Spotify

For quite some time now, Spotify and Apple have been locked in a rivalry that can be very bitter at times. Not only is Apple Music gunning for Spotify's spot as king of the music streaming hill, but there's also an ongoing dispute between the two companies when it comes to Apple's management of the App Store and iOS functionality in general. In short: Neither company seems too fond of the other at the moment.

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While Apple is positioning itself as the champion of privacy, other companies are accusing it of monopoly and unfair business practices. Its biggest accuser in that regard is, surprisingly or not, the music streaming giant Spotify. The two have been locked into a war of words that has already reached the ears of EU regulators. It seems that the two are willing to compromise on a few key points without actually backing down from their positions.

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It's a sad day for widget lovers around the world. Though homescreen widgets are one of the unique features Android offers, Spotify has decided that it no longer wants to support its own widget. An update today removes the widget entirely, in a move that some users undoubtedly find annoying.

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This is not a drill, and it's no longer a beta! Spotify for Podcasters is now an active, live system with which Spotify will take on the likes of Apple, Google, and the folks behind Stitcher. With Spotify for Podcasters, people making podcasts will have access to detailed analytics, user data, and options "to drive discovery" for their content.

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Last week, Verizon announced a collection of new unlimited plans. Though the four new unlimited plans differ in what they offer, all of them have a subscription to Apple Music tossed in as one of the perks. AT&T just answered that by announcing that it will offer Spotify Premium subscriptions to its unlimited customers, though it sounds like not everyone will qualify for an ongoing subscription to the service.

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Spotify has launched a new Disney section in its catalog, enabling users to search for and stream Disney content spanning from the classics through modern day hits. All of the content is collected under the service's new Disney Hub, which can be accessed in a large number of countries where the service is available.

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There was a point in time when the Android world had a fascination with "lite" apps, especially during the early weeks of Android Go. The hype over Google's configuration for less powerful phones eventually died down but it seems Spotify is coming late to the party nonetheless. It just launched Spotify Lite that follows that theme and it's positioning it as the app for data and budget-conscious users.

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Spotify has formed a partnership with Higher Ground, the production company owned by President Barack and Michelle Obama. Under this deal, Higher Ground will produce exclusive podcasts for Spotify, making them available to the service's millions of users. Among other things, Spotify says the Obamas will 'lend their voices' for certain podcasts.

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Here's something that might ease the ongoing tensions between Apple and Spotify: when it arrives, iOS 13 will apparently open up SiriKit, allowing Apple's AI assistant to work with third-party music and podcast apps. In other words, the days of Siri shooting down requests to play music through Spotify might soon be over. That's assuming, of course, that this functionality makes it into the final version iOS 13 that ships to customers later this year.

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Spotify is attempting to tackle the podcast discovery problem with a new test that'll start this summer. The service, which only recently added podcasts to its vast library, will present five podcast playlists to a small percentage of users in the United States, Canada, UK, and a number of other countries. Each playlist will be themed to help users choose which contains content most appropriate for their current needs and interests, including things like 'geek culture' and comedy.

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Way back in January 2018, Spotify rolled out an interesting little app called Stations. What is essentially Spotify's answer to Pandora, Stations attempts to get you listening to music right away by creating a number of different radio stations based around your music tastes. No creating and managing playlists, no searching your library for a specific album needed.

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With a bunch of different services now competing for the largest slice of the music streaming pie, Spotify is looking at ways it can hold onto its crown. Though the company is still on top for the moment, it's facing some heat from companies like Apple and Google, so it's only natural we'd see it roll out new features to give it a competitive edge. A prototype of one such feature was discovered today, and it aims to make music streaming a bit more social.

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