What you need to know
- Spotify is removing the widget on the most recent version of the Android app.
- The move has upset many users who don't find the notification to be an acceptable replacement.
- Users can vote on the issue to try to bring back the widget in future versions.
For those of you who love the Spotify widget, you're in for a rude awakening the next time the app updates. That's because Spotify has chosen to remove the widget from the app. The news comes as a surprise to most users after updating to the latest app, but Spotify has a statement regarding the issue on its community.
We're here to let you know that we are retiring the Spotify Widget for Android this week.We always take retiring features in Spotify very seriously. We're pouring our energy into new ways of creating the best experience for our users.You can still easily access the same playback features as well as information about what is playing through the Spotify playback notification and device lockscreen.
According to Spotify, the widget has been removed and the functionality has been replaced by the now playing notification. However, if you've ever used Spotify before, then you know that notification isn't all that reliable. After pausing music, it has been known to disappear on you by the time you're ready to hit play again.
The widget also gave you the ability to start your music at any time without requiring you to open the app. In general, the widget made things easier to enjoy your music with fewer taps.
So far, the move hasn't won over many users, with the community having 35 pages of enraged replies at this time. The consensus seems to be "why remove a feature without a good reason?" And, I have to say, I agree.
For those of you who will miss the Spotify widget, some are finding success installing an older version of the app to bring it back. Spotify is also offering users a way to give feedback by voting to bring the widget back with this post on its Ideas board on the forum. At this time, the Idea post is a little more than a day old and it already has the most votes.
More music, less ads
Spotify is one of the top music streaming services out there, and for good reason. With a Spotify Premium subscription, you get all that great music without all of the annoying ads. A Premium subscription also gives you access to offline music playback and unlimited skips, so no more getting trapped with no signal and no music or listening to tracks you don't like.
