Android Widget Removal

[Staff]

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.

To access the playback controls on Android simply swipe down while you are using Spotify to access the controls.

If you’re interested in learning more about how the app evolves, check out our article about testing and why features change.

We’re also welcome to feedback from our users. The best way to give us feedback to is to write an Idea in our Idea Exchange. 

Thanks!

[GVJenn]

Terrible idea. People choose Android to get away from silly Apple functionality and here you try to force us into that box?! Just terrible.

[6i_xu9j4-2aha]

Bring it back!!!!!

[Rakrist3]

Unsubscribe Google play is cheaper. And has widget

[Kenkeem]

Yep as most have mentioned this is dumb as **bleep**.  And you didn't even give us a reason WHY it was removed!  I open and close Spotify many times each day while I'm at work so having to keep reopening the app from the app list and reopening the notification panel to access it while it is active is just stupid when I had it all available in 1 click from the widget.  Really stupid joke and is making me reconsider not renewing.  Isn't the whole point of having the widget is to give your consumers a choice on how they want to interact with your application?  Makes no sense to penalize those that actually use it or are you guys broke AF?

[Everdark81]

This is a HORRIBLE idea. Yes, I can control the music in the notification panel, IF it's already playing. I can do that from the lock screen too, IF it's already playing. If it's NOT already playing, I used to be able to just tap the widget (either to start playing, or to open the app itself). Now, we're expected to dig through our app drawer to find the Spotify app and open it? Spotify is now practically useless because it's practically inaccessible, especially while driving. Whoever thought this was a good idea should be fired....immediately. Way to cave to the Apple fanboys. Android users use Andriod because of things like widgets. EVEN APPLE MUSIC HAS AN ANDROID WIDGET!

[Mevs]

Noooooo what have you done?? The Spotify widget has been a permanent fixture on my homescreen ever since I signed up for a premium account...so that's 5 years worth of monthly fees I've paid you guys so you can remove a feature that I literally use every day. So now I have to open my app draw and then find and open the app instead of just hitting the play button from my home screen? This is NOT an improvement. I don't normally (ever!) comment on your service on here because I've generally been satisfied with the service but this has seriously **bleep** me off. BRING IT BACK! 😠😠😠

[Panzer21]

The people making the decisions, their brains dont work all that good huh?

Like "Hey guys! Lets make our product objectively worse!"

[Bigdaveme]

Wow, getting rid of this feature is a bad idea.  This isn't rationale and will result in more user button presses.  I joined this spotify community so I could post this reply.  I'm not going to make this reply long, I just wanted to say this change definitely diminishes the user experience.  This has been one of my FAVORITE features.  This has given me a good reason to move to other providers for my music.  I expect I'm not the only one.  Change my mind.

[Jamesb1992]

Bring it back! I use that every day! I don't want to have to find and open the app to play music I just want to press the widget and have it play. The notification thing only works if spotify was already playing...

Is there somewhere we can take a vote on spotify suggestions? Ie - bring it back!

[Murph9003]

I strongly believe this is a HORRIBLE idea. I can't understand a single reason why you would decide to remove such an important widget that so many people use EVERY SINGLE DAY. I truly hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

[Nicø]

this is a desision from someone that is not a daily user of spotify, bring it back right know!

[VillemTer]

I just spent an hour trying to find out what happened to my home screen and why there is a hole where there used to be my most used widget.  The replacement you are suggesting for it is a step back from the original widget. 

Why would i want my android to look and feel as bland as an iphone?

[Caba5689]

This is literally the most used widget and app on my phone. The hole you left on my phone screen has just been filled with Amazon music. Good job Spotify. Not sure if I will continue my subscription...

[Tibbins]

I'd really like my widget back. I have one for my audible and my podcast app. Pointless to take the widget away if people didn't want it they didn't have to use it and now people who did want it can't use it. Cancelling my Spotify membership if there's more pointless annoying changes the library change was stupid enough.

[Ng024]

So now that I haven't bothered with my mp3s in years, now that I'm depending upon your service exclusively, now you take away the only interface I use at all?

Thanks for nothing. Guess I'm going to cancel and look for an alternate service. You don't know how bad this pisses me off as i use Spotify on a daily basis and i use the Android widget exclusively. What am I supposed to do in this situation?

Thanks for asking me before crippling an app I use literally every day. As if things weren't bad enough already now you guys are adding to the BS in life instead of helping me escape it.

🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕

[RobertJCW]

**bleep** IT. How STUPID the developer to remove the widget function? I use it to play music on a daily basis.
GIVE the WIDGET BACK!!! Or I'll seriously to unsubscribe your services.

-Angry Premium User

[postup]

Why? I use it daily.

Why not keep it around as an option for those who like it?

I don't need a "better experience". We're talking about listening to music. That widget did just that, and it did it very well.

[Aryan03]

Well this sucks not gonna lie. All i used to do was pick up my phone and my widget would be there homescreen. Call me lazy or whatever for not swiping the notification panel but it was convenient. I had it on 3 of my galaxy devices over the years and it sucks that it is taken away. 

[gutsman52]

Vote on this: https://community.spotify.com/t5/Idea-Submissions/Android-Other-Maybe-a-widget/idi-p/4802378

Basically they are holding the widget hostage if that gets 100 votes maybe they'll see that people want the option to at least have it if they want to use it. i mean **bleep** its a feature you have to purposly get to turn on so why remove it if its not in the way and it doesn't take away from the experience?

[user-removed]

The controls in notification are adequate for controlling music that's already playing. Adequate but not good because I cannot paste it onto a homescreen page and make it stay there. For starting up a new stream the notification controls are entirely useless and irrelevant. It feels as though your Android interfaces are being designed by people who neither like nor understand Android. Please reverse this boneheaded decision as soon as possible and reassign the designers who did this to work on iPhone and hire someone with a brain to do the Android design.