Spotify has launched a new app named Stations which is now available only in Australia but is expected to be rolled out to all regions soon.
While the music streaming service offers a free ad-supported subscription model, it is strongly focused towards desktop users.
The team behind Spotify wants to provide mobile users with a way to enjoy more than 40 million songs they have in their collection. While the desktop app is much more versatile and lenient in terms of offering great user experience, the mobile version is very limited. It doesn’t allow users to skip through songs and you can only listen to artists or albums only by shuffling between the songs available in a list.
From a mobile user’s perspective, the only option is to either pay the monthly subscription or maybe jump over to a rival subscription service such as Apple Music. Spotify wants to keep those users onboard, which is what the new Stations app aims to achieve. It is now available on Google Play Store for download and the description says it is an experimental app rather than a full launch.
Considering the fact that the app faces some strong rivalry from other streaming services like Pandora, Stations seem to be a viable alternative and will provide a more streamlined experience. Mobile users are unable to skip through songs or play what they like using the free version of the app. Instead, when they choose to go with this new service they can easily listen to all the playlists they have created so far, choose to listen to available playlists based on the genre of the song and tap into trending numbers.
Users will not be able to create custom playlists using the app or create their own stations. If you choose to listen to only jazz songs, indie or pop hits, it will automatically open up a station and start playing. There is no option to skip through songs but it does keep track of your music listening habits so as to suggest songs that match your mood or taste. Spotify app users will also spot popular playlists like Discover Weekly, Viral and Release Rader among others that they usually come across in the original app.
The team promotes it as a way to enjoy music without having to type in names and to browse through thousands of songs every day. All you do is download the app and start listening to your favorite stations for free.