Time for Spotify to cut their loses and start again?

[SteveBrammer]

I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that maybe the best way forward is for Spotify to throw away the current Android client (like they did once before) and start again from scratch. It's obvious that the current Android client is way too complex and badly written. This is the only explanation I can think of for why Spotify have been working on the 2 most prominent Android bugs (playlists un-syncing and high data usage even in offline mode) for over 8 months now without any positive results.

If the current code-base is so complex, labyrinthine and hard to understand that you can't make any progress whatsoever in 8 months on two such we'll documented bugs then maybe it's time to give up and start again? Next time try writing something that both works and is maintainable.

[piphil]

I'll +1 this. I stopped subscribing to Spotify after I had data usage problems with the Android app. I would quite happily start again with Spotify if the app was fixed - I've tried other services and found them wanting. However, on top of the other problems mentioned, for me most importantly the removal of the option to save playlists to an SD card, I felt I needed to take my money elsewhere for the time being.

I wish that I could do more than just complain though - personally I would be quite happy to provide more information about my system, log files etc, but apparently this just doesn't exist as an option. The underlying subsystems of Spotify seem to be very robust, as I don't have any problems with playing music on PC, be that on Windows or (before I cancelled my sub) Linux.

The last big update was a major improvement in usability over the previous app. However, for it then to introduce serious bugs (and I think Spotify should be seriously considering giving free subscription time for those affected) and then take over 8 months to fix is very troubling.

Android users are often made to feel second-class citizens in the mobile sphere. I'm used to being screwed over in this way (BBC, I'm looking at you). However, it could be said that the Android crowd is maybe a little more tech-centric than many "I want it just to work" Apple users. I feel Spotify could have worked closer with its userbase on Android to overcome this.

It just feels however that we've been told for months that the problem is being "worked on". Which is a bit like the British Council, who after being told by a national newspaper that one of their roads had the biggest pothole in the UK, made the classic press release that they were "sending some men to look into it"...

[user-removed]

Heared something about Unlimited data plans?

Transfered in last month 25 GB of data in my mobile phone. Thanks Elisa for network without data transfer limits.

[Marco]

I sure buy that the code in Android app is chaotic.

Maybe a weak comparison but I've worked quite a lot with the code in the Spotify skin.xml file for my custom skins.

I must say - total chaos. Sometimes there are related codes in a block (good), sometimes a code appears totally random at a certain point in the file as if someone forgot something and just added it at the end of the code. I can't imagine how anyone could maintain that monster.

I'm currently working for skins for the new version and there is so much old code still in that file that has absolutely no use anymore, because those elements got replaced by web-based elements that get their code from CSS files stored somewhere else.

Also a code line sometimes reappears in a different .xml file in a subfolder, just written a bit differently...

Maybe there is a system in all of that, but I sure don't see it...

[eva27]

yeah spotify sux it's just ripping customers like me off. their service is pathetic n they should close down n leave it to more professional people!!!! refund back, paid n can't play my playlists, quick to take but **bleep** slow to action, ducky motto