Spotify is launching redesigned desktop apps for Windows and macOS along with an updated web app, replacing the cluttered look and feel with a more streamlined user interface.
Redesigned Spotify Apps Are Looming
Along the way, Spotify felt "that our desktop app experience hadn’t kept up, and that it was time for a change," according to the official announcement on For the Record.
By aligning the experience across both platforms, we've not only been able to present a cohesive look and feel, but also refine navigation to help people quickly find what they're looking for. The redesigned experience for desktop and web makes the features you already know and love simpler and easier to use.
The visual changes start with the search bar at the top-left of the interface, which has been relocated to the tweaked navigation bar on the left-hand side. Spotify sections such as Made For You, Played, or Podcasts are now found in the Library.
Things have been moved around in the Your Library section, too. There's now a new dropdown menu in the top-right corner to sort the sub-sections within Your Library by most relevant, recently played, recently added, alphabetical, and more. And if you choose Custom Order, you will be able to define your own sorting criteria.
People who've been ticked off by the inability to edit their queue or view their recently played items on the desktop app can now breathe a collective sigh of relief, as both features are now present in Spotify's overhauled desktop apps for macOS and Windows.
New Spotify Playlist Controls
In removing inconsistencies between mobile, web, and desktop, Spotify has added new playlist features and a download button to save items for offline listening. Whether you're creating a new playlist from scratch or adding content to existing playlists, you'll appreciate an embedded search bar that makes adding songs and podcast episodes a cinch.
Building and sharing your own playlists with friends and the public is now easier across the desktop and web apps, too, thanks to drag and drop support along with new personalization features, such as custom playlist descriptions. And to help make custom playlists truly your own, Spotify now lets you upload your own cover images.
Music Downloads and Other Tidbits
The new Download button in the desktop app lets you save music and podcasts to play without an internet connection (Spotify Premium is required for offline functionality).
Listener profile pages now include both your top artist and top tracks. Moreover, an artist radio or a radio session for any song can now be quickly started through the app's three-dotted menu. On the Mac side, Spotify supports new keyboard navigation shortcuts. The full list of shortcuts can be pulled up by pressing Command (⌘) + ? on your Mac keyboard.
And lastly, Spotify highlights the importance of the web interface and consistent appearance across platforms. "We believe in the future of both platforms," Spotify said. "We want to make sure it can continue to serve the needs of our users now and in the future."
These changes will roll out to all users globally soon.