Open discussion ¦ Tablets Vs Laptop: why Unlimited users should be able to use Spotify App

[obiwankebino]

I've posted the following on the Help Forum, by I'm posting again on Ideas as kindly suggested by hpguru.

I'm a Spotify Unlimited user and, for a number of reasons, I'm only using a tablet at home and not a laptop/desktop. I love Spotify, but now I can't use it at home, which is very disappointing and unfair from a great company like Spotify.

I don't see any reason why a tablet and a laptop should be considered in a different way. Tablets are becoming increasingly popular and a lot of families don't really need a computer when they can do everything they need with a tablet.
Moreover people who chose a WiFi only/ non 3G tablet are likely to be the same target of Spotify Unlimited offer (careful with their monthly bills, but still willing to pay for great music on streaming).

Moreover a lot of people I know would love to plug their iPod (a WiFi device) to their hifi system and play music from Spotify.

May I suggest a couple of solutions if anyone is in touch with the Spotify team? I appreciate they have to encourage users to subscribe to Premium, so they should find different selling points to focus on (offline playlists are great! In addition to that I would also consider other advantages for Premium users, maybe a recommendation mechanism to discover new music, or make the Facebook feature accessible to Premium users only) Another solution might be to ask the developers to alter the app so that it runs a check on the device allowing Unlimited users to access streaming music only if their device is a WiFi only / non 3G device.

Thanks for your kind feedback

[neo-x]

What is the difference between Laptop and Tablet now-a-days. Tablets are / have been coming hard to the markets... Many use them only at home or work etc, but many use them on the road / boat etc as mobile devices, and comes in mind that what is considered as a tablet then? For example Android tablets. They might run the same OS version as the phones are running - how to determinate what is a tablet?

I'v got a Galaxy Note myself that is more of a phablet as Samsung put it, than a phone. Would it be a Tablet? 5.3" screen.

All devices that are portable / operate over 3G/Wifi / you can send SMS / make calls are phones?

Some of Galaxy Tabs can do those things and they still are Tablets never the less.

So if allowing Unlimited to be used in Tablets - it should include ALL tablets that run Android aswell or such

making it harder to determinate where is the thin line of what is tablet and what isn't.

If allowing Wifi only devices and not 3G devices - it wouldn't be fair for other users who have a 3G + Wifi iPad at home for example. (I'm one of those) I stream at home using Wifi only. Why should I need to still have Premium for it if people who only get the cheaper device get to be with Unlimited? Now-a-days one can make your phone as a wifi hotspot so that doesn't make Wifi only devices anymore less portable / tablets as the 3G versions. 🙂

Facebook: People don't like facebook. I rather use my Spotify credentials than logging in with Facebook ID.

It should be that Premium users could choose to have Facebook or not, and make Unlimited and others MUST use facebook.

Scanning devices for abilities or software or such in the background otherhand isn't cool. So running checks like that shouldn't be done. If you click your device to disable 3G Radios = It's a Wifi only device. If the scan detects the 3G chip even tho you don't use it - you'd be stuck with premium - unfair.

Sorry for the rant 😄

My 2 cents.

[user-removed]

I think this would be hard to implement as most tablets are just giant phones! The Ipad uses IOS (phone software) and tablets like the Galaxy Tab use Android (also phone software).

Only a lablet running say a full OS not a phone OS would be able to run the full spotify software and not the phone software. Say for instance a tablet running Windows would be able to run the windows version of Spotify!

Trying to distinguish between phones running IOS and tablets running IOS etc would be very hard to implement as there would be two versions of their mobile app, one for phones and one for tablets.

[bradomyn]

"Trying to distinguish between phones running IOS and tablets running IOS etc would be very hard".... give me a break, come on!!! it should depend on the kind of conexion:

3G -> Premium account

wireless -> unlimeted 

[ville40]

I just bought a tablet myself, wifi only so it's basically the same as a laptop, and I bought it because my laptop is about to break down. I have Spotify Unlimited but now I can't use it, how stupid is that. I don't have a smart phone so I have no use for premium.

So please, do something about this. I love Spotify but upgrading to premium just because I bought a tablet instead of buying a new laptop is just wrong.

[David]

This isn't strictly an idea, so I've moved it over to the Accounts board. 

[Peter__]

Hey!

Just thought I would add another opinion 🙂

I have no issues with spotify on mobile devices only being available on premium subscriptions, it tells you straight up before you subscribe about desktop/mobile access.

I can see a problem brewing though. What happens when Windows 8 comes out? There will be windows 8 tablets capable of running full versions of Windows 8 (intel based, not arm), therefore that will be a tablet the desktop version will work on, which doesn't seem fair to those on other platforms. 

Peter

[mer]

Agreed.  I just got an iPad to use as a "laptop" at home and now I can't play Spotify streaming.  That's not fair - tablets are a huge contender against laptops in the market and we should still be able to enjoy streaming without having to pay for premium service.  I don't need the offline ability - merely to be able to do the same as I do on my work computer at home!  Huge bummer.