Spotify has added new features to its free plan

Spotify is making the free plan more user-friendly. The main new feature is the introduction of Pick & Play: you can now open any album or playlist, select the song you want, and play it immediately. Previously, free users were limited to random play mode, which was frustrating.

Pick & Play and new restrictions

Previously, selecting a track in an album or playlist didn’t mean it would start — the app would turn on random songs, and users would spend a limit of six skips per hour to hear the song they wanted. Now, the first song can be turned on directly, but then Spotify puts you back into «shuffle» mode. Listening to albums in a row remains a premium subscription privilege.

Skipping is still allowed, but the further sequence of songs remains randomized. The company has not yet specified whether the limit of six skips per hour will change.

Additional skips are still allowed, but the further sequence of songs remains randomized.

Search & Play and Share & Play

• Search & Play allows you to find the song you want and play it immediately;
• Share & Play allows you to launch a track directly from a sent link.

These features make it much easier to interact with the app and bring the free plan closer to the paid version.

Advertising stays

Despite the improvements, ads haven’t gone anywhere. Users will still hear ads. However, now after the ads, the track launches immediately without additional random songs, making listening more predictable.

Other Spotify updates

The company recently unveiled other major changes. The long-awaited lossless-audio finally became available years after first being promised. There are also Smart Filters  (Smart Filters) that let you sort your music by mood, genre, or activity.

These steps show that Spotify is actively working to ensure that even the free plan remains competitive and convenient.