Spotify isn't the only music streaming service out there, but it certainly is one of the most popular. The combination of an excellent free tier of service and fantastic multi-platform support make it a great choice for just about anyone.
Whether you use Spotify's free or premium services, there are all kinds of things you can do to get the most out of the experience. Check out the full list of Spotify tips and tricks below!
10 best music streaming apps and music streaming services for Android
Up your Spotify search game
Spotify features an enormous library of music, all available behind a simple search. Just tap search and enter an artist, song, genre, album, mood, or just about anything and Spotify will display tons of results.
However, if you want to narrow down your search without wading through a massive list, there are some shortcuts you can enter directly into the search bar.
For example, let's say you want to listen to music from the 1950s, but don't really know any famous artists from that time. You can find this easily by searching for year:1950-1959.
Below is a list of all advanced search strings in Spotify. Also note that you can combine them with standard search terms (Herbie Hancock year:1960-1970). You can even include several advanced strings in the same search with AND (year:1984 AND genre:metal) or exclude results with NOT (year:1993 NOT genre:grunge).
Spotify advanced search strings
- year: — music from the year or range of years
- genre: — music from a specific genre.
- label: –music released by a specific label.
- isrc: — search for a songs matching an International Standard Recording Code number.
- upc: — search for albums matching a Universal Product Code number.
- AND — displays results matching two or more terms. Also works with +.
- NOT — excludes results matching the term after NOT. Also works with –.
- OR — displays results matching one of several terms.
Explore with Spotify radio stations
If you're new to Spotify or love finding new music, Spotify radio stations are a great way to explore what's out there. All you need to do is find a single song, album, or playlist that you like, and Spotify handles the rest.
As new songs come up, be sure to rate them with the thumbs up or thumbs down icons. This way Spotify will get to know your taste even better, improving personalized results in the future. Just keep in mind that you can only skip a few songs a day if unless you're a premium member.
How to listen to Spotify radio
- Find a song or album you like.
- Tap the three dots.
- Tap Go to Radio.
If you find yourself liking every song on the playlist, tap Follow to save the playlist for later. If you're a premium subscriber, you can even download it to your device.
Check the Discover Weekly and Release Radar playlists
After using the service for a while, Spotify learns what kind of music you like and generates personalized playlists. On other services these playlists are often junk, but Spotify has really nailed its algorithm and the results are always filled with gems to discover.
The first playlist is Discover Weekly, which displays 30 tracks matching your taste. It refreshes every Monday, so it's a great way to start your week out on the right note.
The other playlist to check out is Release Radar, which updates every Friday. It contains new releases from artists and genres you've listened to in the past. It's a great way to stay up to date without having to keep on eye on release schedules.
If two custom playlists a week aren't enough to satisfy your need for tunes, check out any of the six personalized daily mixes. Like before, be sure to rate songs to get even better results, and toss your favorites into a custom playlist.
Recover deleted Spotify playlists
If you've spent months building the perfect playlist, losing it can be painful. Maybe a vindictive ex you shared your account with deleted it or a family member did it on accident, but either way it's a serious loss.
Fortunately, Spotify makes it easy to recover deleted playlists. It takes just a few moments, but it must be done on Spotify's website. The recovered playlist will immediately be added to the end of your playlists.
How to recover deleted Spotify playlists
- Navigate to Spotify's website.
- Click Log In.
- Click Recover playlists on the left.
- Click RESTORE next to the playlist.
Play local music on the Spotify desktop app
Spotify might have 35 million songs, but there are always obscure artists that can't be found on the platform. Using the Spotify desktop app, you can listen to any music files you have saved on your computer.
First, you need to download the program. Click the link below if you don't already have it installed.
How to play local music on Spotify
- Open Spotify for desktop and log in.
- Click Settings.
- Toggle Show Local Files.
- Click Add a source and select your music folders.
- Access them under Your Library on the left.
Use Spotify web from any computer
Can't install programs on a work or school computer? That's no reason to stop the jams thanks to Spotify's browser-based web app. It has all you need to stream your favorite music without downloading any software.
Just navigate to Spotify web, and you can start listening without even logging into your account. If you do log in, you'll have full access to your playlists and saved albums.
Listen to Spotify on other devices
A nice set of Bluetooth headphones is a great way to listen to Spotify, but you can listen to your favorite tunes on any number of smart speakers and smart TVs.
The integration goes beyond simple music reproduction. With a Google Home, Amazon Echo, or Sonos device, you can control playback with your voice. Just ask it to pause, turn up the volume, give the name of the song playing, or whatever else you'd like it to do.
Note that while Spotify can connect with most devices on a free account, Sonos devices require Spotify Premium to work. If you're that invested in a Sonos home audio system, Spotify Premium is more than worth the price.
Hide your guilty pleasures with private listening
One of the great things about Spotify is that you can follow people and see what they're listening to. Unfortunately, this also means that your friends can see your history, including that 3-hour Backstreet Boys session last week.
Spotify has two ways to hide your guilty pleasures from the discerning public. The first is private sessions. These remove all listening activity from your history until you stop listening for 6 hours or more.
How to start a private session on Spotify
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down to Social.
- Toggle Private Session.
If you want to build a playlist for a friend's surprise party, private browsing won't hide the playlist and might spoil the surprise. In this case, Spotify has you covered with hidden playlists.
How to hide playlists in Spotify
- Navigate to the playlist to hide.
- Tap the three dots.
- Tap Make Secret.
Change your audio quality to save data or enhance your listening
If you're on a limited data plan, using Spotify on the go can be worrisome. Likewise, if you have a decent connection you might want to stream higher quality than the standard 96 kbps. Both free and premium members have several options available to suit their needs.
If you're a Spotify Premium member, you can go all the way up to 320 kbps on the desktop and mobile versions. For the web version, the quality is fixed and depends on whether you're a free user (128 kbps) or a premium user (256 kbps).
How much data does Spotify use? Probably less than you think
How to change audio quality in Spotify
- Open Settings.
- Scroll down to Music Quality and select an option from the drop down menu.
If you're worried about data overages, there is a data saver option in Spotify that automatically changes the quality to low when on a cellular connection.
How to turn on data saver in Spotify
- Open Settings.
- Toggle Data Saver.
Get Spotify Premium
The free version of Spotify is great to get your feet wet, but if you really want to get the most out of the music streaming service you'll need to pay to become a premium member. This not only removes ads from the stream and lets you skip songs freely, it also unlocks a number of unique features on the platform.
Spotify Premium costs $9.99 a month, but it includes ad-supported access to Hulu as well. There are even discounts for students, families, and Playstation music users.
If you're still on the fence, you can try out Spotify Premium for free for 30 days. Just click the button below for more details.
Download Spotify songs for offline play (Spotify Premium only)
If you're in an area with a spotty connection or planning to take a long flight, streaming music is out of the question. Fortunately, it's easy to download Spotify songs, albums, playlists, podcasts and more, provided you are a premium member.
You can download up to 10,000 Spotify songs on each device with a single account. That's more than enough music for any user, plus you can swap them out regularly on the mobile or desktop apps. However, the desktop app is limited to downloading playlists – albums and podcasts are not available for offline play.
It's worth noting that you cannot download individual songs via the Spotify mobile app nor the desktop version. You'll need to add them to a playlist first, even if that playlist only contains one song.
How to download Spotify songs, albums, and playlists
- Navigate to the album or playlist to download.
- Tap the toggle next to Download.
By default, downloading music with mobile data is disabled. Follow these steps to be able to download Spotify songs while away from a WiFi connection.
How to download Spotify songs using mobile data
- Tap Home.
- Tap Settings.
- Tap Music Quality.
- Toggle Download using cellular.
Connect Spotify with other apps (Spotify Premium only)
Spotify is a great way to listen to music, and now you can bring your favorite songs and playlists to a number of other apps. You will need Spotify Premium, but by connecting it to Google Maps, for instance, you can control your music without interrupting your directions.
Another great integration is Uber. If the driver allows, you can select the music you want to listen to in their car directly from the app. You can even skip songs while in the car.
Even Tinder has Spotify integration. In the Show your music interests section of the app you can connect your Spotify account. You can then check which artists you and your match have in common and gain a few invaluable talking points for your first date.
That's all for our list of tips and tricks for Spotify Premium and free users. Did we miss any cool features? Let us know in the comments below!
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