Spotify Unveils New Vertical Home Feed in Major Update

During the Stream On 2023, Spotify announced a new vertical mobile interface, changing the way listeners discover new music, podcasts and audiobooks.  

In the update, the audio streaming platform is dropping its static home feed and carousel-type recommendations for an endless vertical feed experience similar to TikTok’s. Listeners may also explore genre-specific music using hashtags within the feed, and preview tracks on playlists.   

“We’ve found that the next generation of listeners craves better ways to sample audio before fully diving in,” the company explained in a press release. “Together, these updates work to bring creators and fans closer than ever, and help each build lasting connections.” 

Apart from the vertical change, the mobile app has introduced a new feature that allows listeners to save, share, visit podcast or artist pages, and play the preview from the start or where the preview ends all in one place. Despite the changes, listener shortcuts and most recently played will still appear at the home feed.  

Co-President and Chief Product & Technology Officer GustavSöderström shared the company’s goal with the app makeover. “The world today pulls us in a million different directions... o the most important thing we, at Spotify, can do for creators is to reduce the distance between their art and the people who love it . . . or who would love it as soon as they discovered it,” he explained. 

The vertical-style browsing update was first reported last month, claiming that the homepage will be “built with an eye toward improving discovery and attracting a younger demographic.” 

Spotify releases ‘DJ’ 

Along with the new update, Spotify also recently launched a Beta version of its new feature, DJ – a personalized AI guide that tracks listener behavior, choosing what to play for its listeners.  

“With DJ, we’re reimagining how listeners hear and discover the music they love as the tool transforms Spotify from a music tool into a living, breathing, interactive music experience,” the company said in a blog post.  

The beta version is available for Spotify Premium users in the U.S. and Canada, and is expected to roll out worldwide soon.