Spotify has gotten rid of its disco ball logo that received hate across the web. But if you only use Spotify on your PC, you never saw the logo at all. That fact gives us a hint as to how Spotify feels about Windows 11.

The icon was part of the Spotify 20: Your Party of the Year(s) experience that allowed users to see their first day on Spotify, the total number of songs they've listened to, their first streamed song, and their most-streamed artist.

That experience was limited to mobile users, meaning Windows 11 users could not celebrate their past with the service. Windows 11 users were also spared from seeing the controversial disco ball — or deprived depending on your point of view.

Many shared passionate responses about the logo. Spotify responded by stating the change was only temporary.

Windows 11 was not the only operating system left out. Some Android users saw the disco ball icon, but it never rolled out to everyone.

Spotify has not shared why it left Windows 11 out of the party experience. Windows 11 is often left out of short-term campaigns by Spotify, so it's not as if the company slighted Windows 11 specifically for this one.

But that highlights a greater issue. Why isn't the desktop version of Spotify part of the full experience? I know many disliked the icon, but it can be fun to look back at listening history. The demand from PC users for interactive features is clearly there. Spotify eventually brought a functional Wrapped experience to desktop after years of keeping it mobile-only.

Instead, the Windows 11 app feels completely frozen in time, missing out on modern UI overhauls and native settings such as audio equalizers. Many features are exclusive to mobile devices or better optimized for smartphone use.

It's clear that Spotify does not value integrating its app with Windows 11. The Spotify widget is an embarrassment that doesn't even show your playlists or audio controls. It just presents a few trending playlists.

Even if you hated the disco ball icon, you should be able to hate it alongside everyone else rather than be left out.

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Original article: To the surprise of precisely nobody, Xbox and Playground Games' new highly anticipated open-world arcade racer Forza Horizon 6 has been a huge hit so far, with the game enjoying rave reviews from critics, a massive Early Access debut, and an even bigger full launch that's seen nearly 300,000 players get behind the wheel concurrently on Steam alone.

The game's even got a healthy modding scene already, with graphics and audio tweaks, ReShade presets, and more live on the Forza Horizon 6 section of Nexus Mods. One project in particular, though, stands above the rest as particularly cool in my eyes: Spotify Radio, a mod that allows you to play your Spotify music through an in-game radio station.

I first caught wind of it when its author BigJohn0 posted about it on the r/ForzaModding Reddit, and was impressed by its functionality. It takes advantage of Spotify Connect — a feature of the music app that streams music through another device over Wi-Fi — to hook into Forza Horizon 6's Streamer Mode/R10 radio channel and replace it with "FH6 Radio."

While connected to that channel with Spotify Connect on your phone or computer as well as in your car in-game, any music that you play on Spotify will come through in Forza Horizon 6.

That alone is awesome, but what's even cooler is that since the audio is routed through the game's radio system, it's mixed like tunes from its radio stations, and doesn't just sound like flat background music. The in-game radio HUD even correctly lists the artist and track name.

Pretty sick, right? Sadly, though, you can't actually download and use the mod right now, as it was quickly "quarantined" by Nexus Mods' algorithms after they flagged it as potentially dangerous. BigJohn0 says this is because Spotify Radio uses a .dll file, which is sometimes used by bad faith actors to run malware.

Some have asked them to upload the mod on GitHub instead, but BigJohn0 has chosen not to since linking to it on Nexus would go against the site's terms and also because they don't want to publish the source code.

In the end, that means Spotify Radio won't likely be obtainable until Nexus Mods moderators manually review the mod files and verify that they're safe to use, which will hopefully happen sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on it; I'll update this article once it's cleared.

Once the mod is no longer locked down and becomes downloadable again, however, installation will be a very simple process. As the mod page's description states, all you have to do is unzip the mod's files into your Forza Horizon 6 game directory, turn Radio DJ off and Streamer Mode on in-game, and connect Spotify to FH6 Radio in the Connect menu on the app (the button for it looks like a speaker).

Some more good news: the mod works on both the Steam and Xbox on PC versions of the game, and should be completely safe to play with since it's entirely client-side and doesn't upload any data to Forza's servers. The only drawback of Spotify Radio is that it requires having a Spotify Premium membership, as you can't make use of Spotify Connect without one. If you're like me and have one already, though, that's hardly a problem at all.

Will you use the Spotify Radio mod once you can actually download it? Let me know down below.

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Windows users (and those of us from the Windows Phone era) are used to big platforms giving us features after everyone else, but that's not the case with Spotify's latest.

The newest feature, Exclusive Mode, is currently only available on the Windows desktop version of Spotify, though the company has confirmed it will eventually make its way to Mac.

So, what is Exclusive Mode? The short version is that it's Spotify's new quality feature, allowing us to hear "Bit Perfect" music playback, especially paired with the lossless setting.

It works by allowing Spotify to take complete and total control of your PCs audio processing, bypassing any alterations that other Windows apps and services might make to your output. From the Spotify announcement post:

"Without Exclusive Mode turned on, your computer may alter audio before it reaches your DAC by resampling it, mixing other system sounds in, and changing the volume. When Exclusive Mode is turned on in the Audio Output settings, Spotify takes full control of your computer's audio processing to deliver music exactly as it was mastered with Bit Perfect playback. This is ideal for listeners with a DAC or audio interface who want the purest possible sound without resampling and interference from their computer's audio mixer. "

Exclusive Mode can be enabled in Settings inside the latest version of the Spotify app on Windows 11 (1.2.84 or higher). To get it to show, you'll need to change the Device under Output to something other than system default.

Choose the device you want to use Exclusive Mode with, such as a DAC or audio interface, and you're good to go. You won't be able to use any other apps for audio through this device while you have Spotify running with Exclusive Mode turned on. It only works with music, too, not videos, podcasts, or audiobooks.

If you try, you'll just see an error. YouTube, for example, wouldn't play a video at all, throwing a problem with the audio rendering, and the Windows 11 videos app does something similar.

Is Exclusive Mode Spotify's new killer feature on Windows?

This is obviously a very targeted, niche feature for those who simply want to hear the absolute best quality music from Spotify on their PC.

I don't have that kind of hardware (right now) so I won't get the best from it, but if you do, let us know how you're finding it.

For more on Exclusive Mode check out Spotify's support document.

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The annual Spotify Wrapped showcase for 2025 is now rolling out! Each holiday season, Spotify subscribers can view all the music and podcasts they've listened to throughout the past year in a handy Instagram-like story feed, highlighting top artists, albums, songs, and other listening habits for your viewing pleasure.

This year, the Spotify Wrapped showcase can be found directly in the Spotify app on iOS and Android. If you're on a computer, you sadly won't be able to view your wrapped as the feature is only available in the mobile apps this year. You might not see the wrapped showcase appear right away, but rest assured it's rolling out as we speak so it might just take a few minutes to appear.

The story feed will present you different categories of listening statistics, where you can tap through and even share your results with friends and family. It'll even detail the total amount of minutes and hours you've spend listening to music with Spotify this year, and some artists will have even recorded special video messages saying thank you to their most loyal listeners.

Last year, Spotify also launched a feature that let you view your Spotify Wrapped in the form of a podcast generated by AI. Two AI hosts would chat about your listening habits, which is a unique take on the wrapped showcase.

If you look at the Microsoft Store listing for djay, the music mixing app by Algoriddim, the top comment is pretty clear.

"Very good, but Spotify plug in would make it much better!"

Today's your lucky day, because that is exactly what has arrived at long last. Starting today, djay users on both Windows and Mac will be able to access the entire Spotify catalog of music, and mix it as they please.

From the official announcement:

"With just a login, Spotify Premium subscribers can instantly browse and mix millions of songs through djay. From curating the perfect home party set to exploring new music, users can effortlessly drag and drop tracks into djay’s decks, create seamless transitions across genres with intelligent beat-matching, play using built-in DJ tools, or connect their favorite DJ hardware for tactile control."

The only requirement is that you're a Spotify Premium subscriber, which is fair. But assuming you meet that criteria, you will have access to everything you have on Spotify. Your own playlists, Spotify's own playlists, all of it.

Furthermore, if you're less in the mood to create and more in the mood to relax, the djay Automix feature will also work with music from Spotify.

I'll admit, I'm not someone who's really tried djay before, though I've been aware of it for many years. I'm generally more of a listener, than a creator. But the addition of Spotify support does make me want to try it out.

With a very focused app such as this, you need a source of music, right? I have some music stored locally, and digitally, but generally if it's not on my decades of CDs or vinyl records, it comes from Spotify. I'd have been pretty lost trying to be a superstar djay without much music handy!

I think it's a feature that could really bring new users in, too. Spotify isn't the only music service out there, but it's the most popular. For many, Spotify is the only place they have music. It's clearly a sentiment echoed by the folks at Algoriddim, the makers of djay.

The CEO, Karim Morsy, said:

"Bringing Spotify into djay marks a major milestone in our mission to make DJing accessible to everyone. Whether you’re a beginner experimenting at home using only your laptop, or a seasoned DJ performing with hardware, you can now tap into Spotify’s massive catalog directly in djay and enjoy the music you love in a whole new way.”

You need to go where the users are. For PC gaming, that's Steam. For music, that's Spotify. Better yet, it launches today in 51 markets, and if you're on Windows you can grab the latest update from the Microsoft Store.

Windows 11 users will soon have a seamless way to resume apps from their Android phone on their PC. Microsoft just released an Insider build of Windows 11 that includes support for Cross Device Resume.

If you're a Windows Insider in the Dev or Beta Channels, you may see the option to continue listening to a Spotify track on your computer. The feature is gradually rolling out, so you may not see it even if you're in the Dev or Beta Channels.

I've used Windows my entire life and since the death of Windows Phone, my smartphones have run Android. While both of those operating systems meet my needs, I am envious of the Apple ecosystem sometimes.

If you're fully invested in Apple software and hardware, it feels like your devices are an extension of a single platform. Microsoft has taken several steps over the years to replicate this, but there are some gaps.

Microsoft has quite a few ways to connect devices across platforms, including OneDrive, Microsoft Edge, and Link to Windows. If you have a Samsung phone and laptop, you'll enjoy even more connections. The new Cross Device Resume feature builds on that idea.

In addition to Cross Device Resume, Windows 11 Build 26200.5761 improves the battery icon on the lock screen and includes the following changes, as outlined by Microsoft.

Windows 11 Build 26200.5761: Changes and Improvements

Click to Do (Preview)

The following changes and improvements are rolling out for Click to Do on Copilot+ PCs:

• By pressing and holding two fingers anywhere on your screen (on your Copilot+ PC with a touch screen), you can simultaneously launch Click to Do, select the entity under your finger and see relevant actions. This new invocation method provides the ability to use touch with an accelerated entry point into Click to Do, like Win + Click when using a mouse or touchpad today.

Agent in Settings

The following changes and improvements are rolling out for agent in Settings on Copilot+ PCs:

• We now provide a direct navigation link to the corresponding settings page from the agent search results.

Automatic Super Resolution

The following changes and improvements are rolling out for Automatic Super Resolution (Auto SR) on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs:

• We have simplified the settings controls and added streamlined ways to configure Auto SR directly from toast notifications.

Input

• We’re adding a new keyboard shortcut to make it easier for you to insert an En dash (–) or Em dash (—) while typing anywhere in Windows. Going forward, pressing WIN + Minus (-) will insert En dash, and WIN + Shift + Minus (-) will insert Em dash. Note – if you have Magnifier running, WIN + Minus (-) will still zoom out Magnifier, rather than inserting an En dash.

Windows Share

• In the last few Dev and Beta flights, we have begun trying out the ability to pin your favorite apps in the Windows share window.

Windows 11’s Handoff clone

Microsoft has been testing this functionality for a while, though the feature was not always documented publicly. Back in February, Microsoft started testing the ability to resume OneDrive files on your PC. That functionality shipped to Windows 11 recently.

The tech giant then held a session during Build 2025 titled "Create Seamless Cross-Device Experiences with Windows for your app." That session was later deleted, but X user @phantomofearth managed to grab a screenshot before the removal.

Coss Device Resume bridges the gap between your phone and your PC by allowing you to pick up where you left off. The feature was originally limited to OneDrive files but will soon support other apps.

I confess I’m confused about why Microsoft chose Spotify to demonstrate this feature. Spotify already has built-in features that allow you to seamlessly continue to listen to content across devices.

I understand Cross Device Resume is an OS feature that developers can implement in apps lacking similar functionality. But demonstrating it with one of those apps would have had more impact.

Since the feature is new, we will likely see more developers adopt it over time. Microsoft invites developers to integrate Cross Device Resume into apps in its Windows Insider blog post. A document from the company outlines how to do so and provides resources for developers.

What you need to know

• Spotify's AI Playlist tool, still in beta, has expanded in its availability. 
• Premium subscribers in four new countries, including the United States and Canada, can create playlists simply by entering a text prompt as you might use on Copilot. 
• Unfortunately, the increased rollout doesn't expand the feature beyond mobile devices, so no Windows or web app support for now. 

Generative AI has a raft of uses, but one that I'm enjoying the most is being able to create playlists on Spotify simply by telling the app what I'm in the mood for. 

Now, finally, after a limited initial release of the AI Playlist beta tool, more Spotify Premium subscribers can try it out. Having been available only in the UK and Australia to this point, Spotify has flipped the switch for its customers in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. 

That's a pretty significant new base of users to use it, but if you're a heavy user of Spotify on PC, you're out of luck for now. The feature is still exclusive to iOS and Android, with the Windows desktop app and the web player still excluded for now. 

From Spotify's announcement post: 

"AI Playlist combines Spotify’s powerful personalization technology with generative AI, so users can turn their most creative ideas into playlists. Whether you’re totally new to the game or a prolific playlist creator, this feature offers a fun, easy way to create and curate that perfect musical mix, just for you."

Playlists and discoverability were the two biggest reasons I switched back to Spotify from Apple Music, and AI Playlist is another feather in what is arguably the service's cap. Having used it for a little while (sometimes being British does have its benefits), I'm really liking it. 

To create a playlist on the mobile app, all you need to do is tap the + button in your library and choose AI Playlist. Generating one only takes a text prompt, similar to the sort of thing you might enter into Copilot or ChatGPT. 

For example, I was in the mood for a little country this evening, so I entered this prompt: 

"Country music with female vocalists from the last ten years." 

After a brief moment, Spotify spat out this playlist of 30 tracks, gave it a name and saved it to my library. AI generated playlists are labelled as "Curated with AI" so you'll never be in any doubt where they came from. 

So, for Windows users it's still a mild inconvenience that you'll have to grab your phone to use AI to generate playlists. But it's more important that the rollout has now finally hit the U.S., and a significant market can now start putting it to work. 

Bear in mind it's still in beta, but it's been pretty solid so far in my own experience. Hopefully Spotify doesn't keep it locked to mobile for too much longer, because I know I'd be using it a whole heap more if I could use it on my PC. 

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What you need to know

• Recently, Apple changed its App Store rules on iOS devices to comply with new EU rules on digital platforms. 
• Microsoft, Spotify, Epic Games, and others have decried the new policies as a step backwards. 
• Microsoft is aiming to set up a mobile gaming store on iOS and Android, despite Apple's anti-competitive blocks on Xbox Game Pass. 

Apple's new App Store rules designed to comply with new European legislation are under attack, as the firm seeks to profit from poorly worded clauses in the Digital Markets Act. 

Apple and others have been designated so-called "gatekeeper" companies, which subjects them to rules designed, in theory, to promote competition within digital platforms. However, Apple has managed to skirt the bulk of the new rules, by imposing a new tax on developers who choose to exist on third-party storefronts. 

The new EU rules are essentially forcing Apple to open itself up to side-loading and third-party storefronts, similarly to platforms like Windows 11. On Windows 11, you, I, or anyone can create and sell apps without having to pay a fee to Microsoft. The same is true on Android, however, Google doesn't exactly make it easy for third-party apps and services to be visible, as it aggressively controls default apps and services on its platform. The EU already forced Google to add an search engine choice when setting up a new phone on Android, but we're a long way from educating users on the fact third-party stores potentially exist, such as the Galaxy Store on Samsung phones. 

Apple is a different battleground all together. Apple blocks services like Xbox Game Pass and NVIDIA GeForce Now, since they would have to compete more directly for users' money, if they had a choice where to play games on its platforms. Microsoft has been hoping to grow its own third-party app and mobile game store on iOS and Android, and has been banking on the European Commission to help crack open iOS devices to that end. Sadly, it looks as though Apple has found a way to avoid complying fully.  

Microsoft Gaming President Sarah Bond called the new rules "a step in the wrong direction," and called on Apple to "listen to feedback" on the new rules. Spotify's Daniel Ek was a little less diplomatic, posting a large blog post calling out Apple for years of "bad behavior." 

"Under the new terms, if we stay in the App Store and want to offer our own in-app payment, we will pay a 17% commission and a 0.50 cent Euro Core Technology Fee per install and year," Ek continued, "this equates for us to being the same or worse as under the old rules. And if we managed to remove our app from the App Store and only existed in the Alternative App Store, that would still not work. With our EU Apple install base in the 100 million user range, this new tax on downloads and updates could skyrocket our customer acquisition costs, potentially increasing them tenfold. This, as we have to pay on every install or update to our free or paid app, even for those who no longer use the service."

Mozilla, Epic Games, and various other companies have also lined up to attack Apple for its new rules, which create various barriers, hurdles, and hidden taxes for developers who dare to build apps that aren't fully tying themselves to Apple's ecosystem. Apple, for example, is requesting that anyone trying to create a storefront on iOS needs to guarantee a credit line of 1 million euros to "support developers." In Windows 11 terms, it would be like telling companies like Steam, GOG, and Epic Games they can't set up a store on Windows without following a range of arbitrary rules. 

The EU's DMA also stipulates that Apple needs to allow alternative browser engines on iOS. Right now, browser firms are forced to use Apple's despised webkit platform. Apple is trying to make it more difficult for third-party browser engines like Chromium to create offerings on iOS with a range of similar, arbitrary barriers. "Apple’s proposals fail to give consumers viable choices by making it as painful as possible for others to provide competitive alternatives to Safari. This is another example of Apple creating barriers to prevent true browser competition on iOS," Mozilla's Damiano Demonte lamented (via The Verge).

Epic Games' CEO and Fortnite co-owner also lambasted Apple, "Under what possible theory of antitrust regulation is it acceptable for a monopoly to decide what companies are allowed to compete with it, and on what terms they can compete? Apple makes a mockery of free market competition."

Malicious compliance 

Apple's long-standing anti-competitive, anti-consumer stance has made it an incredibly wealthy company over the past few decades, building an ecosystem that hinges entirely offering a sub-par experience while hiding behind excuses like "privacy" while raising the spectre of imaginary viruses or hackers. 

Apple's taxes on developers and compliance burdens make it impossible for even the biggest companies to compete with its default offerings, giving them a wholly unfair advantage that also erodes the experience for users who dare to use competing services. I've seen people unironically praise Apple for giving musicians a better cut than Spotify on its platform, glossing over the fact Apple's tax burden it places on Spotify and other music services is money that could go towards artists instead. If you're a subscriber of NVIDIA GeForce Now or Xbox Game Pass, Apple doesn't want you to have access to those services on its platform, despite not offering a similar service of its own. 

Apple's behavior reduces consumer choice, increases prices, and stunts innovation, and it's about time regulators grew a pair and did something about it. 

Back in the days of Windows Phone, we'd often see all kinds of creative ways to interact with apps and services that we either didn't have or had sub-par support for. 

Learning from those days, I love to poke around on the web and see what interesting third-party projects are out there that do something exciting or improve my experience in something I use daily. Spicetify is exactly that: it makes the Spotify app for Windows just a little bit better. 

It also scratches my itch to open up a terminal to do things, so there's that. But Spicetify is simple to use, has extensive documentation, and will add a few tweaks to the Spotify Windows app that you might like — notably custom themes. 

Before we begin 

A quick note before going much further. Obviously, anything done to your Spotify app is at your own risk, though nothing in Spicetify will require you to enter login details. It simply injects its goodness into your existing application. 

You'll also want to be running the version downloaded directly from Spotify for best effect, as the version through the Microsoft Store has more limited support. So, if you want to try this stuff for yourself, it's best to make sure you get that version first. 

Installing Spicetify is a breeze

Installing Spicetify is straightforward, with the documentation telling you everything that you need to know. Essentially, you copy a command and paste it into a PowerShell window on your PC, and it'll do the rest. The project is also hosted on GitHub if you want to go and have a nose at what makes it tick. 

There are alternative methods, including the Windows Package Manager, but I went down the copy/paste route to install the prebuilt binary since it's the recommended method. 

The magic command you need is as follows: 

iwr -useb https://raw.githubusercontent.com/spicetify/spicetify-cli/master/install.ps1 | iex

I also installed the marketplace when prompted, as it's supposed to give you access inside the Spotify client to the custom themes and extensions, but it doesn't seem to work with the current version of the app. So you don't really need to worry about this part. 

The next thing to do is simply to enter the command spicetify into the terminal and run it. This initializes everything and creates the all-important config file. Besides actually needing this, the config file can be used to make changes with Spicetify without having to run commands in the terminal all the time. 

Using Spicetify to theme the Spotify app 

One of the main reasons you might think about using Spicetify at all is to add a custom theme to your Spotify app. The stock colors look OK, but who doesn't like to add their own flair? 

If adding a theme is where you'll end your use of this tool, then using the terminal isn't a bad way to go about it (I'll talk more about the config file later.) 

Spicetify has a list of a bunch of themes that have already been built for Spotify, with a great selection available in its own official repository. To add this to your PC, you will need to have Git installed. If you don't and need a pointer, I've written a guide on how to get started with Git on Windows.

Run the following command in PowerShell to get the themes downloaded to your PC: 

git clone --depth=1 https://github.com/spicetify/spicetify-themes.git

You then need to put them into the necessary themes folder, which you can do like this: 

cd spicetify-themescp * "$(spicetify -c | Split-Path)\Themes\" -Recurse

Once this is all set up, you can apply a theme using the terminal with this command. In this example, I'm using the "Matte" theme, but you would substitute that for the theme of your choice. 

spicetify config current_theme mattespicetify apply

The first time you do this, Spicetify will prompt you that you haven't created a backup. You should have one, so just follow the prompt. 

Any time you want to change it up, remember to use the spicetify apply command after changing the theme; otherwise, it won't apply the new one. The apply command will also automatically reload the Spotify app even if it's open, so you can check out your new theme. 

The Spicetify config file, extensions, and custom apps 

Beyond the extensive visual changes you can make, Spicetify also allows you to inject extensions and custom apps into Spotify. 

The image above shows one of the extensions, a pop-up lyrics widget that will sit atop any app you're currently using. It behaves like a pop-out video player might, so wherever you are you can see the lyrics of the track you're listening to. 

But rather than using the command line to apply these, I've found it's simplest to just add them into the config file. You can do as many as you want in a single hit, then just go back to the terminal and use the spicetify apply command to install and refresh everything. 

To edit the config file, you simply need a text editor and to know where the file is. Type spicetify -c into PowerShell, and it'll present you the location on your PC. I'm using VS Code in this example, but other text editors will also suffice if you don't have that. 

To add extensions, you need to know the file name, which can be found by looking at the Spicetify extensions catalog. Then add them like the following under the [AdditionalOptions] section of the config file after extensions =. In this example, I'm adding the trash bin and the pop-up lyrics: 

trashbin.js|popupLyrics.js

The same applies to custom apps, though there are less of these. I've added one that curates new releases from artists I'm following by date, and you apply these in the same section of the config file under custom_apps following the same template as with the extensions above. 

The config file can also be used to make changes to the theme rather than applying a new one through the command line. It's especially useful to change the theme in this way if the one you're using has multiple color schemes since you can make changes to both in one go. 

For example, in the image above, you'll see I've applied the theme "Text" and the color scheme "Dracula" to my config file. Once you're happy with all your changes, save the file, go back to the terminal, and give it a quick spicetify apply to get them all ready, and you're all set. 

Again, the Spicetify documentation contains all the details you need on what you can apply and what each addition does. 

Make Spotify your own 

I'm really happy I stumbled on Spicetify in one of my regular GitHub surfing sessions. With even just a few tweaks, I'm much happier with the Windows app now, and running a Dracula-themed interface that looks like it belongs in a terminal, I am happy, content, and enjoy using it so much more. 

The talk of the command line can be off-putting, but there's nothing to be afraid of. It's really easy to use, the documentation is excellent, and if you make a copy of the config file, you can easily paste your favorite settings across machines, too. 

If you're a Spotify user on Windows, give it a try. I'm pretty confident it'll make enjoying the app so much better for you!

What you need to know

• Spotify already has an AI DJ tool built in to create a customized stream of music, but it doesn't look like that's the end of it. 
• A ChatGPT-like AI chatbot has been discovered and subsequently confirmed to be in the works. 
• The tool will allow you to use AI to create playlists by entering a text prompt into the Spotify app. 

Ever since the emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot, I've thought that music streaming services would be a perfect use of the tech. Spotify is proving that to be correct, as beyond its current AI DJ, it looks like a 'SpotifyGPT' chatbot is on the way. 

The feature was discovered and shown off in a TikTok video by user @robdad_ and subsequently confirmed to be real by Spotify to the team at TechCrunch.  

It's certainly not widespread right now, I don't have access no matter how many times I look. The feature appears to be called "AI Playlists" and is accessed through the Your Library tab in the mobile app. 

Once accessed, it looks to be like most other AI chatbots, you simply enter a text prompt (or use one of Spotify's suggestions if you're short on ideas). It'll then generate you a playlist. 

Spotify didn't say anything else to TechCrunch regarding widespread availability, but hopefully it comes along pretty soon. 

The perfect addition to generating Spotify playlists

I recently went back to Spotify from Apple Music, and I've been enjoying the AI DJ a lot. I love music, but I don't follow the scene as closely as I used to, and discovery is a real problem for me. Spotify has, so far, been doing a much better job, and I'm happy with the switch. 

In that vein, I feel like adding more AI to the process is a smart move. Spotify already does an OK job with its auto-generated playlists, but I've never found them particularly great at surfacing new music. 

I have a wide taste, but being able to enter a simple text prompt based on the sort of music I'm in the mood for at any point and just have it spit out some tunes in seconds sounds incredible. I've integrated AI into my daily workflow, I can't wait to integrate it into my music. 

But generally it just makes total sense. Spotify does a good job learning from your listening history already, but AI can juice that up. I've been playing with a ChatGPT plugin recently to achieve a similar goal, and while it's been decent, it has wobbled a few times. Spotify's own version should be a killer addition. 

What you need to know

• Spotify's annual "Wrapped" roundup is now available for users on iPhone and Android.
• Spotify Wrapped presents you with your top listening statistics for the year, including songs and artists you've streamed the most.
• This year, you can also choose to listen to your wrapped in the form of a podcast with two AI hosts that will chat about your listening habits.
• You can access your Wrapped showcase in the Spotify app, or via the Spotify Wrapped website.

Spotify Wrapped 2024 is now LIVE! Every holiday season, the Spotify app rounds up all the music you've listened to in the past year and presents it in a neat little showcase that details your most listened to songs, artists, and genres. This year, you can even choose to present your wrapped in the format of a podcast, powered by AI!

The Spotify Wrapped roundup can be found directly in the Spotify app on iOS and Android. If you don't see the button for it, you can also access your Spotify Wrapped roundup on the Spotify website, which is live for everyone now.

The Spotify Wrapped showcase appears as an Instagram-like story feed, which you can tap between to see all the different statistics. It'll present your top five most listened to songs and artists, and well as the different kinds of music genres you've listened to throughout the year.

It'll even detail how many minutes and hours of music you've listened to, and how many songs you've listened to in total! Some artists have even recorded special video messages for fans if they appear in their top five list.

The podcast AI is powered by NotebookLM, and features two AI hosts that will chat about your listening habits of the past 12 months. It's actually super weird, so be sure to check it out!

I love Spotify, so much so that I'd take my subscription to the grave, and it's even more cherished than my Xbox Game Pass subscription. Despite being a daily Spotify user for the past 15 years, I've only just stumbled upon a groundbreaking tip today, and I'm eager to share it with all of you.

My discovery was made as I delved into the Taylor Swift subreddit on this momentous day when "1989 Taylor's Version" made its debut. While I promise not to go full-on fan mode, this tip is too good to keep to myself.

Amidst the buzz, one post caught my eye: "Switch off this Spotify setting to get the most out of Taylor Swift's new album.". The post gives instructions on how to turn off 'normalization' in your Spotify settings, allowing the original production values of the music to shine through without Spotify attempting to normalize every note to the same volume. I tried it myself, and the difference in sound was like night and day. I shared it with my friends, and they all agreed that they now need to revisit their entire Spotify libraries.

Here's how you can elevate the quality of your music:

Spotify: Windows PC version

1. Open Spotify on your Windows PC, in the top right corner hover over your profile image
2. Click Settings

1. Scroll down to Audio Quality
2. Next to Normalise volume, set the slider to OFF 

Once I turned this off, I heard a massive difference in my music. The highs and lows were exactly as intended, and the vocals sounded crisper. If you're using Spotify on your mobile, don't forget to tweak the settings there as well. Here's how:

Spotify: Mobile app

The setting in question may have a different name on your Spotify app, depending on what mobile OS you use. To clarify, it's called "Normalise volume" if you are using Android, but if you are on an Apple device, you'll find it under "Audio Normalization". 

1. On Spotify Mobile, click your profile picture (top right on Android).
2. Click Settings and Privacy.
3. On Android, scroll down to Playback options. 
4. On iPhones, click Playback to be taken into the relevant menu.
5. On Android turn off 'Normalise volume'.
6. On iPhone, turn off 'Enable Audio Normalisation'.

And there you have it – a Swifty to the rescue. To truly grasp the difference, you'll need to experience it for yourself. After some research, I discovered that audio normalization is known to impact the production values and sound of music on Spotify.

Its primary function is to balance volume levels between songs, so you're not constantly adjusting your volume. But this can significantly alter the emotional impact of songs that are meant to have a specific dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of a song). With this setting turned on, that impact is somewhat muted.

While Spotify claims on its website that audio normalization preserves the dynamic range of songs and only applies a limiter to prevent distortion when the volume is too high, many audiophiles and music enthusiasts disagree. For me, the music sounds so much better with it turned off. From Taylor Swift to System of a Down, I'm about to re-listen to my entire playlist collection with a fresh set of ears.

What you need to know

• Spotify is teaming up with OpenAI to bring a new AI-powered translation feature to the platform.
• The feature is designed to let podcasters translate their English episodes on the platform to other languages. Moreover, the episode's reproduced version will retain the podcaster's original voice.
• OpenAI’s voice transcription tool, Whisper, is behind this new capability.
• Podcasters can translate English episodes into Spanish, though French and German translations are expected to roll out in the coming weeks.
• Spotify has limited the availability of the feature to "a select group" of podcasters and hasn't indicated when it's set to ship to broad availability.

In the past few years, people have transitioned from mainstream TV to digital platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and more as their main sources for information and news. This can be attributed to the fact that you can access the information whenever you want and, at the same time, get to consume the information at your own pace.

Podcasts are a huge hit, particularly on Spotify. However, most of the shows are recorded in English, which prevents them from realizing their maximum potential. While some podcasts are posting great engagement, it could be better if the language barrier wasn't an issue.

Luckily, Spotify has clocked this issue and is introducing a new AI-powered translation feature. The feature is designed to let podcasters reproduce podcasts in other languages. What's more, to retain authenticity and the raw form of the show, the feature will reproduce the content using the podcaster's voice, according to a spot by The Verge. 

Spotify is already working with several podcasters, including Dax Shepard, Monica Padman, Lex Fridman, and more, to translate their English episodes to Spanish. The company added that there are plans underway to roll out French and German translations in the coming weeks.

The new translation feature leverages OpenAI’s voice transcription tool, Whisper, to reproduce the shows in other languages. For those unfamiliar with Whisper, it's an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual and multitask data picked from the web that supports transcription in multiple languages. Likewise, it can be used to translate other languages into English.

If you're curious and would like to know how this feature works, you can check out Lex Fridman's original episode on Yuval Noah Harari and compare it with the version reproduced in Spanish.

Analysis: Spotify enhances engagement and reach

This new translation feature will undoubtedly allow podcasters to tap into newer markets and crowds. The language barrier has posed a great challenge, especially to non-English speaking users, limiting them to a finite number of shows.

To this end, the translation feature is limited to "a select group" of podcasters. It's not yet clear when the company will ship the neat tool to broad availability, but it is a welcomed addition that will help podcasters expand their reach and engagement.  

What you need to know 

• Spotify's AI-powered feature, DJ, is rolling out to more users across Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.
• The feature is designed to provide users with a similar experience as the one you'd have when listening to a radio show, including music and commentary from a radio presenter providing information about the artist whose song is playing.
• Sonantic AI powers DJ's voice.
• You'll need a Spotify Premium subscription to access this feature.

At the beginning of this year, generative AI took the world by storm, which saw many companies and organizations hop onto the bandwagon. Spotify wasn't left behind either, as it debuted an AI-powered feature dubbed DJ.

Based on the name alone, it's apparent that the feature is centered around creating a versatile mix of things (in this case, music with a blend of presenting). Curating playlists is no walk in the park, regardless of whether it's yours or someone else's. 

Luckily, with this new feature, you can leverage AI capabilities to curate a personalized playlist. Spotify refers to the feature as an AI DJ in your pocket and boasts of its capability to pinpoint your music taste and use this knowledge to create a playlist you'd like. 

The feature rolled out in beta in February, exclusive to Spotify Premium users based in the US and Canada. Given the increased rates across Spotify's plans, seeing how many people opt for this experience will be interesting. And now, as spotted by Paul O'Malley, a tech enthusiast and Modern Workplace Trainer on Mastodon, the experience is now rolling out to more users across "Australia, New Zealand, and all of Europe." It's still only available in English.

Spotify shared a trailer highlighting how the feature should work during the launch. In essence, the feature provides users with a similar listening experience to the one you'd have when listening to a show on a radio show. This includes the music and commentary from a radio presenter providing information and tidbits about the artist whose song is playing.

I don't have access to the feature yet, but during the launch, Spotify indicated that the playlist is endless. And for great measure, users can change the genre or artist at any time using the DJ button. 

The company also indicated that it would refine the experience further by improving on the recommendations it provides for new artists. Likewise, when it comes to older songs that you liked. 

It's also worth noting that the feature's artificial voice is backed up by voice tech from Sonantic AI. Spotify acquired Sonantic AI back in 2022. The company disclosed that DJ depends on a wide array of resources for the words it uses, including a writer's room packed with music experts, data curators, and AI technology by OpenAI.

Everything is going digital, even radio

Recently, we've seen a paradigm shift in the entertainment scene. The Internet is cheap and widely accessible. As such, it was only a matter of time before the world caught up. 

There's an increased use of streaming platforms like Spotify and YouTube. Why would you listen to the radio or watch a program on TV when you can access everything via these streaming platforms? Digital media has completely taken off, so more people are venturing into podcasting and vlogging across these platforms. 

And with the emergence of neat features such as DJ in Spotify, it seems that there's no way back for "conventional" media. However, there's also a growing concern over AI and the safety measures put in place to ensure that it doesn't spiral out of control.

There's also the issue of AI replacing humans and taking up their jobs, and while it didn't appear as a major concern among users as highlighted in Microsoft's Work Index Report. If DJ can run an "entire radio show" by itself, where does that leave the entire crew?

What you need to know

• Spotify just announced a price increase for several of its plans.
• An individual play now costs $10.99 per month, which is an increase of $1 per month.
• The Premium Duo plan increased by $2 per month, while the Premium Family plan went up $1 per month.
• You can migrate your playlists, albums, and music collections from Spotify to other music services with a variety of tools.

Spotify is the latest streaming service to increase the cost of its subscriptions. Starting today, Spotify Premium for individuals will cost $10.99 per month, which is an increase of $1 per month. Spotify Premium Duo has bumped up $2 per month to $14.99 per month and Spotify Family has increased by $1 to $16.99 per month.

With those price increases, some people may ask themselves if it's worth switching to another service. While Spotify is a well-known brand, it is far from the only music streaming service these days. Apple Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and YouTube Music all offer similar libraries of content.

It's important to note that some of Spotify's competitors have also raised their prices. Google is increasing the price of YouTube Premium, which includes YouTube Music, to $13.99 per month, as reported by 9to5Google. YouTube's standalone Music Premium service is also increasing from $9.99 per month to $10.99 per month.

Best alternatives to Spotify

There are a ton of music streaming services these days, many of which are worth a look. But the best Spotify alternatives are YouTube Music, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Apple Music. These offer a similar library of songs and are in the same price range as Spotify Premium.

While you may not save money by switching to another music streaming service, you may be able to get better value. One could argue that YouTube Premium, which gets you an ad-free experience for videos plus YouTube Music, is a better value than Spotify Premium, even though the total cost per month is more.

Similarly, Amazon Music Unlimited can be purchased at a discount by Prime members, making a collection of Amazon subscriptions a solid option.

Some of today's popular music services have apps on Windows, such as Amazon Music. But even those that don't have official apps can be used through the web and installed as Progressive Web Apps.

Spotify price increase: Transferring your playlists 

If you plan to switch streaming services, one of the biggest hassles will be transferring over all of your playlists. That is, unless you use a service to move everything over. There are several options that have similar functionality.

Soundiiz is one of the highest rated services for transferring playlists and music collections. It has a free plan that lets you move playlists one at a time. You can upgrade to premium for $4.50 per month to get more advanced options. Note that you can cancel your subscription at any time, so after you've moved everything over you can stop paying for premium.

Some other options include FreeYourMusic, which has a Windows app, and SongShift, which is only on iOS.

I want to preface this by saying that I don't use Spotify anymore, so I have no personal horse in this race. But it's been a hot topic recently, and not for any good reason. In case you haven't heard, Spotify has debuted an all-new design coming soon to its mobile apps. For now, the Windows desktop client seems to be alright. But considering anyone using a PC will either have an Android phone or an iPhone if you're a Spotify customer you're going to be affected by it. 

Spotify's design changes have been likened to Instagram and TikTok, which says to me that they're trying to be more like a social media platform than a music service. Trying to maximize the amount of time your eyes, rather than just your ears spend on it. I get it. Businesses need to make money. 

But I'm an old-fashioned kind of music listener, and all of this just sounds awful to me. Honestly, I'm still pining for the lost Groove Music service, one of many products sent to Microsoft's big tech graveyard long ago. It had everything I wanted. It had music, and a simple, clean-looking app. No fluff. Why can't we just have that again? 

Groove Music was so underrated

The reason I got into using Xbox Music, later to become Groove Music, was naturally Windows Phone. With spotty support for the established music services of the time, I simply gravitated to Microsoft's own. OK, I also enjoyed MixRadio (RIP), too, but as a complement, not a replacement. 

Microsoft's music service was seriously underrated, though. Whatever it was called at the time, it was just a good service. Naturally, on Windows phones, both Xbox Music and Groove Music perfectly mirrored the overall system UI. But they weren't cluttered up with junk. The apps were clean, well laid out, good-looking, and just nice to use. And that applied across platforms. The remnants of the Windows app might now just be "Media Player" but still, I miss it. 

The music selection was always great, too, in my opinion. I've never judged a music streaming service on which has the biggest library. What matters is finding the music I want to listen to, and Groove never failed in that regard. It was a music service for listening to music. That's all I ever wanted. It's all I want right now. 

Why does everything have to be a social app? 

Microsoft won't bring back Groove Music, no matter how much I, or anyone else who has fond memories of it, wants it. So we have to make the best alternative choice. For me, that was Apple Music because it's about the closest I could settle on (and I use an iPhone so it was easy.) 

The reason I couldn't go back to Spotify was initially that it was pushing podcasts so hard, along with just seemingly ignoring whatever I actually wanted to listen to. Apple Music doesn't have podcasts built in, which is perfect because I don't want that. But it also has a good handle on recommending good music to me. 

But this Spotify redesign is a bigger indictment of where everything seems to be going these days. With the explosion of services like TikTok and features like stories, it feels like everything wants to be the same. The same social space fighting to keep your eyeballs on it. 

Do we need video, short form or otherwise pushed on us at every single turn? Do we need to open every app and see stories front and center?

No. We don't. Just let us listen to music in peace. 

What you need to know

• Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 22621.1325 and Build 22623.1325 to Insiders in the Beta Channel this week.
• The builds bring new widgets to those in the Beta Channel, including Messenger, Spotify, Phone Link, and Xbox Game Pass.
• Build 22621.1325 has features off by default while Build 22623.1325 has features enabled by default.

Microsoft released a pair of builds to Insiders in the Beta Channel this week. Windows 11 Build 22621.1325 and Build 22623.1325 are now available to download. The former has features turned off by default while the latter has new features enabled by default.

The biggest addition is the rollout of widgets for Facebook Messenger, Spotify, Phone Link, and Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft is working to make the Widgets Panel more functional by adding support for third-party widgets. The blog post announcing this week's builds also includes details on how to create widgets for Windows 11.

Microsoft also shipped a Windows 11 build to Dev Channel Insiders this week.

Build 22621.1325 & 22623.1325: What's new

New Widgets: Messenger, Spotify, Phone Link, and Game Pass

We are beginning to roll out support for new preview widgets for Messenger, Spotify, Phone Link, and Xbox (Game Pass) to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel. To give them a try, go to the widgets collection in the Microsoft Store and update to the latest version of the apps. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button at the top-right of the board to pin your widgets.

New commercial policy: Enable features introduced via servicing that are off by default

This new policy enables commercial customers to enable features introduced via servicing (outside of the annual feature update) that are off by default for devices that have their Windows updates managed. Windows update managed devices are those that have their Windows updates managed via policy; whether via the cloud using Windows Update for Business or on-premises with Windows Server Update Services (WSUS). Learn more about this new policy here.

Build 22623.1325: Changes and Improvements

Start menu

For devices that are Azure Active Directory (AAD) joined, we are personalizing your experience by delivering AI-powered recommended content within your Start menu. When you open the Start menu, you will find related content to help you prepare for upcoming meetings, quickly access files you’re collaborating on, and more.

Build 22623.1325: Fixes

Taskbar & System Tray

Fixed an issue that was causing taskbar to be cut off after resolution changes.

Build 22621.1325 & 22623.1325: Fixes

• We fixed compatibility issues that affected some printers. Those printers used Windows Graphical Device Interface (GDI) printer drivers. Those drivers did not completely adhere to GDI specifications.
• We fixed a reliability issue that occurred when you used Task View.
• We fixed an issue that affected copying from a network to a local drive. Copying was slower than expected for some users.
• We provided support for the United Mexican States’ daylight-saving time change order for 2023.
• We fixed a date information issue. It affected the format of dates sent between Windows and some versions of the Heimdal Kerberos library.
• We fixed an issue that affected provisioning packages. They failed to apply in certain circumstances when elevation was required.
• We fixed an issue that affected which folders appeared in the Browse for Folder picker.
• We fixed an issue that affected File Explorer. When you used Shift + Tab or Shift + F6, the input focus did not move.
• We fixed an issue that affected the user interface (UI). The volume up and volume down commands from a Bluetooth keyboard did not display.
• We improved the reliability of Windows after you installed an update.
• We fixed an issue that might have affected lsass.exe. It might have stopped responding when it sent a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) query to a domain controller that had a very large LDAP filter.
• We fixed an issue that affected Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). Using a provisioning package for bulk provisioning failed.
• We fixed an issue that affected the software keyboard. It did not appear in the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) after a Push-button reset (factory reset). This type of reset required an external keyboard to be attached to provide credentials.
• We fixed an issue that affected AppV. It stopped file names from having the correct letter case (uppercase or lowercase).
• We fixed an issue that affected Universal Print’s Configuration Service Provider (CSP). A command prompt window appeared when you installed a printer.
• We fixed an issue that might have affected the touch keyboard and the PIN entry keyboard. You might not have been able to use them to enter text when you signed in to your device.
• We fixed an issue that displayed a blue screen during video playback. This occurred after you set high dynamic range (HDR) on your display.
• We fixed an issue that affected parity virtual disks. Using Server Manager to create them failed
• We fixed an issue that affected IE mode. The text on the status bar was not always visible.
• We fixed an issue that affected the Color filters setting. When you selected Inverted, the system set it to Grayscale instead.
• We fixed an issue that affected Microsoft Edge. The issue removed conflicting policies for Microsoft Edge. This occurred when you set the MDMWinsOverGPFlag in a Microsoft Intune tenant and Intune detected a policy conflict.
• We fixed an issue that affected the Appx State Repository. When you removed a user profile, the cleanup was incomplete. Because of that, its database grew as time passes. This growth might have caused delays when users signed in to multi-user environments like FSLogix.

What you need to know

• Windows 11 build 25290 is now available for Insiders in the Dev Channel
• It includes new widgets for Spotify and Phone Link apps
• There's also a new Start menu alert for incomplete account settings

Microsoft has unveiled two new widgets for Windows 11 users that are now available to test in the latest Windows 11 preview build 25290, which just rolled out to Insiders in the Dev Channel. The two new widgets are from Spotify and Phone Link, which give the user quick access to recently played music, and recent phone notifications.

In addition to the new widgets, which can be accessed by installing Windows 11 build 25290 and updating both Spotify and Phone Link apps via the Microsoft Store, the company has also announced a new user account alert that will appear in Start when the user has incomplete account settings.

Such alerts include things like setting up OneDrive cloud backup for local files, and will appear as a badge above the user account profile picture within Start. Below is the full changelog for Windows 11 build 25290:

Windows 11 build 25290 changelog:

• Last week, we promoted a preview of the widget for the Messenger app. Spotify and Phone Link are now rolling out preview versions of their widgets as well. To give them a try, go to the widgets collection in the Microsoft Store and update to the latest version of the apps. Then open the widgets board and navigate to the widgets picker by clicking the “+” button at the top-right of the board to pin your widgets.
• Back in October with Build 25227, we started trying out a small change to the Start menu where some Insiders saw badging on their user profile notifying them that certain actions need to be taken. We concluded that initial exploration in November. Starting today, we are starting a new exploration of badging on the Start menu with two new treatments that some Insiders in the Dev Channel will see. If you see one of these treatments, give us feedback on what you think. As a reminder, it is normal for us to try out different concepts in the Dev Channel to get feedback.
• We fixed the issue causing Arm64 devices to fail to resume from sleep/hibernate when running Build 25281 and getting stuck at the OS boot logo.
• Fixed an issue where some Insiders may have issues accessing websites and other resources via VPN connections. If you used the workaround documented in this forum post, please reverse those changes once you have this new build installed.
• Fixed an issue causing some Insiders to experience freezes when using the browser and certain other apps in recent Dev Channel builds.
• Fixed an explorer.exe crash which could cause the taskbar not to load for some Insiders.
• Fixed an issue where the search box would randomly disappear sometimes when you clicked it (leaving a blank space on the taskbar).
• Fixed an issue where the search box was shifting to the side slightly when you clicked it.
• Fixed an issue where the data content area of the Processes page might flash once when theme changes were applied in the Task Manager Settings page.
• Fixed an issue where some dialogs did not render in the correct theme when applied from Task Manager Settings page.
• Fixed an issue where properties in the Memory section of the Performance page were getting truncated even though there was space to display them.
• Reduced the transparency of graph colors in the Performance page, and adjusted the borders, to help make them stand out more.
• Fixed a few issues causing Task Manager crashes.
• Typing F in the search box should work again now.
• You now shouldn’t have to make Task Manager be as wide before the navigation pane appears.
• If text scaling has been increased, the search box shouldn’t overlap with the title bar text anymore.
• Made some tweaks to address cases where text in dialogs was getting cut off when text scaling was increased.
• Fixes an issue where certain parts of the title bar couldn’t be used to drag the window.
• We fixed the issue causing some people to not get a consistent refresh of images on a daily basis.
• Fixed an issue where the preview for Sans Serif Collection in Personalization > Fonts was displaying broken glyphs.
• Fixed an issue that was preventing Narrator from announcing dropdown lists in Excel.
• Fixed an underlying issue which could cause Snipping Tool screenshots to become stretched out and distorted in the last few builds if you had multiple monitors.
• Fixed an issue which could cause a bugcheck with SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION.
• Fixed an issue which could make the Open With dialog crash on launch.
• Fixed an issue where the Open File dialog would hang if you clicked it while using an IME after having selected “Choose an app on your PC” from the Open With dialog.
• Fixed an issue which could cause Group Policy Editor to unexpectedly show “An error has occurred in the script on this page” with an invalid character error when editing a group policy.
• If you have OpenSSH Server set to start at boot (instead of manual), that preference should be remembered across OS upgrades now. Please note, you need to be on a build with this fix before it will take effect with your next upgrade.

What you need to know

• Spotify Wrapped 2022 is now available on iOS and Android.
• The feature shows your favorite songs, genres, artists, and provides insights into your listening history.
• This year, Spotify Wrapped has a "music personality" feature that categorizes your listening habits.
• Spotify Wrapped requires you to use Spotify on iOS or Android and is not available on Windows or Spotify Web.

Each year Spotify Wrapped provides insights into people's favorite songs, artists, and genres. The feature — ahem — wraps up your year with playlists of your favorite content and adds some fun features as well. This year, Spotify Wrapped shows people their "music personality," such as Adventurer, Early Adopter, or Specialist.

The 2022 version of the feature went live on November 30, though it's only available on iOS and Android.

Spotify Wrapped 2022 also highlights how you listen to different content throughout the day. For example, I listen to "Hype Lit Angst" music in the morning since that's when I usually go to the gym. Much calmer music graces my playing history later in the day.

While Spotify Wrapped is a powerful way to look back at your favorite songs, artists, and genres, it's only available on the mobile versions of Spotify. If you go to the Spotify Wrapped website or use Spotify on your PC, you'll be met with the following message: 

"2022 Wrapped is here.

#SPOTIFYWRAPPED

But it's only available in the Spotify mobile app. Download it now to join in the fun."

To see the insights and playlists created by Spotify Wrapped, you'll need to use the Spotify app on iOS or Android. You can, however, save playlists from the feature on the mobile versions of Spotify and then listen to those playlists on Spotify on your PC.

How to Get your Spotify Wrapped

Spotify wants you to check out Spotify Wrapped, so the feature is easy to find, as long as you're on iOS or Android. When you initially boot up Spotify, you'll likely see a prompt to open Spotify Wrapped. Tapping the "Jump In" button will open Spotify Wrapped 2022.

If you don't see that prompt or want to look at your Spotify Wrapped again, follow these steps:

1. Open Spotify on iOS or Android.
2. Navigate to the Home tab.
3. Click the Play button under "Your 2022 in review."

That section also has playlists and collections of content based on your listening history.

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What you need to know

• Amazon Prime subscribers now have access to 100 million songs through Amazon Music.
• Previously, Prime subscribers could only play two million songs through the service.
• While subscribers can access all of the 100 million songs, they can only do so on shuffle.

Spotify ownership likely took note of Amazon's latest maneuver. Amazon Prime subscribers now have access to 100 million songs, all at no additional cost. Previously, people would have had to either pay extra for Amazon Music Unlimited or settle for the catalog of two million songs previously available through Amazon Music.

Two million songs may sound like a lot, but Amazon Music used to be quite limited when it came to the latest hits and some songs at the top of the charts. The 100 million song library that's now available to Prime members is much more robust.

While the change may be enough to shake up our list of the best music apps on Windows, there are still some notable limits to Amazon Music. While Prime members can play all 100 million songs in the library, they can only do so in shuffle mode. They'll be able to shuffle songs based on genre, artist, or album.

That limit is enough to drive some people to paid subscriptions without such restrictions, but it positions Amazon Music well against Spotify's free service. Many people already view their Prime membership as a standalone item that's worthwhile for a specific part of the subscription, such as Prime Video or express shipping. A free music library — or at least one that doesn't require additional payment for Prime members — may be more than enough for many people.

The free version of Spotify has ads. While Amazon Music is attached to a paid subscription, it may not be viewed as an additional cost on its own. Effectively, that places Amazon Music squarely against Spotify's free version.

Valve's Steam Deck is fantastic for portable PC gaming; that's nothing new. Everything else you can do on the console increases its usefulness, like listening to your painstakingly curated playlists on Spotify. The handheld runs on Linux, so almost anything made for the open-source operating system works just fine, and we'll show you exactly how you can install Spotify on Steam Deck to listen to your jams.

Before starting, any apps or games you install outside the official Steam Deck store will be on the internal storage, not your microSD card or any other external drives. Be sure to check that you have enough space on the primary eMMC SSD, the size of which depends on which Steam Deck model you chose (64GB, 256GB, or 512GB).

How to install Spotify

You can download Spotify from Flathub, an app store for Linux Flatpak archives, by using any desktop PC. It's an option if you prefer to transfer files manually, but installing it directly onto the Steam Deck is much easier, thanks to the built-in Discover app store.

1. Hit the left-side STEAM button to open the quick menu.
2. Navigate down the list to highlight and select Power.
3. On the power menu, navigate to and select Switch to Desktop.

Alternatively, you can briefly hold down the power button to access the power menu a little faster. A Switching to Desktop ... notification will appear whichever method you choose. After a short wait, the Steam Deck will boot into its Linux desktop environment, just like you would expect on any regular PC.

4. Locate and open the Discover app, which is usually pinned to your taskbar with an icon resembling a blue shopping bag. Otherwise, you can find it in the System tab of the applications menu.
5. Using the search function in the top-left of Discover, look for Spotify.
6. Find Spotify in the list of results and hit Install.

Having to boot into desktop mode whenever you want to open Spotify is a little tedious. Follow these extra steps to have them appear in the regular SteamOS Deck UI alongside your usual library.

7. Return to Steam in desktop mode. Navigate the top-most menu to the Games tab and select Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library ...
8. A new window titled Add a Game will appear with a list of your software. Navigate this list until you find Spotify.
9. Check the box to the left of its title, then hit Add selected programs.
10. Close the Steam application and launch the Return to Gaming Mode shortcut from the desktop or applications menu.

It might seem strange to have Spotify listed as a game, but it's the best way to have fast access to the app on Steam Deck. Now you can listen to your playlists during long journeys, and it even runs perfectly in the background while playing games if you want to use one of the best PC gaming headsets. If you sign up for a Spotify Premium subscription, you can also download playlists for offline listening during long flights without internet access.

Pick a pair of affordable wireless earbuds like the UGREEN HiTune X6 ANC to connect via Bluetooth, or splash out for something a little more premium like the Razer Hammerhead True Wireless Pro set and enjoy some noise-canceling gaming on public transport. Either way, now you can enjoy your music on Spotify wherever your Steam Deck goes.

• Spotify has a new beta version of its desktop app compiled for ARM64/Windows on ARM.
• The current beta is 1.1.86.857 and is available via the Spotify forums.
• There is only one known issue with the beta related to some video Podcast episodes.

Windows on ARM is seemingly having a good year, at least for improved support. Microsoft just announced a new "Project Volterra" dev kit for ARM, and now Spotify is getting on board with a natively compiled version of its desktop app for ARM64 Windows laptops like the 2021 HP Elite Folio.

The announcement for the release came via Spotify’s community forums (spotted by @sinclairinat0r and reddit), which is also where users can download the .exe installation file. 

Version 1.1.86.857 is the latest compiled for Windows on ARM and looks just like the desktop client except now with much faster performance for startup and load times.

According to Spotify, there is currently only one known bug with the release: “Some video Podcast episodes can’t be played, and trying to do so results in an error message about updating the Spotify client version.”

While that bug may sound like a deal-breaker, Spotify notes you can work around it for now by simply going to “the Share option in the menu, copy the Web link and paste it in your browser to then watch it there in the web player instead.”

Spotify notes it’s looking for feedback on the release on what works and what doesn’t so it can continue to improve the final version, which is likely to be finished in the coming months.

In our quick hands-on with the ARM64 version, performance is night and day, with the newly compiled app launching nearly instantly and without lag.

Lenovo is expected to release its new ThinkPad X13s, its first ARM-based ThinkPad, in the coming weeks. That laptop is the first to feature Qualcomm’s latest 8cx Gen 3 processor, which should perform faster than an Intel 10th Gen Core i5 for single-core performance, but ahead of the 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 for multi-core. Likewise, Microsoft is expected to release a third-gen Surface Pro X later this fall, with a similar processor and a new 120Hz display, and possibly 5G.

What you need to know

• Spotify can now show lyrics for music.
• The functionality is available on the Windows, console, iOS, Android, and TV versions of Spotify.
• Spotify partnered with Musixmatch to deliver the feature.

Spotify now has the ability to show lyrics for songs. The feature works on the desktop, console, iOS, Android, and TV versions of Spotify. Support includes both Windows PCs and Xbox consoles such as the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

To power the feature, Spotify partnered with Musixmatch. Both free and premium Spotify users can browse lyrics as they listen to music.

Spotify outlines how to use the feature on its desktop app in its news post:

1. From the "Now Playing" bar, click on the microphone icon while a song is playing.
2. Voila! You'll see track lyrics that scroll in real time while the song plays.

On Xbox consoles, as well as other devices that use the SpotifyTV app interface, you can view lyrics by following these steps:

1. Open the "Now Playing View" on a song.
2. Navigate to the right corner to the "lyrics button" and select if you want to enable Lyrics.
3. Once enabled, you'll see the lyrics in the "Now Playing" View.

Spotify shares that lyric support is one of the most requested features for the streaming platform. Now that it's available, it's easier to sing along to the most popular songs on the service. Spotify states that lyric support is accessible "across the majority of [its] extensive library of tracks."

Updated June 8, 2021: Fastly's status page now states "The issue has been identified and a fix is being implemented." This appears to have fixed the issues. The original article follows.

What you need to know

• Many of the biggest websites in the world are down for many right now.
• Reddit, Amazon, Spotify, and Twitter are just some of the websites experiencing outages.
• This is a developing story, so we'll add more details as they come in.

Amazon, Reddit, Twitter, Spotify, and several of the world's most popular websites are experiencing outages right now. According to Downdetector, the outages started to spike around 5:30 AM ET. CDN provider Fastly has an outage right now, which appears to be the cause of the outages. Fastly's status page states that it started investigating an issue around 6:30 AM.

There could be other reasons for the internet being broken, but Fastly is likely at least part of the cause.

The outages have started a chain of memes for those who can still access social media.

The list of affected websites is quite lengthy. Some of the biggest names are:

• Reddit
• Twitch
• Spotify
• Stack Overflow
• All gov.uk websites
• Hulu
• HBO Max
• PayPal
• CNN
• Fandom
• Etsy
• Google
• Sling TV
• eBay
• Vimeo
• Cloudflare

"#Internetdown" is already trending on Twitter, which is a bit ironic as Twitter is one of the websites that's broken for many at the moment.

This is a developing story, and we'll add more details as they become available.

What you need to know

• Spotify will support video podcasts on Xbox consoles later this week.
• Dolby Vision support is also on the way to Apple TV on Xbox consoles.
• Microsoft teased future media apps for Xbox consoles that are on the way this summer.

Xbox consoles, including the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are about to get a boost when it comes to entertainment. This week, the Spotify app for Xbox consoles will gain support for video podcasts. Additionally, Apple TV on Xbox consoles will gain Dolby Vision support. Microsoft highlights these additions, as well as the recently added Discovery+, Paramount+, and IMDb TV apps for Xbox.

Video podcasts such as "The Misfits," "higher Learning with Van Lathan & Rachel Lindsay," and "That was fun? with Addison & Sheri" will be playable on the Spotify Xbox app this week. You'll be able to play the video podcasts in full screen mode or just listen to their audio in the background while you use another app or play a game.

Microsoft highlights how you can control Spotify with your phone, making it possible to control your media playback on your Xbox without interrupting whatever else you're doing on the console.

Dolby Vision brings highlights up to 40 times brighter and darks up to 10 times darker than standard pictures. Dolby Vision adjusts visuals frame-by-frame with dynamic data and pushes out a high range of colors. Apple TV shows and movies that support Dolby Vision will feature a logo in their description.

Microsoft teases that more media apps are coming to Xbox consoles this summer. The Xbox Series X and Series S may have lost out on some of the dedicated TV functionality compared to their predecessors, but the library of media apps is large and continues to grow.

What you need to know

• Spotify Mixes create personalized playlists for you based on machine learning.
• There are mixes based on genre, artists, and decades.
• The feature is rolling out now to Spotify on all platforms.

A new feature from Spotify helps you find new music based on what you already love and listen to. They're called Spotify Mixes, and they allow you to find new music based on genre, artists, and decade. They take inspiration from Spotify's Daily Mix, but take it a few steps further.

Spotify Mixes are made with machine learning to help discover music for each person individually. Spotify's chief R&D officer, Gustav Söderström, said of them:

The feature is rolling out now to both free and premium Spotify users. Once they roll out, the new mixes will be found within the "Made For You" section in the search option.

Spotify recently announced that it is moving away from the clunky old Spotify app on Windows 10. The new experience on Windows 10 will line up with the soon-to-be updated web version of Spotify, which could become one of the best Windows apps.

The new genre, artist, and decade mixes already show up on my Spotify app on Windows 10, though they don't appear within the web version for me. The feature is rolling out gradually, so that's to be expected.

What you need to know

• Spotify has a new experience on the desktop and the web.
• The update brings offline music support for the desktop version and a streamlined interface.
• It's now easier to create playlists within Spotify as well.

Spotify has had a desktop app on Windows 10 for quite some time, but it isn't exactly modern. Its dated design and interface have been called clunky. While it's been functional for years, it's due for a refresh. Luckily for Spotify users on PCs, that refresh is finally here.

Spotify announced today that it's rolling out a redesigned experience for desktop and the web. The update brings a cleaner interface to the desktop and aligns the web and desktop experiences.

The company describes the move in a post:

The update isn't just about looks. The new desktop version of Spotify supports downloading music and other content for offline playback. The current desktop version only supports downloading playlists, not individual songs.

The new experience for desktop and the web is rolling out over the coming weeks. You'll be able to get the updated Spotify desktop app through the Microsoft Store or the Epic Game Store. The same experience will also arrive on macOS. You can also use the new experience at open.spotify.com.

What you need to know

• Minecraft Dungeons is the co-op focused ARPG spin-off of Minecraft from Mojang Studios.
• The game is about to release its third major expansion with Howling Peaks, coming on December 9.
• To celebrate the DLC's impending launch, Mojang Studios has released the Howling Peaks soundtrack on Spotify.
• There's 1 hour and 48 minutes of music spread across 32 tracks, available right now for free.

One of the Best Xbox Cloud Gaming (Project xCloud) Games, the co-op focused ARPG Minecraft Dungeons, is preparing to launch its third major DLC expansion with Howling Peaks. The Howling Peaks will release December 9, 2020, and will add a new area, boss, mobs, gear, and more to the steadily growing Minecraft spin-off. To celebrate the one-week lead-up to Howling Peaks, Minecraft Dungeons is releasing the Minecraft Dungeons: Howling Peaks Original Game Soundtrack on Spotify.

The soundtrack is free and available to all listeners and includes 1 hour and 48 minutes of music split across 32 tracks, all of them composed by the talented Peter Hont. Minecraft Dungeons has had typically great soundtrack music thus far, expected from the Minecraft brand, and Howling Peaks looks to continue that trend with tons more great music to listen to here. Of course, players will be able to hear all of this awesome music once Howling Peaks releases next week, alongside a new Season Pass.

Be sure to check out some of the Best Headsets for Xbox Series X|S if you want to make sure you always hear the music behind the game while never missing the action.

Minecraft Dungeons

Main

• Unlock all Minecraft Dungeons levels
• All Minecraft Dungeons Unique Gear
• All Minecraft Dungeons Weapons
• All Minecraft Dungeons Armor
• All Minecraft Dungeons Enemies
• Best Minecraft Dungeons Builds

Spotify has launched its Spotify Wrapped 2020 campaign, its annual throwback recapping your past 12 months across its music platform. It returns yet again with a deep dive into your top tunes of this year, revealing your top artists, songs, genres, and other stats through an insight into your listening habits. It comes during a year where music, among other forms of online entertainment, has been increasingly fundamental to our lives. Hey, you might even learn something new – or embarrassing – about yourself in the process.

This year you can access your year in review via the Spotify Wrapped webpage or through its mobile apps for iOS and Android under a dedicated Home page tile. This year's story-inspired format talks through your top-played tracks, the discovery of new genres and artists, and other playback statistics collected throughout the calendar year.

The streaming service also leveraged the opportunity to share new global statistics. The service named Puerto Rican rapper, Bad Bunny, as its most streamed artist on the platform, while Blinding Lights by The Weeknd became the most-streamed track. And as Spotify further pushes into the podcasts space, it named The Joe Rogan Experience, TED Talks Daily, and The Daily as global favorites.

It also illustrated the abnormality of this year with quirky playlist trends, seeing a 1,400% increase in work-from-home-themed playlists between April and May 2020. Various other at-home chores were highlighted during this period, with a 430% increase in gardening playlists and a 40% increase in those named around cleaning.

Spotify Wrapped remains a popular campaign for the music streaming service, with its personalized statistics and shareability making this a defining end-of-year event for the platform. Let us know your most interesting stats in the comments below.

What you need to know

• Yes, Spotify is having issues right now.
• The platform says it is aware of issues with streaming.
• Users are having issues streaming songs online, but synced songs on devices seem to be unaffected.

Update, August 19 (11:37 pm ET): Spotify says all issues have now been fixed.

Reports suggest Spotify may be experiencing an outage stopping users from streaming songs on the platform. At this stage, offline, synced music doesn't seem affected.

According to The Verge:

Downdetector is showing a large number of reported issues in the last hour, globally, with a very high concentration in Europe and reports in the U.S. too. This could simply be due to the timing of the issue, rather than geography.

Spotify says it is aware of issues and checking them out, but provided no further details.

Users seem to be experiencing issues streaming songs online, after a few seconds the song stops and the client issues an error stating "can't play current song." The problem does not seem to be affecting offline synced playlists and albums.

Spotify was last downed in July following an issue with a Facebook SDK, which caused problems for several iOS apps including Spotify, TikTok and Pinterest. It doesn't seem as though there's any link this time however, as users are able to open their Spotify apps, and there are no other apps currently affected.

Update, August 19 (11:37 pm ET) — Spotify says problem is now fixed

In a tweet, Spotify has stated: Good news! Everything is good to go and looking happy. Still having issues? Give @SpotifyCares a tweet.

Update, 10am ET: Spotify service has resumed and the apps are working normally in the U.S. and Europe.

What you need to know

• Spotify is down for many people across the U.S. and Europe.
• The outage appears to have started around 6:30am ET.
• The issue seems to affect music streaming, logging in, and issues with Spotify's website.

Popular music streaming service Spotify appears to be down for many people across the U.S. and Europe. According to Down Detector, the issue began around 6:30 a.m. ET (via The Mirror).

At the time of publication, 64 percent of people that reported issues have problems with music streaming while 31 percent have issues logging into Spotify. These figures will fluctuate as more reports of issues come in.

Spotify's support Twitter account states that the company is investigating the issue.

As reported by The Verge, the issues with Spotify could be related to a Facebook login issue. The Facebook issue appears to affect several iOS apps, including Spotify, TikTok, and Pinterest.

Update, 10am ET — Spotify says it has resolved its issues

In a tweet issued at 8:54am ET, Spotify said it has resolved its connectivity problems and everything should be back to normal now. I can vouch for it — been streaming the Tron Legacy soundtrack for the last half an hour.

Now get back to work!

What you need to know

• The Nether Update while dramatically alter the Hell-like Nether in Minecraft.
• It's coming out on June 23, 2020, after months of development and changes.
• Coinciding with the official release of the Nether Update, Microsoft is releasing its soundtrack on Spotify.
• The official soundtrack is composed by Lena Raine, and is comprised of five tracks totalling just over 20 minutes of music.

We were already well aware that composer Lena Raine was working on new music for Mojang Studios for the Nether Update, and the tracks we've heard are breathtakingly beautiful, and gave parts of the Nether a much heavier, dynamic atmosphere than before. Coinciding with the newly annouced release date for the Nether Update on Minecraft, coming June 23, 2020, Microsoft and Mojang Studios have brought Lena Raine's music to Spotify.

The official soundtrack isn't terribly long, but it's still five songs and a little over 20 minutes of gorgeous music available for your listening pleasure. You can find the official soundtrack on Spotify here, but of course the music will also be featured in the Nether Update releasing next week. Video game soundtracks are often underappreciated, so it's nice to see Microsoft bring this one to Spotify. Hopefully this continues in the future with other games featuring powerful soundtracks.

Having an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription is pretty important when you're an Xbox gamer. Not only can you access all the features of Xbox Live Gold like online multiplayer and free monthly game downloads, but you also score Xbox Game Pass in the process. With over 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games to play whenever you choose, gone are the days of having to buy a $60 game for something new.

Right now, new members can score a one-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for just $1. The membership usually costs $14.99 per month, though today's deal is even better than that as Microsoft is also extending all members the chance to sign up for a six-month Spotify Premium subscription for free.

To score your free six months of Spotify, you'll just need to activate the offer separately via the Game Pass Ultimate Perks section on the console or the Game Pass Ultimate app once you've signed up. Current and previous subcribers of Spotify are not eligible for this offer. If you've already been a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber in the past and can't purchase the $1 subscription, you could use this discounted 3-month membership on sale for $21.59 instead.

This week, the Xbox One X is on sale as well. You can pick one up for as low as $285 today at Target or $299.99 at other retailers.

Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft's subscription service that offers complete access to over 100 games. You can download these to your console to play in full for as long as you're a paying subscriber or the titles in question remain in the Game Pass library. Better yet, if a Game Pass title also supports Xbox Play Anywhere, you get access to play those on your PC, as well, as part of your subscription. The new PC-specific Game Pass subscription has its own list of games, some of which are a crossover with the console, but many are exclusive to PC.

Xbox Live Gold provides you with a number of perks. The first is access to online multiplayer in any Xbox One game, so if you want to play with friends you need Gold. More than that, though, Gold gives you four free games every month that are yours to keep. Gold subscribers also get exclusive discounts on games from the Microsoft Store, as well as additional discounts during special promotional periods.

Learn everything you need to know about Game Pass Ultimate and see all the games available for Game Pass for PC. Game Pass adds new games all the time and will include new ones as they get released, like titles Red Dead Redemption 2, DayZ, and a bevy of games from the Final Fantasy franchise.

What you need to know

• Spotify has started to roll out its real-time song lyrics.
• It announced the feature last year.
• The feature has started showing up in the most recent Beta, and even on desktop.

Spotify has finally started to roll out its real-time song lyrics feature after it announced the feature last November.

As reported by Android Police:

According to the report, the feature has been spotted on the Spotify's beta version 8.5.46.848, and by several users on Twitter. As not everyone is seeing the updated feature, it seems as though the update is server-side, which means you shouldn't need to download an app update to start using it. The feature has reportedly been spotted on Spotify's desktop app as well.

Spotify began testing the feature last November for a small number of users.

Lyrics aren't available on all songs, but the ones that are have been provided by Musicxmatch. They can be found by swiping up inside the app, where the 'Behind the Lyrics' feature used to be.

Apple Music has had a similar feature for some months now, and perhaps more interestingly, a team of people dedicated to manually transcribing songs to ensure that the lyrics are accurate.

What you need to know

• Spotify client Spotimo will be removed from the Microsoft Store soon.
• Spotify filed a content infringement claim to Microsoft against Spotimo.
• The app will still work in the future for people who already have it on their system.

Popular Spotify client Spotimo will be removed from the Microsoft Store soon. The app could be removed as quickly as the next day or two. Spotimo will continue to work following its removal from the Microsoft Store if you already have the app on your system.

Clients for popular services often run into issues similar to those that the developer of Spotimo faces. YouTube clients have been taken down in the past, and third-party software often runs into issues from large companies. In this case, Spotify submitted a content infringement claim to Microsoft, which will force the app to be removed from the Microsoft Store. Spotify did not explicitly state what they claimed the app infringed but sent the app's developer a trademark listing for Spotify logos.

Arlo, the developer behind Spotimo, reached out on Twitter to share his experience with this process. He shared emails to Spotify on Twitter, which try to explain why he feels the app should be able to stay in the Microsoft Store and that he is willing to work with Spotify to make sure the app meets compliance guidelines. Spotify responded with a message including trademarks of the Spotify logo.

As explained in Arlo's email to Spotify and by Arlo directly to us, Spotimo will continue to work if you already have it on your PC. If you'd like to use it in the future, you should install it now.

What you need to know

• Spotify has published its results for Q4 of 2019.
• The service now has 124M subscribers, up 29% year-on-year.
• Podcast consumption on the platform has also grown exponentially over the last 12 months.

Spotify has posted its results for Q4 of 2019, confirming that it now has 124M subscribers.

In its full release Spotify said:

As mentioned, Spotify now has 124M subscribers and 271M monthly active users. Spotify's expansion into the world of podcasting has also proven to be a hit. In the last 12 months, podcast consumption hours grew by a whopping 200% year-on-year. Spotify also expanded its podcast business with Spotify Podcast ads, powered by Streaming Ad Insertion, and launched its 'Your Daily Podcasts' feature in several countries. It now has more than 700,000 podcast titles available on its platform.

Total revenue for Q4 came in at around 1.8 billion euro, just shy of $2 billion. Gross profit rose to $522.1 million, however it made a loss of $84 million.

Looking ahead to 2020, Spotify said it was "enthusiastic about the underlying trends in the business." By the end of Q1 2020, Spotify's guidance states it could have between 279-289 million monthly active users, and between 126-131 million users. By the end of the year, that could rise to 348 million and 153 million respectively. Guidance is, of course, just guidance and subject to "substantial uncertainty". Just now, however, Spotify believes it has a bright future.

What you need to know

• Spotify is going to start using targeted advertising for podcasts.
• Streaming Ad Insertion will target ads at podcast listeners based on user data.
• That includes age, gender, device and listening behavior.

Spotify is going to start using targeted advertising for podcasts, according to a report from The Verge.

The report notes:

The news means that users listening to the same podcasts will start to hear differents ads, targeted at them based on interests, age, gender, location, and other data points. It is reported that brands that use Spotify's targeted ads will also receive more detailed data in return in comparison to typical podcast ads, and will include how many times listeners heard an ad, reach and anonymous insight.

The Verge notes Spotify's unique position in that it has much more data on its users than most podcast players thanks to what it knows about their music tastes. Up until now, most podcasting advertising has been included within the podcasts themselves, so that companies could insert ads as people listen and track their effectiveness that way. Users who download podcasts on Spotify will not hear targeted ads, as it requires a live server connection.

According to the report, Spotify says that "very few customers" download episodes, and that in the cases where people do download, it will revert to its current method of advertising, which is predetermined.

The report notes that currently advertising to podcast listeners is pretty cloudy, with data coming from lots of different places including surveys, and success is measured in many different ways.

The report further notes:

It could be that offering more targeted podcasting advertising could put Spotify ahead of other networks, with content creators and advertisers likely to be attracted if Spotify can prove that its advertising is more effective than other networks, pushing prices and custom up. However, what remains to be seen is whether some users may choose to start downloading their podcasts in order to keep themselves distanced from targeted advertising.

What you need to know

• Spotify client Spotimo received a major update this week.
• The update brings several new features to free Spotify users.
• The update also includes several redesigns and visual improvements.

Spotify client Spotimo recently received a major update. The update brings the app to version 1.4 and brings a long list of new features. Many features focus on bringing a better experience to free Spotify users, but there are also quite a few improvements to the app in general.

Spotimo is one of the best looking music apps on Windows 10. In our first look at the application, we stated that "Spotimo is a gorgeous take on Spotify music streaming that looks great and doesn't hinder the functionality of listening to music through Spotify." Spotimo is still in beta, so you will run into some bugs, but overall, the app is impressive. Spotimo adds handy features to Spotify, like being able to switch between accounts quickly. It also utilizes Windows 10's design and feature set well, such as context menus for quick actions and Fluent Design elements.

The changelog for Spotimo is rather lengthy, but here are the highlights:

• Native streaming for free users with the Web Wrapper (Experimental)
  • This is a stripped down version of the Web App that is used only for audio playback. Everything else (images, network requests) gets removed / blocked to keep memory usage as low as possible
• Free users can now control other devices
• Player updates automatically and in real time
• See your song Queue
• Get song lyrics with a single click
• Redesigned now playing page
• Live tile shows what is playing/paused
• Filter and sort songs in playlists, search, or your library
• Arist bios now use official data from Spotify, and LastFM as a backup
• By right-clicking a track, you can now:
• Add songs to the queue
• Share songs
• Start song radios
• Share YouTube links for songs
• Refreshed styles for playlist, album, and artist cards
• The default landing page is now Library, which has been renamed to "My music"
• You can now see your saved artists
• Start Artist radios from the context menu and artist page
• Follow and unfollow artists from the Artist page
• From now on, every big Spotimo update will have 1 hidden feature that can only be activated by doing a certain thing. When another big update is released, the last easter egg will become a normal feature, and I'll tuck away something new to find.

The app also lists other changes and improvements inside its about section.

What you need to know

• Spotify 2019 Wrapped has launched, recapping your year of music streaming statistics.
• The feature identifies your top annual tracks, artists, genres, and more, presented via a sleek slideshow. 2019 Wrapped also extends into decade trends, touching on up to 10 years of listening history.

Spotify has kicked off 2019 Wrapped, its latest annual tell-all of your music listening trends, recapping 12 months of streaming playback. The feature dropped after an earlier teaser, serving up a brief slideshow of your most-played tracks and artists, and providing an insight into your broader Spotify statistics. This year extends into a 10-year journey, rounding the conclusion of the decade with an overview of how your tastes evolved.

Wrapped continues to gain traction with its yearly return, providing hard data previously not possible before the age of music streaming. The site has returned in 2019 for all Spotify Premium subscribers, exploring your songs, artists, genres, and now expanding into your podcast library too. The feature includes a throwback to past years of Spotify listening, identifying the hits of the decade among your library.

More: See your Spotify 2019 Wrapped right here

Spotify 2019 Wrapped is accessible via the Spotify Wrapped website or a story-style format on the iOS and Android apps. It also revives the social ties of earlier years, generating shareable cards to proud reveal (or hide) your preferences among friends.

The end of the year is fast approaching, including the imminent arrival of Spotify Wrapped, rounding up your past 12 months of music streaming habits. Recapping your most-played songs, artists, and other highlights into an easily-digestible slideshow, it's the prime time to look back on your rotation of annual hits. And while Spotify Wrapped hasn't kicked off just yet – it arrives this Thursday, on December 5, 2019.

Wrapped has steadily emerged a Spotify end-of-year staple, tapping into your user listening history as an unusual throwback for subscribers. It's scheduled to return again this December, with the Wrapped 2019 website now live, accompanied by a "Coming Soon" welcome screen. Spotify has confirmed personal Wrapped roundups will drop on sometime on December 5, 2019, in line with prior yearly availability.

Spotify has evolved the recap since its inception. Last year's site served the signature tailored playlists and listening data, even extending into common star signs among top artists, or common listening devices. It's unclear how this year's rendition will differ, expected to provide fresh insights in your streaming usage.

Ahead of Wrapped 2019, Spotify has released global data across the service, naming Post Malone as the most-streamed artist, with over 6.5 billion plays, tailed by Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande. "Señorita" from Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello topped the most-played songs, accompanied by "bad guy" from Billie Eilish, and "Sunflower" from Post Malone.

What you need to know

• Nixplay Seed Wave digital photo frame can now stream Spotify music.
• The digital picture frame has surprisingly good speakers.
• Spotify works through Spotify Connect and Wi-Fi rather than relying on Bluetooth audio.

The Nixplay Seed Wave digital picture frame can now stream music using Spotify Connect. The digital picture frame already supported streaming audio using a Bluetooth connection, but now users can stream music directly through the speakers on the frame using its Wi-Fi connection.

The digital picture frame has a dual-speaker setup on the back of the frame. The speakers are 5W and are surprisingly loud. In our review of the Nixplay Seed Wave we found the speakers to be impressive, delivering full audio. Although the speakers are on the back of the frame, the audio was not distorted or muffled.

Spotify Connect works with the Nixplay Seed Wave similarly to any other device that supports the feature. Once the frame connects to a Wi-Fi network, you can select it as a device to play music using any other device connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

Portable (and affordable) power accessories we love

Each and every one of these charging gadgets will keep your favorite gear and gadgets going for longer, and none of them costs more than $30.

VisionTek 8,000 mAh micro-USB power bank ($13 at Dell)

This compact dual-output powerbank can speedily recharge any and all your devices, thanks to a two-amp "fast charge feature," using its micro-USB out port. Its simple design includes an LED indicator, and it costs about as much as a single ticket to the movies.

Panasonic eneloop AA batteries (From $13 at Dell)

Panasonic's rechargeable batteries are among the best available, and just a couple of them will keep your favorite remote, mice or other peripherals powered up when you need them. They're also eco. And the company's affordable charger fits and charges both AA and AAA batteries at the same time.

Belkin Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($30 at Dell)

This unobtrusive Qi wireless charging pad looks good (and kind of like a UFO …) and easily charges all your Qi-compatible device up to 5W. Its LED indicator lights up when you're charging. And it costs just $30.

Spotimo is a new Spotify application that merges the look of Groove Music with the functionality of Spotify music streaming. It features Fluent Design throughout and is the best-looking music app I've ever used on Windows.

Spotimo is in beta, so it has some bugs and crashes, but overall worked well during my use. While Spotimo is in beta, it is available for free. Searching for it in the Microsoft Store won't show a result, but you can grab it using the link below.

A gorgeous design

I adore the design of Spotimo. It looks like Groove Music brought into 2019. The touch and mouse friendly interface lays out a grid of music and playlists that's easy to navigate. The Fluent Design of the app extends through every aspect of it. It's like a love letter to Windows 10 design language. Spotimo's reveal effects, context menus, transparency, scrolling animations, and overall design create a gorgeous application.

Some might ask if that's important, I can almost guarantee that someone in the comments or on Twitter will say that looks don't matter for an app like this. My response would be that there's a reason the internet went into a flutter about iOS 13's dark mode from WWDC: looks matter. Having a unified look and feel that is easy on the eyes makes it more enjoyable to use an app. Combine that with Spotimo working well and delivering Spotify's core features, and it's easy to see why someone would use this over Spotify's own app or their web browser.

I use Spotify, but I don't claim to be an audiophile. A more refined ear might notice a difference between Spotimo and other Spotify applications, but the stream quality was more than good enough for me.

This app uses Spotify's own APIs, and if you have a Spotify Premium account, the music comes directly from Spotify. Free users get their music through myTube!. Spotimo lets you edit and control playlists, share music, add songs, and browse the latest content. The app supports Spotify Connect, though it was buggy in my testing. I didn't find a Spotify feature that I tried to use that wasn't supported. That's not to say you won't find one if you're a hardcore user, but my everyday listening wasn't hindered.

Native UWP

Spotimo is a native UWP application, what some would call a "True UWP app." As a native UWP app, Spotimo can have smoother performance, access to native Fluent design, and can run on other devices. Spotimo actually works on Windows 10 Mobile if you're still rocking an older device. Personally, I don't see much of a performance difference between Spotimo and competing Spotify apps, but it isn't worse. It runs well, can stream and control my music, and looks good while doing it. And to me, that's kind of the point. I don't want a Spotify app that feels like a hack job. I want an app that replaces the Spotify app while providing something more. Spotimo looks like it belongs on Windows 10 while still providing a complete Spotify experience.

A gorgeous take on Spotify

I love looking at apps like this. It's a throwback to a time when UWP development felt fresh and exciting. Spotimo is a gorgeous take on Spotify music streaming that looks great and doesn't hinder the functionality of listening to music through Spotify. The developer spent over 400 hours on this application, and it shows.

I hope that as this app moves towards a public release that it smooths out any bugs because a Spotify app that looks this good with buttery smooth performance would be incredible.

Pros

• Stunning design.
• Is a Native UWP app.
• Supports long list of Spotify features.

Cons

• Free version requires non-Spotify source for music.

What you need to know

• Spotify client Xpotify updated to v1.6.
• Now supports Live Tiles and customization options.
• Also included are "tablet mode improvements".

Seemingly to prove that Spotify proper can't make a good app for Windows 10, the developer behind Xpotify has released version 1.6 of the free client.

This latest update brings support for Live Tiles with user customization based on preference. While a small update it's important if only to point out that the official Spotify app for Windows 10 does not have a Live Tile (well, a useful one). Based on the cross-platform technology of Electron, the Windows 10 app for Spotify works but tends to lack many Windows 10 features including Fluent Design, or just loading quickly.

Xpotify is made by a single developer named Mahdi Ghiasi and it has quickly become one of our most recommended apps for music fans. The app differs from the official Spotify in that it runs mostly on Spotify's website as it's a Progressive Web App (PWA) with added Universal Windows Platform (UWP) elements like XAML for that striking blurred elements and navigation pane. For fans of the defunct Groove serivce, it feels like a blend between it and Spotify.

Additional features like mini-mode, Cortana commands, and light and dark themes, combined with this recent Live Tile update make it even more enticing.

Related: PWAs - What they are, and what they mean for Microsoft

As to why Spotify couldn't have just made this app, we have no idea. There is one significant downside though, which is web streaming quality, which is the basis of Xpotify. Currently, it is limited to just to 128kbit/s for free users or 256kbit/s for premium subscribers. That compares negatively to the official client's ability to stream at 160kbit/s for free and 320kbit/s for paying members. Whether that matters to you is a personal preference often dependent on your speaker or headphone setup. Of course, Spotify could probably fix this themselves if they chose.

For more info on Xpotify, you can read our full review. For existing fans, consider dropping $2.99 on the Pro version of the app, which helps support the developer.

What you need to know

• Spotify alternative Xpotify has added new features for Cortana integration and theming.
• You can now issue Cortana commands to play songs, artists, and playlists in Xpotify.
• The app will now automatically switch themes based on what your Windows theme setting is.

Xpotify has become a favorite alternative to the official Spotify app on Windows 10, and now it's getting even better. The latest update to the app (via Windows United) brings just a couple of new features, but if you're a fan of the app's themes and Cortana commands, you'll really dig it.

The biggest update is the addition of Cortana integration. Now, when you ask Cortana to play artists, albums, playlists, and songs on Spotify, they will be played through Xpotify. You'll have to make sure your Spotify account is connected through Cortana's notebook first, but then you should be good to go. Note that if you have the official Spotify app installed as well, Cortana will prompt you to select which app you want to use as the default for commands going forward.

Also new in this update is support for switching themes based on your Windows theme settings. Now, if you choose the dark theme in your Windows settings, Xpotify will automatically change to its dark theme. The feature works in reverse as well, using the light theme setting.

Otherwise, you're looking at the usual round of bug fixes present with most updates.

If you haven't used Xpotify yet, you can grab it from the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 now. The app not only looks quite a bit better than the official Spotify app, but it adds some Windows 10-specific features like the ability to pin specific artists pages and playlists to your taskbar.

For more, check out our recent Xpotify review.

Audio accessories

If you're going to stream music to your PC, you're going to want to hear it well. Here are some great options for enhancing your audio.

Bose Companion 2 Series III ($99 at Amazon)

This is a solid set of speakers that can still fill the room with sound even though they are in a relatively small package.

TaoTronics Bluetooth 4.2 Computer SoundBar ($50 at Amazon)

This soundbar can fit under your PC monitor. It connects via Bluetooth so it can work with your PC, phone, or tablet.

Zrtke Bluetooth headphones ($23 at Amazon)

These lightweight headphones are waterproof, sweatproof, relatively inexpensive, and connect with Bluetooth.

Spotify is a popular choice of music platform for Windows fans, not least because Microsoft recommended and made it easy to move to it when Groove shut down. But not all good things last, and if you're looking to move to Apple Music here's how to take your collection with you.

How to move playlists and albums to Apple Music

The biggest problem with moving music service is that when you start fresh somewhere else you've got curated playlists, albums and favorite tracks in your current one. If you're leaving Spotify, we can help you cancel your premium subscription as well as move your favorite tunes.

This method isn't the only way to move to Apple Music, but we've found it's the best if you're also using an iPhone or iPad (which you most likely are if you're using Apple Music). The first thing to do is to download the Songshift app from the iOS App Store. Then follow these steps:

1. Open Songshift on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap the Songshift icon at the bottom to get started.

3. Tap setup source.
4. Tap connect music services.
5. Find Spotify and tap connect.
6. Enter your Spotify credentials.
7. Do the same for Apple Music.
8. Go back to setup source and select Spotify.

9. Select whether you're moving an album, playlist, or song.
10. Tap setup destination and select Apple Music.
11. Choose your preferred option for copying — for example, new playlist.
12. Tap I'm finished.

SongShift will now migrate your music and when it's done you'll have the chance to review the matches and confirm they're correct before final completion.

In some cases, you won't be able to move music across because it's not in the Apple Music library. Spotify has a number of exclusive live sessions, for example, that you can't listen to outside of the service. However, thanks to reviewing the matches first, you can eliminate any of these issues, leaving you with a nice, clean, Apple Music fresh playlist.

If you're okay with doing a single move at a time then you can use the SongShift app for free, but there's also a paid upgrade that has a number of great features, including the ability to move multiple playlists at once. If you have a large library, it's worth the few bucks to get it done quicker.

How to save money on Apple Music

The best way to save money on Apple Music subscriptions is to pay for it with iTunes Gift Cards, which can often be found from various places at a discount.

Our pals at Thrifter are always on the case and know when every great iTunes Gift Card deal hits, so be sure to drop a follow on the dedicated iTunes Gift Card deals account on Twitter.

Apple can use iTunes account credit to pay for Apple Music, so stock up when they're on offer and save yourself some cash on your music the whole year round!

Great affordable accessories for Apple Music

Getting the most from your music requires a little help from some hardware. Whether it's headphones or speakers, if it doesn't sound good you're going to have a bad time. These are some of our favorite accessories.

COWIN E7 PRO ($90 at Amazon)

COWIN's E7 Pro delivers active noise canceling on a budget. They're lined with well-cushioned earpads for a comfortable and great-sounding experience.

Anker SoundCore 2 ($40 at Amazon)

The Anker SoundCore 2 offers punchy mobile audio, boasting impressive audio quality over Bluetooth and 3.5mm connectors with a promised 24-hour battery life.

HiFiMan RE-400 ($39 at Amazon)

The RE-400s offer a comfortable fit and a neutral soundstage that makes them stand out from a lot of other similarly priced headphones.

Spotify is a popular choice of music platform for Windows fans, not least because Microsoft recommended and made it easy to move to it when Groove shut down. But not all good things last, and if you're looking to cancel your Spotify Premium subscription, either to move to another service or to just drop back down to the free tier, here's how to do it.

How to cancel on PC, Mac or Android

Spotify Premium isn't difficult to cancel, but it's also not an immediately obvious process. You can't interact with your account settings inside the app, so you need to go to a web browser on your PC, Mac or smartphone.

1. Go to Spotify in your browser and log in.
2. Click Profile in the top right.
3. Click Account.

4. In the menu, click Subscription.
5. Click Change or Cancel.

6. Click Cancel Premium.

7. Confirm your cancellation by clicking Yes, Cancel.

You will be able to enjoy the benefits of Premium until the end of your current subscription period, that is, right up until your next payment was due.

Once you cancel, your account won't be deleted, you'll simply be moved down to the free tier of Spotify. Here you'll hear ads and can only listen in shuffle mode, but you'll still have access to your own account and the Spotify library.

How to cancel from iTunes on iPhone or iPad

If you subscribed to Spotify Premium using your iPhone or iPad through the App Store then you'll need to cancel the subscription on your device. This is just down to how Apple handles subscriptions through in-app purchases.

Here's what you need to do.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Choose iTunes & App Store.
3. Tap on your Apple ID.

4. Next, View Apple ID when the it appears.
5. Enter your Apple ID password or Touch/Face ID when prompted.
6. Tap on Subscriptions.

7. Find your Spotify subscription.
8. Tap Cancel Subscription.
9. Tap Confirm when prompted to confirm that you want to cancel your subscription.

As with a direct cancellation or any other App Store cancellation, your Premium term will run until your next renewal date. Once again, you'll retain access to your account and the Spotify library, but on the free tier instead.

Great affordable accessories for Spotify free or Premium

Whether you enjoy your Spotify music on the free or Premium tiers, some great headphones will always make a difference. These are some of our favorite affordable accessories for jamming to some Spotify tunes — or any other music service for that matter!

If you are thinking of moving elsewhere, check out these guides on how to sign up to Apple Music and Google's new YouTube Music.

COWIN E7 PRO ($90 at Amazon)

COWIN's E7 Pro delivers active noise canceling on a budget. They're lined with well-cushioned earpads for a comfortable and great-sounding experience.

Anker SoundCore 2 ($40 at Amazon)

The Anker SoundCore 2 offers punchy mobile audio, boasting impressive audio quality over Bluetooth and 3.5mm connectors with a promised 24-hour battery life.

HiFiMan RE-400 ($39 at Amazon)

The RE-400s offer a comfortable fit and a neutral soundstage that makes them stand out from a lot of other similarly priced headphones.

Progressive web apps (PWAs) are becoming more popular among developers and companies, but some of the best PWAs aren't available through the Microsoft Store. Spotify has a PWA that looks great, performs well, and sounds good, but the only way to "install it" is through a browser, such as Chrome or the new Edge. Now, a developer has wrapped that Spotify PWA experience inside Xpotify, a UWP app that enhances the Spotify experience by merging the PWA with Windows 10 features.

Xpotify is free and works with your Spotify account. You can log in as normal and have access to either Spotify's free version or Spotify Premium, depending on whether you're a subscriber.

Related: PWAs - What they are, and what they mean for Microsoft

I've been in touch with the developer of Xpotify during the app's development and got to use it leading up to its release. The application was submitted to become visible in the Microsoft Store in conjunction with this article, so you can search the store to find it. If you're unable to find it in the Microsoft Store by searching, you can download it using the links in this article.

Streaming music

Xpotify at its core is a wrapped version of Spotify's PWA. It has several Windows 10-specific features added to it, but the first thing to do is compare the portion of the app that is made from Spotify's PWA to Spotify's Desktop app. The PWA doesn't replace the desktop version of Spotify, but in many ways, is better. It feels faster, arguably looks better, and is very responsive when navigating. You can listen to your playlists, music, albums, and artists, and search Spotify's catalogue for more content.

Visually, Xpotify looks more modern than Spotify's desktop app, and Xpotify is also easier to use with touch thanks to its larger icons and spread out interface. Xpotify is more visually reactive than Spotify's desktop app. When you open up an album, the background color changes, for example. When you navigate the application, there are animations that make it feel both smooth and snappy.

The biggest fault of Xpotify is that it doesn't have offline music support. For me, that doesn't matter, because I always stream my music, but I recognize that for some users, such as frequent air travelers, the lack of offline support is a deal breaker. I also noticed that on Xpotify I can play Spotify radio stations but can't browse the stations I've made in the past. Both of these issues stem from Spotify not supporting the features through their PWA, not the developer of Xpotify, but they're still issues that you'll have to deal with in the app.

A 'PWA+' for Spotify

Windows 10 already works well with PWAs. You can install them through Chrome and the latest insider versions of Microsoft Edge. When I reviewed Pinterest's PWA in the Microsoft Store, I pointed out that it was essentially the same as Pinterest installed through the browser. Thankfully, that's not the case with Xpotify. Xpotify adds many Windows 10-specific features that make it a better experience than just using the PWA, and in my opinion, a better experience than using Spotify's desktop app.

Xpotify supports media keys, media bar integration, and taskbar integration. These, and other features make it easy to control your music. You can also control your music using a mini player in Compact Overlay mode or by hovering over the taskbar and controlling media.

Xpotify also adds the ability to pin specific pages to the Start Menu. You can pin artists, albums, playlists and more. Each of these tiles on the Start Menu features album or artist artwork rather than just the app's logo.

All of the features of Xpotify add up to create an excellent Spotify experience on Windows 10. I hope Spotify and other companies take note of how you can create what I call a "PWA+" on Windows 10, meaning a PWA that is wrapped into a UWP application and then enhanced with Windows 10 features.

An excellent enhancement to Spotify app

Xpotify provides a good experience for anyone who wants to stream music on their PC. While it doesn't support offline playback, it does support a number of features like a handy mini player. It also wraps a responsive and attractive Spotify experience that in my opinion looks better than Spotify's desktop application.

If you stream music, Xpotify arguably provides the best Spotify experience on Windows 10. It makes it easy to control your music with its mini player, media key support, and other features that integrate the app well with Windows 10. It's a good app and an excellent example of how developers can improve PWAs specifically for Windows 10 users.

Pros

• Free and easy to install
• Scales well
• Supports media keys
• Supports Compact Overlay
• Adds features that aren't available on Spotify's desktop app

Cons

• Doesn't support offline play

Audio accessories

If you're going to stream music to your PC, you're going to want to hear it well. Here are some great options for enhancing your audio.

Bose Companion 2 Series III ($99 at Amazon)

This is a solid set of speakers that can still fill the room with sound even though they are in a relatively small package.

TaoTronics Bluetooth 4.2 Computer SoundBar ($50 at Amazon)

This soundbar can fit under your PC monitor. It connects via Bluetooth so it can work with your PC, phone, or tablet.

Zrtke Bluetooth headphones ($23 at Amazon)

These lightweight headphones are waterproof, sweatproof, relatively inexpensive, and connect with Bluetooth.

Spotify has kicked off its annual "2018 Wrapped" campaign, rounding up its past year of user listening trends into a stylish webpage. Tapping into your personal Spotify data, the service rounds up easily digestible statistics, with social integration to share among friends. Spotify Wrapped just went live ahead of the holidays, now serving up the best (and worst) of your 2018 music habits.

For your breakdown, Spotify Premium subscribers can visit the 2018 Wrapped site, logging in with account credentials. The 11-slide summary highlights top tracks, artists, and genres, alongside other prominent trends from using the service. From minutes listened, to common star signs among top artists, there's something for everyone. You'll also receive tailored playlists throughout, and graphic condensing your results in a shareable format.

Spotify Wrapped has become a top end-of-year event, breaking down an activity heavy rooted in daily life. Hey, you might even learn something new – or embarrassing – about yourself in the process. To check your Spotify trends, head to SpotifyWrapped.com and follow the on-screen steps.

Don't forget to share your personalized music statistics in the comments section below.

Spotify was a PlayStation 4 exclusive service for many years until Microsoft signed an agreement with the company. When the music-streaming platform launched on Xbox One, the application was quite basic and it was a little hard to discover music. A few months later, Spotify released a new Xbox One program to Xbox Insiders and it was a marked improvement over its predecessor. Luckily, it's now available to everyone!

In a post on Xbox Wire, Microsoft announced the general availability of the new Spotify experience for Xbox One. The post said the following.

Only Xbox One owners in the United States can use Cortana to play their playlists. This feature should roll out to the rest of the world soon from what we understand.

It's great to see that Spotify took the user complaints to heart and addressed them quickly. Hopefully new features and the latest interface will continue to make its way to Xbox One in the near future. Right now, be sure to update the application so that you can take advantage of all that's new!

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

Spotify has just debuted its biggest overhaul since its Xbox One arrival, bringing a refreshed interface and new functionality to the console. Microsoft has unveiled the newly-reworked console app, with its initial rollout already underway to select Xbox One owners.

Following the new update, Xbox One Spotify users will discover a modernized design, which cleans up its user interface and embraces a lighter color scheme. The update also brings support for deeper background music integration, allowing users to select up to 20 suggested playlists through the pop-out Guide menu. Finally, Cortana voice support has surfaced, keeping your hands free with the in-house digital assistant.

The latest Spotify app is now available to select members of the Xbox Insider Program across all five pre-release preview rings. The app will automatically update to version 2.0.58.70 in time or can be manually triggered through the Spotify Microsoft Store listing on your console.

If you're yet to download Spotify for Xbox One, Xbox Insiders can directly download the new app too.