The Wordle spinoff Heardle is a global phenomenon played by music enthusiasts everywhere. It's so popular, in fact, that it has spinoffs of its own. But Spotify is getting rid of Heardle less than a year after acquiring it. In this article, we'll explain why this is happening and give you three Heardle alternatives you can play instead. Let's get started.

Spotify Is Killing Heardle

Heardle players are up in arms following Spotify's announcement that it's doing away with the game. Players were met with a short message on the platform letting them know the game would be sunset on May 5, 2023. Spotify also encourages you to take a screenshot of your stats before May 4, 2023, after which you won't be able to access them.

The Heardle game was released in February 2022, and Spotify acquired Heardle in July 2022. Heardle had a lot of buzz when it was released, thanks to the game that inspired it—Wordle. One could say Heardle was already set up for success when Spotify bought it.

So, why the decision to do away with it so soon?

Why Spotify Is Killing Heardle

While Spotify didn't give players a reason for closing down Heardle, a spokesperson did provide TechCrunch with the following statement:

After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Heardle as we focus our efforts on other features for music discovery.

So, there you have it: Spotify wants to focus on other efforts centered around music discovery. However, this can be confusing since Heardle lets you discover and play a possibly new song every day, whether you guessed it correctly or not. Besides, Heardle still had players in a chokehold.

So why kill it? We have a few ideas.

While many people enjoy playing Heardle, it has its problems. In fact, some people believe Spotify ruined Heardle because of one or more of these issues.

While Heardle isn't available everywhere in the world, some people who have access to it have reported that the website suddenly does not allow them to use it and shows them the notification below instead.

Heardle's song choice also fell flat at times.

Some songs featured weren't exactly hot on the Billboard charts or commercial successes. Instead, they might have been popular on other platforms like TikTok. This is an issue because it leaves out a significant demographic that is familiar with the classic tracks typically featured on Heardle. It also makes it difficult to accurately guess the song based purely on the intro.

Moreover, Heardle strangely featured songs from the same artists multiple times, which is understandably annoying. Not to mention, it goes against Spotify's goal of facilitating music discovery. For instance, Green Day and Imagine Dragons are just some of the bands that have had more than enough exposure on Heardle, especially within a short period.

Be that as it may, Heardle isn't the only feature Spotify has removed from its portfolio. In April 2023, Spotify closed down its live radio feature, Spotify Live, after running it for years.

Heardle Alternatives You Should Play Instead

You may be wondering how you'll spend your Heardle-dedicated minutes now that it's going away. Worry not; we've got you covered with a few alternatives.

1. Songlio

This is a free song-guessing game you can play on your computer, offering single-player and multiplayer options. Choose from a long list of standard and community-made quizzes. When playing Songlio, time is of the essence. You start by listening to a short song clip, and then you must type the name of the song as fast as possible. Whoever has the most points at the end wins.

2. binb

binb is a bit different as it doubles as a 24-hour radio station. You start by joining a music category. After that, you have about 30 seconds to guess both song titles and their artists back to back, all while battling it out with other players. The leaderboard is shown on the screen, so you can see who your competition is.

3. Lyricle

As the name suggests, Lyricle makes you guess the song name or artist based on a line from its lyrics. As with Heardle, you're given six attempts. Each incorrect guess reveals another line of the song lyrics to make it easier. Afterward, you have less than 10 minutes before the next song comes up. You can listen to the song you guessed on SoundCloud to pass the time while you wait.

Lyricle is for those music lovers who are well-versed in song lyrics, so be sure to think carefully before submitting your answer.

Play Music-Guessing Games for Free

While the news of Heardle being discontinued by Spotify is saddening, there are tons of other music-guessing games to explore for free. Try the games we've listed in this article for something different but not too far out. Who knows, maybe you'll enjoy them so much you won't even miss Heardle.