Spotify has imposed new restrictions on users who listen to music on the streaming service’s free tier in India. The company has begun limiting how free-tier users can play tracks, including the ability to choose the order in which songs are played on the streaming platform. The move is part of the Swedish company’s attempt to convert its massive user base, currently on the ad-supported free tier, to paid subscribers.
As part of a recent update (through Music Ally) launched earlier this week, and Spotify has begun limiting how users of its free plan can access music through the platform. Without a Spotify Premium subscription, users will not be able to turn off the Smart Shuffle playlist option, play songs in any order, or use the traditional shuffle option.
In addition to restrictions on track order, Spotify will also prevent users from “scrubbing” tracks. This means that once a song starts playing, users won’t be able to go back to a specific part of the track – or hit the back button to go to the beginning of the track. They also need a Premium subscription to play songs on repeat.
The new restrictions appear to be rolling out to users widely this week, with users complaining about the change on Company Instagram posts. Gadgets 360 confirmed that these restrictions have been enabled for Spotify on Android after updating to the latest version.
According to a report by Music Ally, India ranks among Spotify’s top 5 countries in terms of monthly active users. According to reports, although India has a higher proportion of paying subscribers than other regions, the country is not one of Spotify’s most profitable regions.
In India, users can purchase auto-renewing Spotify Premium plans starting at Rs. 119, or opt for prepaid plans starting at Rs. 129. The former is slightly more cost-effective on a monthly basis, while the annual prepaid premium subscription comes with a considerable discount – priced at Rs 129. Rs 1,189 – In comparison, the free plan costs Rs 1,189. 1,428. Spotify also offers smaller plans starting at Rs. 7 per day, called Spotify Premium Mini – This plan limits the benefits of subscribing to the mobile app.
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