seamless and unified listening experience.

US users can get revved up for a personalized audio feed that blends music and news in one place for the perfect commute experience. Included at launch:

  • Short-form podcast news updates from Wall Street Journal, NPR, and PRI
  • A mix of your favorite songs and artists interspersed with tracks you’ve yet to discover
  • Updates throughout the day to keep both the music and news fresh
  • An escape from toggling between multiple stations to avoid music that isn’t quite your speed

U.S. users can make the most of their time on the road by tuning-in to Your Daily Drive starting today. Map your way to Your Daily Drive, or to the new Driving Hub for all things car.

*Update September 22, 2020: Your Daily Drive has also rolled out in the U.K. and Ireland

*Update January 29, 2020: Your Daily Drive has also rolled out in Australia. 

*Update December 3, 2019: Your Daily Commute has also rolled out in Sweden. For information on Daily Drive Germany, click here.

*Update March 30, 2021: Daily Drive has also rolled out as “Mon Daily” in France in partnership with Le Monde. 

*Update July 27, 2021: Daily Drive has also rolled out in the Philippines and Indonesia.

*Update October 5, 2021: Daily Drive has also rolled out in Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, and Japan.

Sten Garmark, Spotify’s VP of Product, Unpacks Our Ubiquity Strategy

May 9, 2019

Perhaps you start your morning by streaming a pick-me-up playlist on your phone. Then, as you settle in at work you queue up some motivational songs on your laptop. After you get home, you play a podcast on your voice-activated speaker as you prep dinner. Because Spotify can be with you wherever you are, in any environment, audio opportunity abounds.

We sat down with Sten Garmark, our VP of Product, to learn more about the times, places, and situations in which audio can play a role—but with less work needed to access and play the content you want.

Tell us about your mission at Spotify and, specifically, your focus on ubiquity. How will listeners benefit?

As the delivery of audio content becomes all the more intuitive and seamless, our ubiquity strategy involves creating a truly frictionless experience for consumers. In other words, it’s to take whatever moment you’re in—if you’re driving, in your home, if you’re on your headphones, if you’re exercising—and make sure that you can get to your Spotify experience as easily and as quickly as possible.

The end state here is to ensure that Spotify aligns more deeply with the multiple devices in your life so that you won’t need to find the songs or podcasts to suit the moment—they will find you.

How do we deliver on the promise of ubiquity at Spotify? And what’s the entry point?

Our ubiquity strategy is very much mobile first, since most of our users today are coming in on their phones. If that’s their first touchpoint, then it’s about expanding that to more situations. We think that’s going to continue for quite some time.

From there, we need to be technically integrated with all the devices around you to enable a great Spotify experience that, to you as a consumer, intuitively works. That requires making sure that the integration for our partners is simple, such as with a voice-activated speaker.

At the end of the day, we need to deliver a simple solution for all: our users, partners, and creators.

Describe the opportunity for audio ahead. How do you ensure that listeners are aligned with that vision? 

As mentioned, the strategy is to make everything less complicated. It’s reducing work that you have to do—making sure that you don’t have to be that technically advanced to be able to get to Spotify wherever you are. If there are, say, currently five steps to navigate something, we at Spotify ask, why should our users have to navigate at all? Can we remove steps? 

We believe that we can take users on a journey to reevaluate audio and get more out of their lives with content from creators—in the right place at the right time. We think it’s less about listeners aligning with our vision than it is about us aligning with their behavior.

Some say that there can be too much screen time. Is there such a thing as too much audio as well?

It isn’t really a comparable analogy. For example, music speaks more to moods. It’s complementary: it’s not taking you away from your family, it’s not taking you away from your social interactions. It enhances those moments of your life. And with podcasts, we see that many people want to engage with longer-form content that goes deeper into a variety of topics, giving them a richer understanding of the world around them. We hope that that can be a really powerful force in society. 

Visit Explore Spotify to find playlists that suit a variety of moods and situations.

Five Ways to Make Your Discover Weekly Playlists Even More Personalized

May 2, 2019

Every Monday morning, Spotify listeners are greeted—some might say gifted—with a new Discover Weekly playlist to help set their soundtrack for the next seven days. The weekly dose of recommended songs started as a project from one of Spotify’s Hack Weeks, and quickly caught on. Now, every Monday, listeners get a new, curated playlist of 30 songs from a variety of artists to explore.

Ever logged in to find a seemingly perfect Discover Weekly? While it might seem like wizardry, Discover Weekly becomes more personalized the more you use and engage with it. Here are five ways to keep the curation “magic” going:

1. Heart This

Love a new track you just heard? Click the “heart” icon next to the song on mobile or desktop, and there will be more where that came from down the road.

2. Follow Along

Make sure to “follow” your favorite artists—the curation magic will pull in songs from similar artists that we have a hunch you’ll like. As for your “followed” artists, head over to your Release Radar playlist, which updates every Friday, to hear all their new music right after it drops.

3. You Really Really Like It

If you’re totally obsessed with a new-to-you track, add it to your own personally curated playlists. This lets us know the song is more than just a momentary obsession, and we’ll be sure to serve up songs in the same vein.

4. Don’t Overthink It

We all have that friend who shares a ton of tracks from their favorite new artist. But what if they’re not really your taste? Not to worry: Listening to a song once without replaying or “hearting” won’t affect your Discover Weekly selections.

5. Keep It Private

If you’re listening to music you may not want to show up in your Discover Weekly (for example, if your friend with questionable music taste is DJing a party from your phone), put your Spotify on Private Mode. If you’re streaming from desktop, simply click the down arrow shaped like a “V” in the top right corner of the app and select “Private Session.” For mobile and tablet, navigate to Settings, then Social, and turn on “Private Session.”

There you have it! All the information you need for future playlists. Now that you’re more in control of your Discover Weekly destiny, prepare for a whole new world of soon-to-be-favorite songs and artists at your fingertips every Monday.

Open your Discover Weekly and get listening!

How to Set Up Spotify on Your Amazon Alexa-Enabled Device

December 14, 2018

So you just unwrapped an Amazon Alexa, Echo, or Echo Dot—maybe someone who really gets you gifted one, or perhaps the holidays inspired you to treat yo’ self. Don’t start the new year with the smart speaker still sitting in its box. Setting it up to play classic, pop, and everything else is a done deal in three steps.

What you’ll need: your new device, the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone or tablet, and your Spotify login info. Here’s how to connect Amazon Alexa to Spotify:

  1. First, download the Amazon Alexa app from the Google Play or App store, and follow the prompts to set up your new Amazon Echo or Echo Dot.
  2. Once connected, go to “Settings,” select “Music,” click “Link New Service,” and then tap “Spotify” to input your Spotify username and password. 
  3. Select “Default Services” to set Spotify as your default music service—et voilà.

Bonus hack: Once Alexa is up and running, you can even listen to another user’s Spotify account. Just ask Alexa to “Spotify Connect,” and the device will search for another one on the same Wi-Fi network. Stealing your holiday houseguests’ excellent playlists is encouraged.

Ready? Try asking Alexa to play the very best of your library, or help you discover something new, by saying:

“Alexa…”

  • “Play Spotify.”
  • “Play my Discover Weekly.”
  • “Play hip-hop music.”
  • “Pause.”
  • “Resume Spotify.”
  • “Like this song.”
  • “Play the next song.”
  • “What’s playing?”
  • “What’s this album?”

Spotify Integrates With Google Maps for Music on Every Mile of Your Journey

October 1, 2018

If you could walk 500 miles, but you’d rather drive 500 more, you may as well join the masses and stream “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers – the most popular song on road trip playlists – for your own adventure.

More and more, people are streaming their music from Spotify while on the go. In some cases, that means they’re using their mobile devices for both music and navigation, with navigation as the most widely used non-music app in the car. Now, instead of switching back and forth between your tunes and your directions, our new integration with Google Maps allows you to control what you’re listening to from Spotify right in the Maps app.

We’ve previously seen how well navigation works in harmony with music through our integration with Waze in 2017. Starting today, millions of Google Maps users across Spotify markets will be able to to “jam through the traffic jam” on both iOS and Android. After connecting your Spotify account, you’ll be ready to start.

Now, Spotify users can enable playback controls within the Google Maps navigation settings and enjoy music and podcasts from Spotify during an active navigation, making Spotify an easily accessible and natural part of your journey. Pause, play, or skip until you’ve found your perfect jam.

Switching and selecting music will be seamless as well. Through a simple entry-point from the Google Maps app into Spotify, you’ll be able to browse songs, albums, and playlists. There will be a banner in Spotify to help you to return to your active navigation.

So on your next excursion, we’ve got you covered—between streaming your own playlists, our featured Daily Lift or Morning Commute playlists, or playing your favorite album on shuffle, you can now travel to the beat of your favorite tunes and keep your eyes on the destination ahead.

The integration will be rolling out to all Google Maps users over the next few days. Ensure that you have the latest version of Spotify & download Google Maps on the iOS App Store here and Google Play store here.

Wake Up to the Perfect Soundtrack with Spotify and Clock App from Google™

July 31, 2018

Trouble getting up in the morning? Don’t worry. Whether you’re looking to hit the snooze button or need a jolt of energy, Spotify and the Clock app from Google™ will now offer the perfect soundtrack to start your day.

Starting today, Spotify and Google are partnering to help both and free and Premium users on Android™ phones to set their own unique alarms with music from Spotify’s 35 million track catalog. Setting a personal soundtrack to your waking moments has never been easier.

“We’re excited to bring the ability to personalize your alarms on the Clock app from Google with the incredible music catalog from Spotify,” says Jorge Espinel, VP Business Development at Spotify. “This has been a top Spotify user request for years, and we can’t wait to see music fans picking their favorite tracks, artists, and playlists to kick-start their day.”

Simply open up the Clock app from Google™, connect and authenticate your Spotify account, and you’re ready to:

Set your personal alarm soundtrack 

Make your way to the ‘Alarms’ tab to find instant music recommendations and effortlessly search and select any track, album, artist or playlist from Spotify to greet you the following morning. The same great experience is also available for our free users in shuffle mode.

Continue listening throughout your morning

To make sure you hit the ground running, Spotify has filled the tab inside the Clock app from Google™ with personalized recommendations from your recently played music, as well as curated Spotify morning playlists including I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning, Have a Great Day!, and Songs to Sing in the Shower.

Once you turn off the alarm, you’ll see an option to ‘Continue Playing’, offering a seamless way to continue listening and set you up for a productive day with Spotify.

The Clock app from Google™ comes preinstalled on some Android devices & is available for download via the Google Play store for all Android mobile users.

The integration will be rolling out to all users on Android over the next few days*.

Rise and shine! 

*Users in all 65 markets where Spotify is available.

Update August 10, 2020: We’re excited to introduce a new feature within the Clock app from Google “Bedtime” functionality in which users can select Sleep sounds from specifically-curated sleep and relaxation Spotify playlists, or search for specific content to play. Plus, after content is selected, users can set a timer for the audio to stop playing. Happy dreaming!