Spotify expands free tier with on-demand song playback

Spotify has announced a major change to its free, ad-supported tier, giving listeners the ability to play specific songs on demand, a feature that was previously reserved for paying Premium subscribers.

The update, rolling out globally this week, introduces three new tools for free users: 'Pick and Play', which lets listeners search for and play any song on demand; 'Search and Play', enabling direct playback of songs found via the search bar; and 'Share and Play', allowing users to open and play songs shared by others.

Until now, mobile users on the free plan were restricted to shuffle mode for most albums and playlists, with limited skips per hour.

"I had to listen to a song even though I didn’t like it, now this is such a good move,” Kennedy Mwiti told The Eastleigh Voice on Tuesday.

The new features loosen those restrictions, though they come with limits: Users using the free version only receive a set amount of “on-demand time” each day.

Once that quota runs out, playback returns to shuffle mode with ads and skip limits.

Premium subscribers will continue to enjoy additional benefits such as ad-free listening, offline downloads, and higher-quality audio.

Spotify says the move is part of its effort to make music more accessible.

The company is currently facing increasing competition from Apple Music, YouTube Music, and Amazon Music, all of which already offer some level of on-demand playback in their free or trial options.

The changes are expected to reach all free Spotify accounts worldwide in the coming weeks.

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