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Revert back to Spotify 0.8.5 on Mac

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Revert back to Spotify 0.8.5 on Mac

UPDATE 3/14/15: This solution works for reverting to ANY previous version of Spotify. Just replace the application with the desired version, 0.8.5 or otherwise. I have successfully used this trick to revert to 0.9.15.27 and 0.8.5.133. Also, APPS continue to work in these previous version. Attached is a screenshot of 0.8.5.133 artist pages, clean, simple, cohesive, text a bit small, and SEARCH function still in tact. 0.8.5.133 also runs MUCH faster on my Windows and Mac machines. 

 

The "Horrible update [0.8.8]" thread has begun to bury the work arounds for those of us NOT happy with the 0.8.8 update. Here is a guide to reverting to 0.8.5 for Mac. Spotify support has NOT provided a way for us to do this, despite my many attempts.  Hopefully it will help some people who visit the forum.

 

If you already have upgraded to 0.8.8: (if you haven't upgraded already, start with step #3)

 

  1. Find and download a copy of 0.8.5 here
  2. Mount the image and replace the application in your Applications folder with the downloaded one
  3. Now to make sure Spotify doesn't auto-update:
  4. Go to your ~/Library folder - you can do this in Finder by doing shift+cmd+g and typing "~/Library" without the quotes and hitting enter
  5. Go to Application Support/Spotify
  6. Delete Spotify_new.archive and Spotify_new.archive.sig (if they are there)
  7. Now open your favorite text editor, I used TextWrangler
  8. Make two blank documents and save them as "Spotify_new.archive" and "Spotify_new.archive.sig" - without the quotes, the same file names as the ones you deleted
  9. Right click each file and go to "Get Info"
  10. Check the "Locked" button on each and close the info window
  11. You should now see a small lock icon on each file
  12. Restart Spotify and enjoy 0.8.5 without auto updates to 0.8.8

Let me know if you have any problems! This has worked for me on OS X 10.8.2. Thanks to th80 for the help on this!

 

Removed link, not allowed to post links to download packages outside spotify site. hpguru

 

(Possible security risk removed by Rock Star)

Screen Shot 2015-03-19 at 12.10.09 PM.png
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175 Replies

Holy Moly! It worked! I have Starred back, my LIBRARY, got rid of the god-awful My Music (ugh, seriously), i can search my local tracks and within playlists again, indicators for updated playlists work, apps, and all. oh!! and it's grey and minimal and PERFECT.Untitled.png

 

it doesn't get better than this. thanks everyone for the instructions + links.

i am staying with this version hoping that they don't somehow force the update on people who have chosen to downgrade/use an earlier version.  

Thank you so much!

I have been successful at downloading an older version of spotify, but am having trouble with replacing the textedits. Where do I save them to if the ~Libary is "hidden"? Can I save it anywhere? 

Gratefully,

r

Marked as solution

You certainly can NOT save it "anywhere"--that's the whole point.  This might help you follow the instructions.  It was in a past about three back in this thread:

 

https://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/access-hidden-user-library-files.html

 

Good luck!

I feel like the guide is VERY straight forward. Please read it and double check you've followed it exactly before asking these questions.

And yes I'm successfully using this to revert Spotify on Mac OS X 10.10.2 currently.

Its still worked on Mac OSX 10.10.2 im downgrade to the 0.9.15.27 version of spotify. =D

Screen Shot 2015-03-20 at 02.22.49.png

I've been running 0.8.5 on my computer for a week now. Since the godawful update... And I love it 🙂 It's fast as hell, and I can use playlists for albums again with ctrl-g! I don't miss Your Music whatsoever. 

Agreed! 0.8.5 could be the best version! MUCH faster than the newer versions too. Simple, easy awesome. Glad you enjoyed the fix!

I've read the instructions again and again. I've reinstalled the old version myriad times now, and even after I erase and replace the .archive and .sig files with locked ones with my text edit (I figured out how to put it in the same folder after all), spotify still gets their .sig and .archive into that very folder and upgrades me when i restart. I feel confused...silly in fact since I've only seen one other person have the same issue.

Any tips on your part would be helpful!

Screen Shot 2015-03-25 at 11.55.04 AM.png

Hi, it's hard to know why it's not working for you.

 

First - Are the locked files in your HOME library, application support, spotify file? I can't tell on your picture.

 

One suggestion is to try using a free app called TextWrangler to create you're locked files. I think I remember the instructions mentioning that textedit wouldn't work and suggeste TextWrangler. It's a free app. so it might be worth a try.

 

Good luck.

Marked as solution

I'm not sure if this method was mentioned but I replaced the Spotify app in Mac HD/Applications with an older version and locked it. When you reopen Spotify, it seems to download the latest version and save it to a new location, in my case Users/Username/Applications. I've now deleted the app from this location and locked this folder (which is otherwise empty) to prevent Spotify from downloading the latest version to it. It seems to be working, and I still have the old apps etc. 

Not sure if I explained this clearly, or whether this will work permanently but seems to be doing the trick now. When I reopen Spotify I get a message saying Spotify is trying to make changes .. click cancel and the old Spotify opens again.

Marked as solution

By not creating the dummy files and locking them you are still allowing Spotify to attempt to update in the background. That's why you're getting the message. So sure... it sort of works. But if you'd like to have a better fix without having to click for Spotify not to upgrade everytime you restart it - you should use the method described in the original post.

 

Not sure why people are still having trouble with this...

My mistake .. I wasn't finding the files I had to replace as I was in the wrong library .. I hadn't used terminal to show the hidden library. Working a treat now thanks!

Thanks for this thread! 

Using CMD + SHIFT + G in Finder will open the "Go to" dialogue. Then type "~/Library" without the quotes and hit ENTER. This will bring you directly to the USER library folder which is the one you need to use for the fix.

And I never knew that clicking GO in the top toolbar, then hitting Option, toggles the hidden library on and off. You learn something every day!! 

Brilliant man, thanks so much. I used this trick when you first published this guide and now once again for the even worse 1.0 version (found 0.9 version on FileHorse like others have suggested). Thanks again for putting in the effort to figure this out and make a nice guide.

i first started using spotify last summer and have been using 0.9.15 since it came out last December, works pretty well for the most part, then it forced the upgrade to 1.x, so i downgraded to the earlier version 0.8.5 after reading the unamimously positive fdbk about this version over all others.  while it's certainly better overall & has some things i really like that were taken out in 0.9 i'm not able to get a few features working off the bat: 

 

- the "what's new" gives me an error when loading after the app launches that it's not available offline even though i'm online, but then it loads "recommended albums, trending tracks, new releases"

- but i'm not able to find the curated playlists which show up in 0.9.15

- the people i'm following don't show up in the People list

- i get the infamous "playlist error" continously (i've reinstalled the app and removed these random files in the user folder: "playlist-000000000000000000000000000000000a.bnk" which works temporarily till i restart the app again)

 

i'm considering going back to 0.9.15 unless there are ways to get these features working.

 

what version did they change the interface from the one in 0.8.5 to the one in 0.9.15.27?  was it 0.90?  i wish they could have found a happy medium between these 2 versions and used the best from both of them, as some elements/features of the newer interface/design & functionality i feel are improvements. too much was removed though, obviously.

Thanks so much for this! I've grown so tired of the Spotify app getting worse with each major update. I'd quit Premium if it were easier for me to export my playlists to Rdio....


shape5 schrieb:

what version did they change the interface from the one in 0.8.5 to the one in 0.9.15.27?  was it 0.90?


Nope, you seem to have missed the ones with the white interface aka Horrible update [0.8.8 ] and then going the opposite way with ultrablack design from April 2nd, 2014, probably 0.9.8. according to the release dates of available older versions on Filehorse and elsewhere. I think someone should write a book about this, then next a Hollywood movie with Justin Timberlake as Daniel Ek perhaps, he was good in that Mark Zuckerberg drama.

 

Playlist conversion from Spotify to Rdio and elsewhere is easy with Soundiiz, by the way.

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