Photo Credit: 9to5Mac
Apple released iOS 14 in September with a new feature – home screen widgets. Spotify is finally getting around to supporting it.
The latest beta of the Spotify app now features iOS widgets in several different sizes. After the launch of iOS 14 and watchOS 7, Spotify began testing Apple Watch streaming. It’s a feature that many Spotify users have wanted since the wearable debuted. Many users who want a Spotify widget have been utilizing third-party solutions.
9to5Mac has obtained screenshots of the latest Spotify beta, showcasing some of the widgets. It appears as though there will be two sizes available – small and medium. It looks similar to the Apple Music widgets but decked out in Spotify’s green.
The small Spotify widget can feature the artwork of a recently played song or album. The medium widget can show the last four songs or albums featured. The text ‘Listen to Music and Podcasts’ appears.
The widgets are barely functional at this point in testing. Currently, artwork doesn’t even appear (let’s hope the widget will feature controls instead of a static phrase since the point of widgets is to be useful).
We’ve known about iOS 14 widgets in the tech world for quite some time. Spotify had plenty of time to develop a widget for iOS users. But it’s no surprise that the new widget feature in iOS was ignored.
Spotify tried removing the Android widget last year. After a huge backlash from Android fans, they abandoned that plan. Spotify should work on updating the Android widget while they’re at it — it looks like something from 2015.
Spotify wants iOS users to be willing to consider using another music streaming service. But why should they when new features aren’t supported, even a month later?
These screenshots are from an early beta of the Spotify app; there’s no guarantee when it will launch. Spotify is known for fast-tracking some feature changes while leaving other requests to rot on their community forums. Spotify’s Android users have been asking for swipe to add a song to a playlist for ages. It’s still a feature that is exclusive to the iOS version of the app.
The new playlist options do look nice, and I hope Spotify continues to work on their presentation. They remind me of the Spotify promo cards the company recently rolled out to help artists promote their music across social media.