There's a new wearable app from Spotify this week, one made by the company to work specifically on the Apple Watch. This app works with the controls you might expect - playback controls, switches between devices, playlists, and the like. The bit you might be surprised about, however, is the fact that the app needs to be connected to a secondary device to play music.
Spotify Connect is a pretty nifty alternative to things like Bluetooth and AirPlay, but thus far, it's been strictly the domain of Premium users. Those who listen for free haven't had access to Spotify Connect, but that's all about to change with a new update to Spotify's Commercial Partners' SDK. Beginning today, those hardware partners can enable Spotify Connect for free users in their speakers.
iPhone and Apple Watch users with Spotify have been waiting for the app to make the jump to the smartwatch for some time, and it looks like the streaming music service is almost ready to deliver. Users with access to the beta version of Spotify's iOS app have reported that the latest build includes a companion app for the Apple Watch.
Spotify's family plan already offers pretty good value if you've got multiple listeners living under the same roof, but beginning tomorrow, Spotify will attempt to sweeten the deal for those who may be on the fence but haven't taken the plunge. Spotify today announced that it'll be handing out free Google Home Mini speakers to family plan account holders.
Roku devices got support for Spotify years ago, but lost it in 2017 due to technical issues. That's about to change, though, as Roku pushes out Roku OS 9, which will include Spotify support, according to the release notes. Not all Roku devices will get the support, but the ones that do will be able to access both the free service and Spotify Premium.
The newest update to Spotify has a few more features added to the subscription tier for users that pay. Users of Spotify Premium will find a few features modified from past versions of the service, as well, and some features will come to some platforms before others. UPDATE: Initial updates to Spotify Premium will begin to roll out to Premium subscribers on both iOS and Android at the same time - welcome to 2018!
If you're one of the Spotify faithful and you own a Wear OS smartwatch, then today you're getting another option when it comes to controlling your music. Spotify has announced a standalone app for Wear OS, which means that you no longer need to rely on your phone when it comes to listening to your Spotify library. For those that use a smartwatch regularly, this will likely be a welcome launch.
Streaming is pretty much the de facto delivery and consumption method for digital content these days. So much so that getting access to offline content is ironically now a paid subscription feature rather than the default. But there will always be times when an Internet connection isn't available or isn't good enough for quality audio, let alone video streaming. And there are also times when you'd rather not bring your phone with you to increase its chances of survival. For both those cases, the Mighty Vibe, a.k.a. the Spotify iPod Shuffle, might be your cup of tea.
With Spotify's success in the music streaming space pretty well on lockdown at the moment, the company has decided to turn its attention to podcasts. Spotify has revealed a new beta test that will allow essentially anyone to submit and subsequently list their podcast on the platform. The floodgates, in other words, have been opened.
The Garmin Fenix 5 Plus smartwatches now support Spotify, enabling users to play offline playlists directly from the wearable. The new feature removes the smartphone burden, a benefit for athletes who want to listen to tunes without their handset weighing them down. There is a catch to the new feature, though -- you'll need to be a Premium subscriber to enjoy the support.
![Spotify family plan crackdown threatens account sharing [Updated]](https://c.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/spotify-1-1-980x620.jpg)
Spotify may crack down on friends sharing subscriptions to its more cost-effective family plan, demanding GPS location data from some of its users. The streaming music provider has offered a family plan since 2014, making it more competitive in mid-2016 by allowing up to six people to share a premium subscription for $14.99 per month.
3,333 songs might be a large number but for hardcore audiophiles, that can be rather suffocating. Especially if you’re limited to that number per three devices, bringing the total to 9,999. Finally giving into paying subscriber demands, Spotify is expanding its support for offline music, promising more tunes you might be able to consume before the next time you connect to the Internet.