Spotify is introducing a new design for the home section of its mobile app with a more visual and dynamic look. The design includes a vertical TikTok-style video feed, which was announced during the beta test last year. The visual feeds aim to promote deeper discovery and meaningful connections between artists and fans.
The new design will also offer audio and video clips for users to preview in the:
- Music
- Podcasts
- Audiobooks sections
Users will be able to save, share, and preview multiple songs, playlists, albums, and read episode transcriptions, and watch video podcasts. The new feeds will also be available in the Search interface where clips are arranged by genre. Spotify will also put visual content in its curated playlists like Discover Weekly, Release Radar, New Music Friday, and Rap Caviar, providing previews for songs in those collections. However, unlike some of the earlier tests, the company has not added a fourth button to the app’s navigation bar for these newly scrollable feeds.
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In the Music section, US and Canadian users will find Spotify’s AI DJ below their personalized shortcuts, with audio and visual snippets of songs displayed as you scroll. You can preview up to five songs by tapping on the cards and context for the recommendations will be provided.
The Podcast section will still display the eight shortcuts at the top, with selected shows previewed below. Each recommendation will have an audio sample, real-time transcription, or video clip, and listeners can choose to continue listening from the part they previewed or start from the beginning. The Audiobook feed will function similarly to the Podcast previews.
Spotify has announced that its Enhance tool will be renamed Smart Shuffle, which offers more than just playlist recommendations. In addition to suggesting tracks that match the playlist’s mood, Smart Shuffle also changes its order to create a more personalized listening experience.
To activate it, users simply need to double-tap on the shuffle icon. Once activated, any suggested tracks will be marked with a star icon, making them easy to identify in the playlist. If users want to revert back to their original playlist without any recommendations, they can tap the Smart Shuffle button once more. This new feature is designed to enhance the user’s listening experience by providing them with a personalized mix of tracks that match their mood and preferences.
In addition, Spotify is introducing an auto-play feature for podcasts in its app, allowing users to automatically start playing another relevant episode based on what they were listening to. Users can turn off auto-play if they prefer not to continue listening to another episode. Spotify says that some of the newly added features will be available immediately, while others will be released in the coming months.
