Spotify is redesigning its Smart TV app, aiming to make it easier for users to discover content. The company says it wants the TV experience to be similar to what you find on mobile devices and desktops.
According to the announcement, it will have a brand new homepage with “shortcuts to favorites, recently played audio”, as well as a Made For You playlist at the top. Second, Spotify is introducing a Now Playing view that lets people control what plays next in the queue. Before, listeners couldn’t change anything. They could only see what was going on. Third, Dark Mode is finally coming to the TV app. Activating the mode will “dim the screen and soften the images.” Background images are replaced with a pitch black display. What you see are the music player controls, the name of the song, the artist performing it, and at the bottom the About the Artist section.
The final feature is Account Switching which, as the name suggests, allows friends or family members with access to switch between profiles so they can enjoy a customized experience. You can do this by selecting the profile image at the top right of the screen and then choosing one of the accounts.
Availability
Admittedly, it’s a little surprising that it’s taken so long for some of these features to be available. Dark mode seems like a pretty simple tool to have, but hey, better late than never.
The update is currently rolling out globally to all free and premium users “on supported smart TVs, gaming consoles and (plus) media streaming devices.” A full list of supporting hardware can be found on Spotify’s Connect website. Make sure to keep an eye out for the patch when it arrives. We should mention that 9To5Google states in their report that the update is already live on Google TV.
Smartphone and desktop users in the United States don’t have to worry about being left out because they recently received their own patch. The Spotify app on those platforms now offers more than 200,000 audiobooks, including classics like Mary Shelley Frankenstein and fantasy titles such as The Olympic Case by Jim Butcher.
If you’re in the market, check out Ny Breaking’s list of the best TVs for 2023.