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Technical Problem: filtered playlist no longer works properly

Technical Problem: filtered playlist no longer works properly

Plan - Premium

Country - USA 

Device - Moto Z Force

Operating System - Android 7.1.1

 

My Question or Issue

I have been enjoying Spotify web, PC and Android for a long time.  I think it is an excellent software program and is why I cancelled my Pandora subscription.  However, for some time now there has been a technical problem with the Android mobile app that is of considerable concern to me.

 

In the past I have been able to open one of my playlists and pull down the song list to reveal the search are (to search within the playlist).  First, once I enter a search term, my playlist's list of songs are filtered accordingly.  For example, if I type in "Elvis" the only visible songs in the playlist have "Elvis" attached to them, such as the artist or title.  Second, when I click on a song from the filtered playlist it will play that particular song, and when finished it will skip to the next song in the filtered playlist (either in order or randomly, depending upon my individual setting at that time).  Third, if I click the "shuffle play" button then one of the songs from the filtered playlist will play, followed by another randomly selected filtered song from the filtered playlist, and so on.  

 

A few months ago the Android mobile app stopped furnctioning this way.  The 2nd and 3rd functions I listed above no longer worked.  Specifically, after filtering a playlist and clicking either one of the filtered songs or the "shuffle play" button, a song from the unfiltered playlist would play.  To reiterate, even when clicking on a specific song from the filtered playlist, another altogether different song would play!  

 

Very recently, on of the Spotify Android updates seemed to fix the problem partially.  I can now click on a specific song in my filtered playlist and it will play.  However, none of the other functions have yet to be restored.  That is, the "shufffle play" button still works improperly and any songs that are played after the initial selection are still not part of the filtered playlist.  This is a VERY important function of Spotify to me, and one that means the difference between keeping my subscription and cancelling.  I am asking Spotify to 1) acknowledge that this problem exists and that a solution is being worked on, and 2) provide a projected resolution date.  I believe that this is a reasonable request, and one that should have already been communicated to its customers.  The only information I have been able to find in this forum are the complaints by my fellow users with no official reply from Spotify, but perhaps I have overlooked this somehow.  

 

It may be worth noting that these functions continue to work properly using the PC app.  Also, I don't think these functions ever worked on iOS, which is one reason why I don't buy iPhones.  

Reply
3 Replies

Spotify tech support said they fixed the problem and it will be resolved in the next app update.  

IN SUMMARY, SPOTIFY HAS OFFICIALLY REMOVED THE FEATURE FROM THEIR SERVICE AND HAVE NO PLAN TO REINSTATE IT IN THE FUTURE.  Read below for details from Spotify.

 

On 6/13/18 Spotify tech support agent Andre sent me an email that read "But good news: this issue’s been fixed! Please keep your Spotify app updated to the newest version to get the fix soon."

 

On 6/21/18 Spotify tech support agent Pontus sent me an email that read "We can confirm now that the Filter feature on Android, has been replaced with Search In This Playlist. This is so that you can search for a song in a playlist and play it, without the play queue being completely replaced with only songs matching the keyword you searched with." 

 

I replied by writing "I am thoroughly confused now.  What you described below is the opposite of what the filter used to do and not at all what is desired.  In addition, when I use the 'search this playlist' field within a playlist it seems to have the exact same problems as the filter developed recently.  Can you please explain?

 

Pontus replied on 6/22/18 by writing "Sadly, the 'Search In This Playlist' doesn't work as the old 'filter' feature. We're always testing things by adding or removing features to make Spotify better overall. We’re sorry that this means you’re not able to use the app like you could before.  We can't say if or when any specific features will be back. But as soon as we’ve got anything to announce, we’ll let everyone know via the Spotify Community"  

 

It has been my experieince that very little is replied or announed from Spotify in this forum, and it's only use is to vent or communicate with other users.  I am now in the process of finding a superior, more user-friendly music streaming service to replace Spotify, since the feature they eliminated is a deal-breaker for me.  I have enjoyed my family membership for a very long time, but their downgrade in functionality doesn't come with discounted pricing or any semblance of a desire to make improvements.  Sad to go...

What makes me smile is when they break a feature we've happily used for years and, instead of apologising and saying they'll work on a fix, we hear that this is an intended, improved feature.

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