Spotify

Update: Spotify has said: “Something’s not quite right, and we’re looking into it. Thanks for your reports!”

It’s not just you: Spotify is facing an ongoing outage that is affecting many of its users around the world. According to posts on social media, the outage began shortly after 10 a.m. PT and is still ongoing. Spotify has not yet acknowledged the outage or given any indication of when the service will come back online.

Heat was added to the Spotify vs. Apple battle today, when seven other companies and organizations co-signed a letter calling for “swift and decisive” regulatory action to be taken against the Cupertino company.

Spotify told the European Commission that it has been almost four years since the company filed an antitrust complaint against Apple, and accused the commission’s executive VP and former competition regulator of “failing to act decisively” …

Spotify currently offers a variety of curated playlists for its users, but it seems that the company wants to take this experience even further. The company has reportedly been working on a new feature that will integrate its iOS app with HealthKit, so that users will have workout playlists based on their health data.

It’s not just Elon Musk using Twitter to complain about Apple (even if Tim Cook is now his new bestie): Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has tweeted a lengthy thread about his views on the Cupertino company.

He claims that Apple doesn’t care about consumers, courts, or the law – only its own interests …

Spotify’s popular Wrapped experience is now available that pulls together all of your most listened-to tracks, artists, genres, and more. This year there’s also a “Listening Personality” test to reveal what your music taste says about you.

Alongside the launch of Apple Music Replay today, there’s a new third-party website that aims to give Spotify users insight into their listening habits. Dubbed “Instafest,” this service connects to your Spotify account and uses your listening data to curate a custom music festival based on your favorite artists.

Spotify has pushed more and more into podcasting in recent years, including its acquisition of the podcast creation platform Anchor in 2019. Now, Spotify is rolling out an update to the dedicated Anchor app on iPhone with a new feature it says can drastically improve the audio of your podcast with just one click…

Spotify has announced a handful of updates today, but most notable for Apple users is an all-new version of the Spotify for Apple Watch application. Spotify says this app features a “new and improved listening experience” with updates to the library interface, browsing, podcasts, and more.

Over the years, it’s become clear that Apple is far better at “playing fair” than Spotify when it comes to Apple Music royalties for artists. A new video posted to YouTube this week by independent music producer L.Dre further underscores the discrepancy between Apple Music and Spotify, with details on royalties, payouts, and much more.

Earlier this week, Spotify ran to the press to complain that Apple had rejected the latest version of its iOS app for skirting in-app purchase rules as it worked on adding audiobooks as a new feature. As we all expected, Spotify has now given in to Apple’s demands, but it couldn’t resist taking one more jab along the way…

We’re getting close to two years since Spotify announced it would be launching a HiFi offering. After the extended delay, the company could be close to debuting a new “Platinum plan” with high-res music, a headphone tuner, “Studio Sound,” “Library Pro,” “Playlist Pro,” and limited ads for podcasts.

Spotify audiobooks are now on sale, following the company’s announcement that it was further diversifying its business model by acquiring the audiobook platform Findaway. It follows a previous diversification into podcasting.

If this sounds like old news, that’s because Spotify previously dipped its toe into the waters by offering just a handful of public domain titles, but has now 300,000 paid titles available …

Spotify is making a change to its interface that makes it easier to know whether you’re about to play an album or playlist on shuffle. This comes after Spotify adjusted the shuffle vs. play design in response to criticism from Adele last year.

Today, Spotify has announced another personalized playlist for its users to take advantage of. With the Friends Mix, you have a playlist made for you but inspired by what your friends are listening to.

Spotify is no longer making Car Thing, a dashboard accessory that makes using the streaming service easier in your vehicle. This announcement was made during yesterday’s earnings release.

Remotion is a macOS-only Spotify client that works similarly to Apple’s SharePlay feature but for audio/video calls with friends or coworkers. With the app, you can listen to music and talk like you’re side by side with them – and the best part is that Remotion works even with those who don’t have Spotify Premium.

Spotify has been investing more and more in podcasts, and now the company wants to make it even easier for anyone to share their own podcast on the platform. Starting in New Zealand, Spotify is adding a new podcast creation tool to its mobile app.