Spotify makes its Family plan more enticing with a free Google Home Mini

By Kris Wouk October 31, 2018

Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends — Image used with permission by copyright holder

As the battle between Apple Music and Spotify continues to intensify, Apple Music is currently in the lead in the United States. Spotify is still enormously popular though, and now the company is trying a tactic to entice users into signing up for a family plan: Free hardware. On Wednesday, October 31, the company announced that it would be giving free Google Home Mini devices to Spotify Premium subscribers.

On its own, the Google Home Mini retails for $50, while a Spotify Premium plan is $15 per month. Getting a $50 gift while also possibly saving money for yourself and your family sounds like a pretty good deal, especially if you’re already a subscriber or were planning to look into a Family plan already. It also adds a new way to interact with Spotify if you aren’t already a Google Home user.

“We’re excited to be partnering with Google Home to bring the magic of voice to our Spotify Premium Family subscribers. After all, what’s more fun than sharing the music you love with the people you love,” Spotify Chief Premium Business Officer Alex Norström said in the announcement. “For Family Plan subscribers, enjoying those moments will only get better. Now anytime their favorite artists come up, they can simply say ‘Hey Google, turn it up!’”

Once you have your Google Home Mini, you will be able to use phrases like “Hey Google, play Spotify” to get started and “Hey Google, pause” to put the music on hold. When you’re ready to get back to it, all you need to do is say “Hey Google, resume Spotify.” You can also use the functionality to find out more about what you’re currently listening to with phrases like “Hey Google, what’s this album?” or “Hey Google, when did this song come out?”

If you’re interested in this deal, you might not want to hold off. While it hasn’t said exactly how long the offer will be available, Spotify says that the Google Home Mini will only be available to subscribers of its Family plan for a limited time beginning Thursday, November 1. To sign up and get started, head to the Spotify website.

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Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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