Spotify’s free users can finally play the songs they want

Spotify has removed restrictions that prevented escaped users from listening to circumstantial tracks. With lossless audio present yet rolling retired to paying subscribers, the music streaming work has announced that it’s besides allowing non-paying listeners to search, play, and stock immoderate opus they want, without having to upgrade to a Premium subscription.

The update is being rolled retired globally and addresses 1 of the astir annoying limitations of Spotify’s shuffle-only escaped experience. Instead of playing the circumstantial opus a escaped idiosyncratic had searched for oregon selected successful an medium oregon playlist, Spotify would antecedently motorboat tracks successful a randomized bid that forced users to skip songs until they reached the 1 they really wanted to play, with skips constricted to six per hour.

Now, non-paying users tin “pick and play immoderate opus you want,” according to Spotify. There are inactive immoderate restrictions successful place, however, with CNET reporting that escaped users tin lone perceive to 1 opus earlier the app starts shuffling.

“Only Spotify Premium users person implicit power to play and skip euphony without restrictions. Mobile listeners of the updated escaped acquisition volition beryllium capable to pat connected immoderate opus oregon hunt for what they’d similar to play, oregon if they don’t similar a way oregon simply privation to perceive what’s next, skip the occasional opus and transportation connected listening,” Spotify spokesperson Luke Mackay told The Verge. “Each idiosyncratic has a regular allocated magnitude of on-demand time. Once this bounds is reached, users volition past beryllium constricted to six-skips per hour.”

The escaped acquisition volition besides inactive see ads, but this update gives escaped listeners less reasons to usage rival streaming services similar YouTube erstwhile they privation to play a circumstantial opus without dancing astir shuffle-skipping requirements. This besides helps Spotify’s tendency to get users sharing euphony links online, fixed that non-paying users antecedently couldn’t instantly play songs that friends had shared connected societal media platforms.

Update, September 15th: Added a connection from Spotify.