How do I downgrade from horrendous 0.8.8 on a Mac?

[lukech]

I've seen plenty of Windows instructions and download links, but none for OS X. I'd like to remove the atrocious 0.8.8 'update' and revert to 0.8.5. Could anyone let me know how I can do that? I emailed support, but of course they're still claiming 0.8.8 to be the wonderful new Messiah it clearly isn't.

Cheers

[AbsolutelyNoFB]

Instructions on how to downgrade the Mac Spotify client:

1. Get the old Mac Spotify client from the below site:
   
   Spotify 0.8.5.133 Date added: October, 29th 2012 - (Freeware)
   http://mac.filehorse.com/download-spotify/old-versions/
   
   This source is safe. Many of us on the forum have used Filehorse to downgrade.
   
   
2. Uninstall the new Spotify, i.e. drag to trash.
3. Install the old Spotify client you downloaded.
4. Before you start the newly installed old Spotify client, go to the Finder and mark the Spotify app as "Locked". This is effectively a "read only" designation for the app. I don't know if it prevents updates or not as the Mac client does not appear as aggressive about updating compared to the Windows version.

Let me know how it goes (post here as Spotify disabled private messaging for me). It would be helpful to know if Spotify auto-updates. If it still auto-updates with a locked Spotify app, we will have to figure something else out. I've got a Mac at home, but have been pretty busy so I haven't been able to definitively determine how to stop the auto-update for Mac.

[lukech]

Nope, locking doesn't prevent the update, which occurred immediately, the first time I opened the old version of the client.

I also had a load of "missing framework" dependency errors in the sidebar and What's New panels when I opened that old version – looks like they're trying to hose it completely to force people to use the 0.8.8 abomination.

[AbsolutelyNoFB]

Okay, good to know. The next go around, we're going to have to dig into their app a bit further. The "missing framework" dependencies sound a bit worrisome. Might be just an incomplete uninstall so there is mixed new/old clients. But I fear you are right. Spotify is not going to allow a repeat of what happened on Windows, where the customers figured out how to keep Spotify from updating.

I will look further into this tomorrow. I still have the old client on my Mac. One of the other ideas I was going to try is blocking 'upgrade.spotify.com" at the firewall/hosts level. I believe that is where they download the update from. Do you use Little Snitch? Do you happen to remember if it can block sub-domains? I think it can, but I don't have my Mac up and running now. I will look tomorrow. That might be the easy thing for me to try tomorrow as I've got Little Snitch.

[lukech]

It's a shame we have to be doing this at all, frankly. Forced upgrades on a paid service are pretty wrong. Little Snitch can block subdomains, yes, though I'm not using it right now. That probably would work. The dep thing could probably have been cleared by flushing out Application Support and caches, I'll give it another whirl tonight.

[AbsolutelyNoFB]

There is a thread here that details how to go back to the old client on Mac and block the updates (kudos to mvelinder).