Starting Monday, anyone using Spotify without a subscription can now play any song on demand, search for specific tracks, and instantly listen to music shared by friends or artists on social media.
The company labels these updates as “Pick & Play,” “Search & Play,” and “Share & Play.” With Pick & Play, users simply hit play on the app to enjoy the exact song they want. Search & Play lets them type in a track and start listening immediately.
Share & Play connects social media activity to Spotify, enabling seamless listening from Instagram Stories or Notes. Previously, free users could only shuffle songs with limited skips on mobile devices.
Spotify says these features will roll out globally, although certain restrictions will remain for free accounts that Premium users do not face.
Other Premium-only functions, such as lossless streaming, AI-generated playlists, and Mix, will remain behind the paywall. Features like Messages and the personalised playlist “daylist” will continue to serve both free and paying users.
This comes as Spotify seeks to grow its ad revenue. CEO Daniel Ek recently told investors the company had been “moving too slowly” on monetising free users.
Spotify aims for ads to account for 20% of total revenue but had reached only 11% by June. Making the free experience more appealing, Spotify could boost engagement and, in turn, expose more users to advertising.
Free users currently make up the majority of Spotify’s base. In the most recent quarter, the platform had 696 million monthly active users, 433 million of whom were free, ad-supported listeners, compared with 276 million Premium subscribers.
Spotify is also adding creative options for free users. They can personalise playlist covers with custom images, colours, text, and graphics, a feature now available in 128 markets worldwide.
Daylist, a daily mood playlist, updates automatically to match listening habits throughout the day, helping users discover music tailored to specific times or moods.
For discovery, free users can explore playlists like Discover Weekly, which delivers a fresh mix of recommended tracks every week, and Release Radar, which updates with the latest releases from followed artists.
Lyrics integration lets listeners follow along in real time, while sharing capabilities let users send songs and lyrics directly to friends on Instagram, WhatsApp, and more.
Spotify’s global update is an expansion of its free tier, offering more control, personalisation, and social connectivity. Free users will now be active participants in music discovery and sharing.
