Unlimited, apparently a thing of the past.

[fisque]

Today after the press conference the website got updated and Unlimited is now no longer an option for new users. You have Free and you have Premium as your choices for a subscription. I myself am currently a Spotify Unlimited user since I use Spotify on my computer exclusively.

First things first, what will happen to my current Unlimited subscription?

Secondly, out of curiosity I tried to log on to Spotify on my cell phone (Android) and try the new Shuffle feature available for Free users. What happened was that, even if I could log in, I couldn't actually play anything. The "Shuffle Play" button wasn't even present and when I tried to press Radio I was confronted with a message saying I need to upgrade to Premium to use that feature.

Shouldn't Unlimited users at least be able to use the mobile version in the same manner as Free users?

I'm confused...

[Peter__]

Unlimited does exactly what it was advertised to do, gives you unlimited advert free music on the desktop client. That is the only "perk" it has over the free subscription that I am aware off. 

[noitamroftuo]

as of a week ago, i got unlimited without ads on my mobile.  This week, no more

[Peter__]

Are you sure you wheren't on a free premium trial (although I don't know how that would be possible?)?

[noitamroftuo]

i have paid the 4.99 per month for many months

[Peter__]

Unfortunately it would appear you have just been extremely luckily, all of the information I have been able to gather so far says unlimited subscribers will get advertising on mobile and tablets. 

[noitamroftuo]

i don't believe in luck, but thanks!

[Joe]

@user-removed Your unlimited gives you what you always had on your desktop plus you can now listen to spotify free on your mobile. Spotify free on your desktop will give you adverts which you don't have currently.

[silbaco]

Spotify alluded to Unlimited being ad-free on mobile devices (radio only) for some time if I recall.

[Mntz]

When 'Music for Everyone' was announced on December 11, I was under the impression that Unlimited was ad-free on tablets. I've been using it since then on my iPad without ads. But since this week I'm getting ads as well. Bummer.

[cmv]

I'm happy with new plans: I have the same as before (which was what I hired) at the same price and now I can listen Spotify even in my mobile phone, with adds, ok, but I can.

[Bruceww]

Not lucky, SOP. How about an answer from a Spotify person?

[Bruceww]

Finally, an official answer.

I have checked your account and I found that your account was part of a group that have mobile free radio, there were no adverts.

But as Spotify technology progressed we have update the feature to all our customers. As we are able to offer Free subscription on phone, tablet or ipad.

The radio with no adverts is closed.

To continue to listening on your device without adverts you have to upgrade to Premium Subscription.

[Peter__]

Yup can confirm the same answer as you. If you want advert free on mobile you need a premium subscription I'm afraid. 

[ukmikep]

I agree and am dissappointed.  Why am I paying $4.99 for only ad free on the laptop/pc.  I am going to go to the free plan and deal with ads.  I wish they offered more options on plans. 

I think the free plan has made those on the unlimited plan make a decision to pay $5 more or go free.

With Pandora, Google Play (which is $8.99) I will have to drop my subscription and deal with the mobile ads, which I am already experiencing for $4.99/mo.

[spudgun79]

I'm another unlimited customer who has just found out about this. Years ago I was Premium but then had no need to listen to music on phone so changed to Unlimited (to avoid limits on plays or hours etc) and I just now listen on desktop.

So to sum up, it's back to the old days where you can listen to as much as you want, but you have to put up with adverts.

From my point of view - who doesnt need to listen so Spot on my phone/device - it's simply stupid to pay £5 a month to avoid adverts. This from what I can see is the benefit to me. So I shall be downgrading to Free. A customer lost.

(This isn't to avoid supporting artists by not paying money, can we avoid that debate)

I can't be alone in this. You will surely lose a lot of revenue in Unlimited customers.

Saying that though - unless they realise that you've changed your rates again - you probably won't. You've been nicely cagey about the changes to existing customers. I mean I'm just very fortunate that a friend told me about it!!!

Try re-iterating to existing Unlimited customer exactly what they are paying for and watch the mass cancellations. Real shame.

[pedrock]

Yesterday, I cancelled my "Unlimited" suscription. Paying for nothing? No, thanks.

[Trunkam]

@spudgun79 yes i definitly agree with you (even with the debate thing, that someone try to fire sometimes) 

i come to this page because i was considering unlimeted, not being interested in having music offline and higher Bitrate.

i mean, every service have a value and i think that if somenone want to use a service it is right to pay, but market teaches that value can be different for different user and needs.

when Spotify arrive in italy i did not consider it due to how it worke on mobile.

to me 9/m make no sense at all, atm is like that probably in the future yes.., i got offline my loved old group /artist collected in 30years.. (i m no more interested in music i listend when i was 10 and around 🙂 ) , and i'm used to listen to radio for new music or just random listening.

than spotify changed, i read the news and give it a try! it is nice and i though that 4(or 5 do not remember) was good to have no ads and some more than shuffle. to would become a substitute of the radio that i can "drive better" to my like/dislike.

but if that is the situation obv, i have to change my ananlisys and will stay with free, payng or not payng does not change my experience at all.

i'm not complaining, but i'm sure that company read feeback, so hope this could help in their analisys 

[ColBla]

Hello all

Apologies for being late to this debate, but I've only just woken up to some Spotify changes and would be grateful if someone could advise me. I'm an Unlimited subscriber in the UK and have been using it solely on a desktop PC. I've just bought a tablet and discovered that my listening is interupted by ads, so like many others I'm wondering whether Unlimited is worth paying for - esp. since the tablet is likely to become my primary listening device.

My reason for upgrading from Free originally was because of the introduction of limits to the amount you could listen - can't remember exactly what they were, it was something like a certain number of hours per month, plus you could only listen to a given song a certain number of times. Do those limits still exist ? Having read through this thread people seem to be saying there are no such limits now on Free (just the ads). But if I go to my account and start the process of threatening to downgrade, I find this:

"The following features will be lost if you decide to unsubscribe [from Unlimited]:

• Unlimited music, no time limits – With Spotify Free you'll only have 10 hours of streaming music per month."

Can anyone clarify whether Free now has streaming limits or not ? If they've been lifted, then obviously it's a no-brainer to cancel my Unlimited subscription. If they haven't, then Spotify's publicity looks just a tiny bit misleading.

Thanks in advance

[Peter__]

My reason for upgrading from Free originally was because of the introduction of limits to the amount you could listen - can't remember exactly what they were, it was something like a certain number of hours per month, plus you could only listen to a given song a certain number of times. Do those limits still exist ? 

Those limits no longer exist in the UK. In the vast majority of markets now (and UK is one of them) there are no time limits or play count restrictions on free accounts. The cancellation pages are still in need of an update since the changes came into effect. 

[ColBla]

Peter

Many thanks for that quick response. If there are now no streaming limits on Free, and if my listening's going to be via tablet in future, there's no point in paying for something if I get no more for that extra money. So it looks like my Unlimited subscription is on the way out then. What bizarre behaviour from Spotify, introducing a new product structure that actually encourages them to lose revenue ! It would have made more sense to have retained Unlimited for tablets by offering that product ad-free, exactly as per a PC. But I can put up with the ads, they aren't that intrusive anyway.