With Spotify, we are launching a series of TechPrincess Guides to answer all your questions about the services, applications and social networks we use on a daily basis.
What is Spotify?
Spotify is the most popular service for listening to music at home as well as on the move, a sort of modern Walkman for digital natives.
The service allows users to stream millions of songs, podcasts and playlists. Thanks to its versatility, you can listen to music on both your computer and mobile devices. The application is available for free for both Android and iOS devices. But not only that, Spotify is also available for Smart TVs, video game consoles, smartwatches and cars: to listen to your favorite music anywhere.
All the songs you want and can listen to throughout your life. The platform offers a practically infinite reservoir of songs from the main record companies and even independent ones. There are more than 60 million songs. To these are also added a number of ever wider and many Playlists that cover any musical taste.
The quality of Spotify songs varies according to your needs and subscription. Spotify is able to offer an audio quality that varies between 320, 160 e 92 Kbps. The greater the amount of data indicated by the number of Kbps, the higher the audio quality. A larger amount of data requires a faster connection speed and therefore it is not always possible to take advantage of the best conditions to hear the best sound. But with a simple pair of headphones attached to your smartphone, even the lowest quality will be more than satisfactory.
Spotify music never reaches the FLAC quality (Free Lossless Audio Codec). Songs in this format suffer no data loss during compression. This results in larger files in better audio quality. To listen to songs in this format, you will need to turn to other audio streaming platforms such as Tidal.
The variation of the audio quality is strictly linked to the tariff plan you have chosen.
How much does Spotify cost?
Spotify offers numerous types of subscriptions with different costs with different possibilities to perfectly adapt to your needs and your spending possibilities. Let's see them in detail.
This is Spotify's basic plan so you don't need to pay for it. It is the plan that is activated automatically once an account is created. The quality of the streaming is limited to a maximum of 160 kbps which results in the lowest audio quality offered by the service.
It is also not possible to download offline music with the Free plan. It will therefore be necessary to be connected to the internet. On PC and Tablet you can choose your favorite artists, playlists, albums or songs and use the social functions. The reproduction of the songs will be periodically interrupted by commercials.
On mobile devices, users with a free account will have less control over their music. With this plan it is in fact possible to listen to music only in shuffle mode, ie in random playback. This means that you will not be able to select a specific song or author. The application will create a random selection for you based on a certain artist or song. You will be able to skip up to 6 songs every hour. After 6 songs, you will no longer be able to change songs for one hour.
These are some important limitations, especially on mobile devices. Conditions that push most users to select a paid plan among those we present.
With the subscription to Spotify Premium you can listen to any song, playlist or album in the highest quality available, ad-free.
The Premium plan eliminates all the limits we have seen of the free version. This means that you can play any music at any time both through the App and on the Desktop. The limit of 6 skips per hour has also been eliminated. In addition, it is not present no commercial breaks between one song and another.
Spotify Premium also allows you to download music offline. Up to 1.111 songs on one device for up to 3 devices. This means that once the songs have been downloaded, it will no longer be necessary to be connected to the internet to listen to them again.
With Premium we will also have an increase in the audio quality of the service. With a Premium plan, a good internet connection and the right tools, we will be able to enjoy our favorite songs at a quality that can go up to 320 kbps.
Spotify Premium is available at a monthly cost of € 9,99. If this is the first time you are approaching the Premium version, the platform allows new users to start a free trial period of 30 days. To test the Spotify Premium free trial, just visit the dedicated page.
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Spotify Premium Duo
Spotify Premium Duo is a particular subscription that provides for the purchase of two Premium accounts at the price of € 12,99 per month. With this plan a couple, living together, have access to all the benefits of the Premium version and all the music on offer. To this is added the detail Duo Mix, a playlist for two, regularly updated with the most popular music from both accounts.
The second account can be invited to join Spotify Premium Duo via email or WhatsApp. Once the invitation has been confirmed, you can take advantage of all Premium services in two.
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Spotify Premium for Student
This floor is reserved for students and allows you to subscribe to Spotify Premium at half price. All the services of the Premium plan will therefore be available for only € 4,99 per month. To be eligible for this plan, you must be a student enrolled in the University. You can get Premium for Students for no more than four years.
University student status is verified through the SheerID service. The latter allows you to scan the receipt of payment of the registration per university year. The subscription has a duration of 12 months and if it is not renewed, the subscription will automatically switch to the Premium one at € 9,99 per month.
This is a particular plan that provides the version of Spotify Premium su 6 account for family members living together. This plan has a cost of € 14,99 per month. Once you have chosen this option, it will be enough to invite the members of the family you live with, those who accept, will only have to confirm the e-mail address and start using all the services.
Billing goes to the primary Premium Account (who invited others). All linked accounts will have a separate account. This means that you can create custom playlists for each family member.
To upgrade your Premium account to a Premium Family account, simply visit the dedicated section of the official website.
Is it possible to use Spotify Premium for free?
There are a few methods to try Spotify Premium free for a few months.
All new subscribers to the Premium version can activate a one free trial of Spotify Premium lasting 30 days. Once you have completed your subscription registration and entered the details of a valid payment method, Spotify allows you to use the service you have chosen without charging yourself any fees. At the end of the trial period you will be charged the cost of the monthly subscription, which from that moment will automatically renew every 30 days.
If you cancel your Premium subscription before the trial period expires you will not pay anything.
Another way to get Spotify Premium for free is to rely on offers from telephone companies. Often, in fact, these offers also include a few months of Premium. Often, paying only the fee of your phone subscription you will be entitled to free services including Spotify Premium. Our advice is to keep yourself informed about the offers of your telephone provider. 
How to unsubscribe from Spotify Premium?
In case the Spotify Premium services have not fully convinced you, you can cancel your subscription at any time. To do this, simply:
- Log in on the official website
- Select the item in the account summary Change plan
- Scroll to the Spotify Free section and click on Cancel your Premium subscription
After completing all the steps, the site will indicate the date from which the Premium subscription will end. The service will in fact continue to be active until the expiration date of the Premium subscription. After that date we will only have access to the Free version.
How to sign up for Spotify?
THESpotify subscription it is as simple as how it works. To create a free account just visit the official website and click on the section "SUBSCRIBE". From here the classic registration screen will open. The platform requests information such as:
- The registration email
- The password
- The username
- The date of birth
- Sex
After completing the registration and confirming the email address, you can use the Free version of Spotify.
Yes, the site and the application also allow you to sign up through Facebook. At the time of registration, just click on the option Sign up with Facebook and accept Spotify's terms and conditions and privacy policy. If a Facebook profile has been stored in the device with which you are registering, you can register with a click.
Once you have downloaded and installed the Spotify application, you will be able to subscribe or log in. Unlike the Desktop version, here we have more ways to register or enter the application.
In fact, it is possible to use, in addition to the email address and the Facebook profile, also theGoogle ID, if you are using an Android device, or that of Apple, in the case of an iOS device.
How to delete Spotify account?
If we intend to permanently delete the Spotify account, it is sufficient:
- Access the Spotify official website via Browser and log in
- Click on the section About Us At the bottom of the page
- From here, in the Customer Service and Support section, click on Contact Form
- From the new section “How Can We Help You”, select the item Account and then I want to close my account
- Fill out the form and then send the request
After sending the account closure request, Spotify will permanently delete the account within a few days. An e-mail will confirm the successful deletion.
Where can Spotify be used?
Spotify can be used on many devices. Not only Computers and Smartphones but also tablets, smart TVs, smartwatches, game consoles and even cars.
The service can be used both on devices Android e iOS thanks to the application that can be downloaded from the official website or from the respective digital markets on Google (PlayStore) e Apple (AppStore).
Download
QR-Code
Spotify: musica e podcast
Developer:
Spotify AB
Price:
Free
Download
QR-Code
Spotify: musica e podcast
Developer:
Spotify Ltd.
Price:
Free+
The application on Smartphone and Tablet has a slightly different design from the one on Desktop. Part of the novelties concern the section dedicated to options. The latter offers some specific voices for mobile devices. We are able to manage the audio quality to adapt it to the amount of data network available, in case you do not have a wi-fi network.
There is also an option that allows the app to connect to local devices equipped with bluetooth such as speakers or cars. In this regard, there is also a practice Auto mode to quickly connect to your car's smart screen without interrupting the music.
PlayStation Music e Spotify have entered into a partnership that allows all users in possession of a PlayStation 4 to listen to all the songs on the platform even during the game.
To use Spotify on PlayStation 4, just:
- Open the PlayStation Music app
- Sign in using one of the following three ways:
- With Spotify Connect
- With Spotify email address and password
- Through the option Log in with PIN through which a code will be sent to your smartphone or computer to be entered directly on the console
- The accounts are now linked and you can log in automatically every time you log into your account PlayStation Network
listen to Spotify while playing it's enough press the PS button on the controller and select the service. From here you can skip tracks, pause / resume playback or adjust the volume. Some video games also allow you to disable the game music so as to fully enjoy the Spotify music.
Spotify on Google Home e Amazon Alexa
Spotify is also supported by personal assistants di Google e Amazon. Both Google Home and Amazon Alexa, they can in fact play the songs on Spotify with our vocal order.
Currently, Amazon Alexa only supports Premium Accounts. This means that if you are using the Free version of Spotify you will not be able to use Alexa to listen to music.
To connect Spotify to Alexa, just follow these simple steps:
- Open the Alexa app (downloadable on iOS, Android and Windows devices)
- Select Settings
- click Music and then Connect a new service. At this point, just select Spotify
We remind you that Amazon Alexa will always tend to prefer Amazon Music as an audio playback platform. To prevent this from happening we have two alternatives:
- Expressly ask Alexa to listen to a song on Spotify
- At the end of the steps we have seen, select Spotify as "Default Music Library"
This way Alexa will use Spotify as the default streaming service.
The voice command to say to listen to a song is: "Alexa, play (Song name) from Spotify."
Unlike Alexa, Google Home is also able to connect to a Spotify Free Account. To do this, simply follow these steps:
- Connect a new service via the Google Home app. to press Account, Settings o Add I will select the voice Music o Music and Audio
- Select Spotify and then Colleague Account
- Enter your Spotify login credentials or create a new account
- Accept authorization requests
At this point even Google's personal assistant will be able to play your favorite music on Spotify.
Can Spotify be used in the car?
Spotify can be used on various car models. Almost all cars use different connection methods. We therefore recommend that you consult the car's instruction booklet. In any case, the general instructions valid for each vehicle are the following.
Carplay, the software developed by Apple which allows you to manage some iPhone functions on the car display, it also supports the Spotify application.
To listen to Spotify in your car via CarPlay, it will be necessary:
- Activate Siri
- Connect your smartphone via USB cable or via Bluetooth, to the vehicle
- Access the Settings di iOS facendo tap sull'icona della rotella d'ingranaggio
- Choose the Ooptions Generali and then C
Once the connection between the iPhone and the car is complete, it will be enough locate the Spotify application on the Carplay Home. From here it is possible to access the music library and start playing the songs by interacting with the car's touch controls, via the smartphone or using the Siri voice commands.
On Carplay there is also an integrated Spotify application called Spotify Stations. It is an application very similar to the iOS app, but has a design optimized for use in the car.
The app is dedicated to playlists and it shows a list of all the playlists we have set up on our Spotify account. Just click on the name of the desired playlist to start playing it. With the Stations application, all those steps required to start a playlist are reduced. The app is free but it is not possible, not even for premium subscribers, to select the individual songs in the playlists.
Also Android Auto, the application that allows you to duplicate the screen of your smartphone on the car display, supports Spotify.
After downloading the application on your smartphone it will be enough:
- Connect the smartphone to the car via USB cable or via Bluetooth
- Approve the application for all required logins
- Select the item Android Auto on the car display
- Press the icon of headphones to access the section Music
- Select Spotify
From now on you will be able to use all Spotify services through your car.
Is it possible to use Spotify on Smartwatches?
Spotify is also supported by a wide range of smartwatches. Some of these can use the service without being connected to the Smartphone but directly exploiting the connection of the watch. Others, on the other hand, must be connected via bluetooth to a Smartphone that has installed the Spotify application.
Let's find out how to use it on the most famous brands:
With Samsung smartwatches you can:
- Play, pause and skip songs
- Save music offline
- Play songs randomly
- Listen to music from The library, Shop by Department e Listened recently
download Spotify on Gear S3, Gear Sport and Galaxy Watch:
- To touch Apps (App) from the device home screen
- To touch Galaxy Apps
- Search for “Spotify” and then Install
To download Spotify on Gear Fit 2 e Fit 2 Pro:
- Select Apps
- Select Samsung Gear, Then Samsung Galaxy Apps
- Select Essentials (BASIC) and search for "Spotify"
- Touch the icon Download and install the app
Fitbit devices that support Spotify are:
- Fitbit Versa/Fitbit Versa Special Edition
- Fitbit Versa 2/Fitbit Versa 2 Special Edition
- Fitbit Versa Lite
- Fitbit Ionic
- Fitbit Charge 4
To download Spotify on these devices:
- Open theapp Fitbit on the smartphone
- Tap your profile icon, then your Fitbit device
- Select App
- In All apps, search and install Spotify
- Tap the gear symbol up My apps
- Log into your Spotify account
To download Spotify su Apple Watch you must own a iPhone with iOS 12 or later it's a Apple Watch with watchOS 5.2 or later.
To start using Spotify on Apple Watch, simply pair your iPhone with Apple Watch via Bluetooth. At this point the application will be visible on the watch and just open it to start listening.
To start using Spotify on Garmin Smartwatches, simply:
- Open the Connect IQ app on your smartphone
- Search for Spotify and tap Download
- On your watch, scroll to My Music and select Spotify
- Give all confirmations to the Connect IQ application
- Log into Spotify and connect accounts
How do you use Spotify?
Spotify is very easy to use. Both the Desktop version and the one for mobile devices have a clear and intuitive interface with different sections. So let's find out all the functions of using Spotify.
The Spotify home page will allow you to move easily between the various sections, whether they are there Search Bar, Playlists, Podcasts, Favorite Songs, Recently Listened to and so on.
The search bar at the top right allows you to search for artists, songs, albums, playlists and podcasts present on the platform. As you type, the auto-complete system will give users valid options for the song or artist you are interested in.
Another way to search for new songs and music is to rely on the section You may also like.... Here it is possible to discover new songs and music according to the desired mood or the type of music: from Pop to Latin music through to Classical.
Once you have selected a genre, you will find yourself in front of many playlists created by users or by the Spotify algorithm with i songs related to that particular genre or mood. Are you feeling sad? here is a series of songs and soundtracks that tear tears. Do you want to clean the house accompanied by a lively soundtrack? there's a playlist for that too. The Follower number is also indicated under each Playlist. This is the number of those users who follow that list and who have saved it among their favorite playlists in order to find them more easily.
Yes, in the section You may also like... it is possible to view the world ranking of 50 most listened to songs right now. Not only that, the Spotify database will also make you discover the rankings of many countries around the world, including Italy.
In the You may also like... we also find the New Releases of the moment of international artists and lesser known artists. This is accompanied by a useful calendar of concerts the program of your favorite singers or the ones closest to you in your area
As the Spotify algorithm begins to know your musical preferences and tastes, it will be able to independently compile playlists with songs that may be of interest to you. The App will create daily Mixes for you with the most listened to songs and the artists or genres that come closest to us.
Among the various mixes we find:
- Daily mix - Up to 6 mixes based on the most listened to genres. It is a playlist that includes both songs that you listen to daily and songs that you do not yet know and that have been selected especially for you
- Discover Weekly - This is a playlist that is automatically created every Monday with always new songs that we have never listened to but always close to our favorite genre
- Release radar - This is a playlist that is automatically updated every Friday and offers us new releases close to our tastes just waiting to be discovered
- Repeat and Back to the past - These are the songs we have listened to and continue to listen grouped into various automatically generated playlists. Give her Past Summer Hits, To Favorite tracks divided by year
The section Radio allows you to discover new and interesting songs starting from a song of your choice. This is a particular random mode that will make you discover songs and music similar to the one you were listening to. The system also offers you a selection of recommended “radio stations”, generated based on your listening routine.
You can start a Radio session from any song and the algorithm will automatically select the next songs. For each song that will be proposed to us, we will have the opportunity to appreciate or hide the song. In this way the algorithm will become more and more efficient to give us the perfect radio.
To start a Radio session:
- Find the artist or song to start it with
- Click on the three dots on the right
- Select Go to Radio del Brano
Spotify allows users to put the songs they like most in the category of Add to Wishlist. To do this, simply click on the small heart that is on the screen of each song.
In addition to helping the Spotify algorithm to understand our tastes and direct it better during the selection of radios or mixes, choosing your favorite songs will make them appear in the specific dedicated Playlist. In this way we will be able to recover our most loved songs in a few seconds.
It is also possible to bookmark entire albums so as to have all the songs contained in that album within our personal playlist.
The social side of Spotify
Yes, with Facebook. And in case you have used Facebook as a registration method, the two accounts will already be linked. If not, the procedure varies depending on the device you are using.
To connect the Spotify account to the Facebook one via Computer you will need to:
- Click on the menu arrow in the top right corner of the home page
- click Settings
- In the Social, click on Connect to Facebook
- Enter your Facebook login data and click Log in
To connect Spotify account to Facebook account via mobile devices:
- Select Home
- Select Settings
- In the Social , touch Connect to Facebook
Yes, if your Spotify account is connected to Facebook, a side window will appear on the application home page showing the list of your friends who are currently using the service. The window also shows the songs your friends are listening to at the moment. Just click on the name of the song to listen to it together. It is a simple and effective way to share a moment at a distance. But that's not all: it is possible to share your playists and consult those created by your friends.
Yes, once the account is connected, the “Friends Activity” section will appear on the desktop version of the application so that you can discover new interesting songs that your contacts are currently listening to. This option is not mandatory and the application still offers valid alternatives for maintaining privacy. In fact, it is possible to start an offline listening session so as to make your choices private for a certain period or forever.
Spotify's secrets
Like any self-respecting application, Spotify also has more or less hidden options that can improve the user experience. Here is a selection of the most useful tips & tricks
Yes, using together Spotify e Google Clock you can wake up in the morning with your favorite song. Once you have downloaded the Google Clock application to your device and set an alarm, when selecting the alarm tone, you have the option to choose Spotify. From here we can select the song that will wake us up in the morning
Yes, few people know about this function already implemented in the official app. Once you have started a playlist or a radio session, just click on the options section (the three dots at the top right) and select Timer Pause. From here we can choose to play music for up to an hour, after which the app will automatically silence
Yes, Google Maps presents an option dedicated to Spotify and other music services that allow you to integrate an audio interface directly on the Google app. Just open the Google Maps application and select, once you have clicked on the profile, the item Navigation Options. Among the various items, it will be necessary to activate Show controls for multimedia content and thus connect the two apps. In this way we will be able to select our favorite music on the go without necessarily changing from one app to another
Yes, this is also an integrated function in the official application. This option not only allows you to publish a playlist created by ourselves but to give our friends the opportunity to expand it and insert songs and songs inside it. To activate this option just click on a playlist created by us and select the item Make Collaborative.
The story of Spotify
Spotify was born in 2006 in Sweden (Stockholm) from the Spotify AB startup founded by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. After a few years of refinement, the official version of the application is released in October 2008 with only a paid version. A free version of the service was reserved only for a limited select audience.
Despite a first year of great popularity and major deals with record companies, Spotify reports a loss of 4,4 million dollars. To this are added, in 2009, some security problems and stolen accounts which, unfortunately, will be repeated again in 2016. In 2010, however, the first version of Spotify Free will arrive for all users which allowed listening to 20 hours of music at the month. In 2011, he arrived in the United States where he met a huge audience, new record deals and a resounding success. It is in this period that the casual listening modality that has accompanied this winning formula to this day was born.
Over the years Spotify has known an incredible success that has led it to become a real synonym of "music streaming". The service has found its place together with internet giants such as YouTube or Facebook becoming one of the largest companies on the net. In fact, in July 2020, the company announced that it had 299 million active users every month, of which 138 million subscribers to the Premium version. These numbers generated in the first months of 2020 an amount of money equal to 1.85 billion euros.
In April 2018, Spotify's market value was around $ 23,5 billion.
In 2019, Daniel Ek, founder of the company, said that: "The number of creators who are engaging directly with the Spotify platform continues to grow, increasing to over 3,9 million." There are therefore 3,9 million artists and podcasters within the digital library.
Among these we find artists who have created interesting collaborations with Spotify and who have achieved notoriety thanks to the service. The most explanatory example is certainly that of Billie Eilish, the very young American singer who in a few months managed to climb the heights of Spotify thanks to her Ocean eyes. The artist has remained very attached to the platform for which she has created a series of vertical videos designed specifically to be seen within Spotify.
Another more recent example that has achieved great success is the Michelle Obama Podcast simply titled The Michelle Obama Podcast. This is one of the most successful Spotify Original Podcasts featuring the former American First Lady talking with loved ones and colleagues about relationships and what makes us who we are. The simplicity with which the podcast develops, the great personality involved and the sensational success have decreed another triumph for Spotify.
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