Music streaming service Spotify has finally added free, ad-supported music playback to its Windows Phone 8 app. Released last year, the app has inexplicably lagged behind its Android and iOS counterparts, both of which include the feature. Announced on Spotify’s own blog, the app now has free (well, sort of) music available at all times.
It’s the main new feature added in an app update, and lets users listen to playlists, either of your own creation or by those you follow, and music by specific artists in shuffle mode, all without paying a subscription fee. Yes, you’ll have to listen to the odd advert sometimes, but it’s a small price to pay for this much free content.
The app update also includes a few other enhancements, primarily centered around the search feature, which has been given a visual makeover and tweaked to give better results, particularly when looking for new music.
The addition of the free shuffle mode should be welcomed by Windows Phone owners, and the omission of the feature has seen the app receive some poor ratings on the Windows Phone Store. It’s hardly surprising, given the feature works perfectly on competing smartphone operating systems. The $10 per month Spotify Premium option is still there if you want to avoid the ads, and download playlists for offline use.
If you already have the Spotify app installed on your Windows Phone 8 device, then all you need to do is update it to the latest version. If Spotify isn’t installed, then you can grab it from here.