With over 100 million tracks and 5 million podcasts, discovery on Spotify can be an arduous task. To help you lock onto new content, the music-streaming service is taking a page from TikTok with scrollable previews of songs, podcasts, and audiobooks.
The move, which builds on an August update that added separate feeds for music and podcasts, adds "personalized, curated previews of the songs, podcasts, and audiobooks you might enjoy" to the Home section of the Spotify app.
"Our data shows that more listeners become committed fans after previewing what they're about to listen to," Spotify says.
The refresh, rolling out to iOS and Android users globally, is split into three feeds:
Music
Tap the Music tab to find personalized recommendations for singles, albums, and playlists based on your listening habits. The account I share with my dad, for instance, highlights '80s Rock Anthems and Best of Broadway playlists, as well as collections formed from regular Elton John or April Smith and the Great Picture Show listening. There are also some "popular new releases" and trending albums sprinkled in.
Premium users in the US and Canada will also see a DJ option. And, when available, animated song canvases will accompany audio previews, "providing you with a peak into an artist's creative world," Spotify says.
Podcasts & Shows
Just like music, the podcast feed contains customized content, starting with quick access to your currently listening lineup. Video podcast previews let users watch and listen, while real-time transcriptions provide a preview of the episode, even with the sound off.
Audiobooks
Audiobook readers (listeners?) can find suggestions of what's trending now, editors' picks, top genre selections, and freebies—with audio previews up to five minutes. Any purchased or saved audiobooks appear at the top of the feed.
Once you find something you like, tap the plus icon to save it, open the three-dot menu to download or queue it up, or press play to listen from the beginning. Click on a recommendation to visit the playlist, album, or single and explore more related audio.
Music and podcast previews are available in all markets where podcasts are available globally; audiobook previews are currently available in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.