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Spotify's Premium Family plans get an explicit content filter
Spotify is rolling out a new Premium Family Plan with a much-awaited setting. Parents will now have the ability to filter out songs with swearing, violence, drugs and more via an explicit content filter that can be applied to individual accounts. That feature was surprisingly lacking on a plan with the word "family" in it, considering that it might be used by young children who thought "Snoop Dogg" was some kind of cartoon.
Spotify Family plan subscribers in the UK can get a free Google Home Mini
Last year, Spotify gave away a free Google Home Mini speaker to US users, and this year, it's bringing that offer to the UK. Starting today, both new and existing Premium for Family Plan subscribers can sign up to get a free device -- normally priced at £49 -- until May 14th while stock permits, Spotify said.
Spotify's holiday discount on Premium works for lapsed users too
Spotify is offering a couple of holiday deals and they're not limited to new users like these sorts of discounts typically are. First time Spotify Premium users in the US can get three months for $0.99 as long as they haven't used a 30-day trial before or provided credit card information in the past. And any Spotify Premium user that cancelled their account prior to October 16th of this year can get three months for the price of one ($10).
Spotify gives away Google Home Minis to US family plan subscribers
Spotify has a treat in store for Premium for Family subscribers in the US: you can claim a free Google Home Mini. The offer will be available for current and new master account holders starting Thursday, and you have until the end of the year to register for the smart speaker.
Spotify Premium redesign borrows one of Pandora's best features
Spotify's been busy announcing a bunch of new features this week, including an app for Google's Wear OS and better direct uploads for artists -- and it's made some changes to Spotify Premium, too. Starting today, subscribers can enjoy streamlined navigation, personalized search and a feature called Endless Artist Radio.
Spotify's student Premium plan now includes Showtime
Spotify is determined to keep sweetening the pot for student listeners and stop them from drifting toward rival services. It's updating its Premium student plan in the US to include a Showtime subscription on top of the existing Hulu Limited Commercials deal, all for the same $5 per month. To put it another way, you can watch both Twin Peaks and The Handmaid's Tale at the same discounted rate that only offered music just a few years ago.
Spotify teams with Discord to soundtrack your gaming chats
Spotify and gaming chat app Discord are joining forces so your entire channel can bump to the same music during a raid. Starting today, you can link your Spotify Premium account to your Discord account and keep the beats rocking for your entire community. "All users are now able to instantly highlight and share their favorite tunes with their friends across Discord," Spotify writes.
Spotify offers a year of Premium streaming for $99
For the holidays and Taylor Swift's Reputation streaming launch, Spotify is offering new and existing subscribers of its Premium, ad-free service at a discount. You get a year of service for $99 up front, a discount of two months or $20 over the regular price. (That works out to $8.25 per month, $1.74 off the regular $9.99 monthly price.) The only catch is that the deal is not available to family plan members, and you can't cancel after the 14-day cooling-off period, unlike with the regular monthly plan.
The best apps and streaming services for students
It's true that most of Engadget's back-to-school guide has comprised, well, gadgets, but as every nerd knows, a piece of hardware is only as good as the software it runs. That's why, to close out our guide, we wanted to highlight some apps and services worth downloading or subscribing to. On the media front, this is as good a time as any to see if you can survive in the adult world as a cord-cutter -- it's not like you're going to have a cable subscription in your dorm room, after all. If your parents are willing to share (or at least foot the bill), we recommend loading up on subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and HBO Now -- you'll want different programs from each at some point. If you're a gamer and own a PlayStation, Sony's PS Now service is also worth the extra bucks, while Xbox One owners might want to pony up for EA Access. Music lovers will enjoy either Apple Music or Spotify, but your choice will come down partially to the other devices you own. As for schoolwork (yes, that thing), Google Drive is our favorite cloud-storage service, while Evernote and Bear both rank highly against other note-taking apps. Adobe's Creative Cloud could be worth it (or even necessary), depending on your major. Oh, and if you're worried about the "freshman 15," try MyFitnessPal -- it's a free app many of Engadget's own editors use to keep their calorie intake in check.
Spotify's half-price plan for students comes to 33 more countries
Spotify already makes half-price Premium subscriptions available to students in the US, the UK and Germany, but the company is now ready to let hundreds of thousands of more users in on the deal. Starting today, Spotify is expanding the program to 33 more countries around the world.
Spotify agrees to let artists keep new albums off its free tier
One of the biggest points of contention between music streaming giant Spotify and the record labels that provide it with songs is the service's free tier. Regardless of whether you pay for a subscription or not, Spotify users have access to the same music catalog. That is finally changing though: as reported in Music Business Worldwide, a new deal between Spotify and Universal Music Group will make some albums premium-only for a limited time. It's a reversal of a long-held position that Spotify wouldn't segment its catalog in this way, but it was likely necessary to continue offering all the music it has access to.
Sony closing Music Unlimited in favor of Spotify-powered service (update)
Sony today revealed PlayStation Music, a new Spotify-powered music service coming to PlayStation 3, 4 and "Xperia smartphones and tablets" this spring. The service will outright replace Music Unlimited, the service that Sony previously implemented across devices, powered by its own enormous music catalog. The news marks the first time Spotify has come to any game console, and is a major coup for Sony's PlayStation group in the battle for major home entertainment apps on game consoles (Xbox One notoriously got HBO Go first). PlayStation Music will require a Spotify paid subscription (the "Premium" membership), and enables both playback on the aforementioned devices and the ability to listen to music in the background during games. When the service launches at some point in Spring 2015, it'll be available in "41 markets around the world." Update: The PlayStation Music service will support the "ad-supported free tier" of Spotify as well, a Sony rep told Engadget.
Spotify finally has subscription sharing for an extra $5 per user
Spotify has just addressed one of the main beefs with its service: the lack of ability to share a premium subscription. With Spotify Family, you can now share your $9.99 plan with up to four other folks for an extra $5 per. That means the price starts at $14.99 for you and one friend, going up to $29.99 with five people altogether, for a savings of $5 to $20. They won't be stuck with your musical taste, either, as each member will get their own account with separate playlists, recommendations and more. That makes Spotify's premium service pretty tempting, and don't worry if your family or friends aren't music lovers -- that never stopped Sprint's Framily subscribers.
Spotify comes to (a few) Vizio smart TVs
Despite the popularity of its music service, Spotify's presence on connected TV platforms is still spotty. It's on Apple TV via AirPlay, Roku, LG and Samsung, but not Xbox, PlayStation or Chromecast (officially). We can add on one more today, as Vizio says it's coming to their VIA Plus enabled TVs. The only bad news? That list is currently limited to just a few models consisting of the 2014 E- and M-series TVs, and you'll need Spotify Premium to tune in. If you don't have Spotify Premium you can try it free for 48 hours -- check out some favorites from our editors if you need musical suggestions.
Bang & Olufsen announces Spotify partnership, brings streaming integration to BeoSound 5
The BeoSound 5 is, without a doubt, among the priciest of its kind, but thanks to a new partnership with Spotify, Bang & Olufsen has just added a little more value to its lavish controller. According to the company, those with a BeoSound 5 in their possession will able able to start streaming up to 320 Kbps tunes from Spotify as soon as they snag a software update, which will be available to download starting today -- though it's worth noting that a Spotify Premium account is a must for owners looking to stream. Still, since these are folks who've already paid the extravagant premium that's attached to the BeoSound 5 systems, chances are they already have the proper credentials or won't mind shelling out a few bucks per month on some quality internet-based music.
Spotify for iOS updated to 0.6, fixes lockscreen bug, revamps UI
Spotify for iOS has just been updated to version 0.6. The update brings some UI enhancements and welcome bug fixes, which are sure to enhance your music listening experience on the app. Most notably, there's a newly designed Now Playing bar and Track menu, with a redesigned context menu when you tap on a track. Along with a couple other bug fixes, the long-standing (and annoying) issue of the wrong track listing being displayed on the lock screen has now been fixed, too. For all the details check out Spotify on the iOS App Store. Spotify for iOS is a free app to download, but it's not free to use like the desktop version. You'll need one of Spotify's paid monthly subscriptions to access music on your iDevice. If you're a Spotify for iOS user, let us know what you think of the new features and bug fixes in the comments below.
Sprint adding Spotify Premium to carrier billing for Android customers starting November 11th
A few months back Sprint's Android customers gained the option to charge Google Play purchases to their monthly wireless bill. In an effort to keep the carrier billing party going, the Now Network will soon be adding this option for Spotify Premium customers. An anonymous tipster has shared with us that starting on November 11th, Sprint's Android clientele will be able to add the music streaming service's $10 monthly charge to their bill. While we're sure that some customers will take advantage of this new option, we can't help but long for the good old days when people could bill a new phone to their account. Ah, Sprint giveth and taketh away.
Samsung partners with Spotify, brings streaming music to its 2012 Smart TVs in Europe
Europeans who have been pining for a(nother) way to bring Spotify into their living rooms can rest easy, now that Samsung is on the case. The pair have teamed up to bring 18 million tracks to Sammy's 2012 E-Series Smart TVs with a new app designed for the platform. The software will arrive later this year, with existing Premium users finding their playlists already syncing, while those new to the service will be offered a short free trial to coax them into signing up. If you've yet to make an investment in one of the displays, the company is also planning to add the functionality onto its Blu-Ray players and Home Theater systems in short order.
Spotify offering students in the UK a 50 percent discount on Premium service
Streaming outfit Spotify and the National Union of Students have teamed up to offer scholars in the UK a whopping 50 percent discount on the music service's Premium plan. Of course, you'll have to meet a few requirements first, including having an "extra" NUS card and, naturally, a Spotify account. Once you've got those credentials in place, Spotify's Premium service will only set you back £4.99 per month, which gets you an all-you-can-stream buffet on both desktop and mobile -- yes, that includes the shiny new iPad app. The deal's said to be good for 12 months from the moment you sign up, and you can get started now at the NUS link below.
Spotify says iPad app is 'in the works'
Spotify held an event in New York this week to make a "special announcement," and unfortunately, it wasn't about anything having to do with the streaming music service's long awaited iPad app. It was, instead, about some deal that they're making with Coke, which will start off as some sort of branded apps. Anyway, nobody really cares about all of that (or at least, it's up to Spotify and Coke to make people care -- the marketing budget probably has plenty of money slated in it for just that reason). Nope the thing everyone wanted to know about was the iPad app, and founder Daniel Ek confirmed that it is still "in the works." Unfortunately, that's all he said about that. Spotify actually won our 2011 choice award for best music app on the iPhone, so it's not too surprising that we can't wait to see the iPad version. Hopefully it'll be along soon.
