Spotify: Premium users get their own play button

Premium paying users of the music streaming service Spotify now each get a separate play and shuffle button instead of the combined play/shuffle button previously used to shuffle a playlist.

Play and shuffle as separate buttons

This simple and overdue change will also differentiate between the free and paid versions in the future, because in the free, ad-supported free version of Spotify, playlists can only be played in shuffle mode. The change to the Spotify app will be rolled out in all markets worldwide in the coming weeks and will be implemented simultaneously for both Android and iOS. In the future, premium users will simply see two separate buttons for play and shuffle in the app instead of the previously combined button.

With this new change, you can choose the mode you prefer at the top of playlists and albums and listen the way you want. Whether you like the unexpected with Shuffle mode, or prefer listening to tunes in sequence by simply pressing Play, Spotify has you covered. Spotify

Criticism had changed albums

In the past, Spotify’s adherence to shuffle play via the play button has drawn particular criticism from artists who want their album to be heard in a certain order and for whom the order of songs shouldn’t be random – including Adele who had publicly complained about Spotify’s preference for the shuffle. Unlike playlists, Spotify had therefore already replaced the combined play/shuffle button on albums with a pure play button. In the future, Premium users will be able to choose whether to play the songs sorted or shuffled, both for albums and playlists, right in the main window.

Lossless streaming keeps shifting

However, worldwide customers still have to wait for Spotify HiFi. About a year and a half ago, Spotify announced that it will offer lossless streaming with a higher quality than before. In early 2021, the feature was announced as “this year,” but nothing came of it. Spotify still does not give a new date for the hi-fi function.