Give us your feedback - 0.9.0

[Richard]

Hey everyone,

Following on from our previous thread on 0.8.8, we've started up this thread to gather feedback from you on 0.9.0.

We want to hear what you love, what you hate, and any other emotions you have towards the app.

You'll find a list of everything that's changed in the app in our release notes here. And we'll be keeping this post updated with the changes we're making, along with where you can give us further feedback.

What we've changed:

1. The app should be a lot quicker now. So if you were affected by any slow behaviour previously, this shouldn't be an issue any more.

2. Clicking anywhere in the Now Playing box, rather than just the album art, will bring you straight to the song. This was reported here.

Where you can give us further feedback with your comments and kudos:

1. Change the white interface [we're currently reaching to users about this directly]

2. Changes to the activity feed -

     i. Bring back the old activity feed

     ii. The Favourites feature

     iii.Greater control of content in the feed: 

3. Bring back the total playlst length:

4. Filter option on artist pages

5. Go back to the old artist layout 

6. Ability to view all Facebook friends in the Follow tab:

7. View all playlist followers: 

8. Block/Remove followers 

9. Separate artists and friends

10. Remove 'who to follow'

11. Revert the font back to the original size (or provide an option to do so)

12. Restore 'View as Album List'

Thanks for all your support. We appreciate that there are a lot of changes going on at the moment and it can be a bumpy road at times. But we're confident that you'll like where we're going.

All your opinions matter and go into making Spotify the best product it can be. Keep it coming!

[Webbswonder]

There is no way to contact Spotify. I put in a contact form. No reply except the auto reply. There is no contact address on the auto reply. What company on Earth other than Spotify provides no means of contact? I have quite reasonably asked for 50% refund for the period since the introduction of 0.8.8. That version was non-functional. No reply at all. So I asked on her for help from a Moderator. No reply. This forum is a fantasy to fob usoff/. The company apparently is not interested in any real contact with customers. if anyone has any idea how to in reality contact Spotify Customer support i would love to hear from them.

[PrinceWatercres]

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@Gabhan wrote:

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@PrinceWatercres wrote:

I looked at my CPU usage when I had to End Task the player since it wanted to hang endlessly and not respond.

IT WAS AT 99%. NINETY. NINE. PERCENT.

You couldn't fix this before updating v0.9 further, guys?

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Since the devs don't do any testing whatsoever, and it isn't a problem for everyone, the chances of them being able to repeat this are pretty slim. And if they can't repeat it, they can't fix it. The only way you could really tackle this one (as a developer myself), would be to find the steps required to repeat this 'at will'. Until that time, any fixes would be merely 'lucky stabs in the dark'.

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Oh, it's pretty easy to do. All you have to do is switch to the window when you think it's all loaded up but it's not. Yeah, that's pretty easy to do in Windows 8, where you can see the window from the taskbar at the bottom. That's all it took for that to happen to me.

They're released v0.9.133 today. I just got the update. I doubt they fixed it here, either.

[tcolacino]

I am now a BETA (http://thenextweb.com/insider/2013/03/07/spotify-opens-up-the-beta-of-its-browser-based-version-to-e... ) for the new web-browser Spotify and am very DISAPPOINTED that the FOLLOW tab is no longer there. My web-browser page looks nothing like the one on this video advertisement at 1:15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jvy6LPCesOU 

All I have on the left side is: Search, What's New, Radio, and Playlists.... NO FOLLOW BUTTON!!!  I would like the follow button back... or maybe have a FRIENDS button like my droid app does.  Please get this fixed on the BETA version.

[bjoern_]

Since I downgraded to v 0.8.5, I have actually started to enjoying this product again. v 0.8.5 was a good job, spotify! Please make 0.9.x even better please. 

[btg]

Y'all asked for speed related feeback, so here it is:

0.9.0 has been the slowest, laggiest and most frustrating version yet. Most clicks take 1-2 seconds to have any effect, and drop down effects like the notifications can take as much as 4-5 seconds just to render the content.

And it's not just UI -- the entire app locks up for seconds at a time. 

I'm downgrading to 0.8.5 as we speak. 0.8.8 was horrible but 0.9.0 is, shockingly enough, worse.

Y'all have another month or two to fix this. Google Music is launching, Rdio is picking up steam, and other competitors like Xbox and iTunes want in on the game.

I've supported Spotify for a long time with a premium account but I'm getting to wits end. The web player isn't there yet, doesn't even support folders so my playlists are a disgusting mess (and I don't want it running in chrome anyway).

Such a shame. 

Spotify used to be so good (and for $120/yr, I **bleep**ing deserve better. No offense, but it's not chump change. That's real money). 

[btg]

Okay, me again (from the post before this).

I just downgraded to 0.8.5 and the lag issue is completely gone. I had forgotten how butter-smooth Spotify was before all of this. Honestly, 0.8.5 is everything I love about Spotify.

It autoupdated back to 0.9.0 and the lag immediately returned. It lagged scrolling through playlists, lagged trying to show dropdowns like the notifications, lagged looking through the activity list. 

So I downgraded again, used the trick to prevent spotify from updating and once again, sure enough, all of the lag was gone.

So, there's a pretty objective comparison that for me, on this setup, 0.9.0 still has immense lag problems.

Thanks!

-Chris

(EDIT: Anyone at wits end and about to cancel their subscription like I was -- try the 0.8.5 downgrade. It's not hard to find the file online and go through the quick steps to prevent auto-updating, and 0.8.5 is great. I had forgotten how great it was, after getting used to 0.8.8 and 0.9.0).

(EDIT2: Spotify, if you want me to reenable updating, now that I've turned it off, you're going to need to prove that you can fix these problems and make amends for what has happened. I'll hold my breath). 

[dcmargo54]

Don't hold your breath!

[tcolacino]

Will you please let me know how to downgrade to 0.8.5.

Thanks!

[DilanG]

The problem is when they decide to update their servers to not support the native client anymore, anyone settling for the downgrade as a solution will be SOL. I decided to migrate to a different music provider.

[olejon]

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@olejon wrote:

Here are some useful links.

Downgrade instructions:

• How to downgrade to an older version and block auto-updating on Windows
• How to downgrade to an older version and block auto-updating on Linux
  
• How to downgrade to an older version and block auto-updating on on OS X (Mac)

Future of the native desktop client:

• Give kudos to this idea if you want to keep the native app, and have it as native as possible
• Download the new "web player in disguise" preview to see what your future may be like
  If you don't like ut, remember to give kudos to the idea above and make your voice heard. Spotify has not answered any of our questions regarding the future of the native client, so we only know what they said to The Verge

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We have been downgrading for a long time. I re-post my useful links, to those who want to permanently downgrade.

[mutantdog]

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@olejon wrote:

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@olejon wrote:

Here are some useful links.

Downgrade instructions:

• How to downgrade to an older version and block auto-updating on Windows
• How to downgrade to an older version and block auto-updating on Linux
  
• How to downgrade to an older version and block auto-updating on on OS X (Mac)

Future of the native desktop client:

• Give kudos to this idea if you want to keep the native app, and have it as native as possible
• Download the new "web player in disguise" preview to see what your future may be like
  If you don't like ut, remember to give kudos to the idea above and make your voice heard. Spotify has not answered any of our questions regarding the future of the native client, so we only know what they said to The Verge

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We have been downgrading for a long time. I re-post my useful links, to those who want to permanently downgrade.

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Its probably worth mentioning that 0.8.5.1356 is better than 0.8.5.133 (which the link leads to) if only because the apps are broken on .133. Of course many have debated the merits of using even earlier versions aswell.

[nawak]

Hi,

I just upgraded linux version to 0.9.0.133, It's better that the previous unless there is a bug with the radios, I cannot set as good or bad a song, and can't pass to the next song. It's like there is a paused radio…

Anyway, I see that there is less bugs than the previous version.

[DennyEMufc]

I am now one of many who have gone for the 08 [feb 2013] version, so much better, if they do manage to get it right in a future update, we then need the option to update IF U WISH ! not be a forced update, i believe this is where a lot of the trouble lies, many of us DONT WANT TO UPDATE !

[Kelv76]

I had rolled back to 0.8.5 weeks ago, but some how Spotify auto updated to this awful piece of **bleep** 0.9.0 version today!!!!!

What really pisses me off, not only is this version laboriously slow, 0.9.0 shows every single **bleep**ing playlist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spotify, you really are assholes for not listening and acting on all the complaints you have receied since this update, the core fundamental problems still exist. 

Why is the white screen still here? 

[BigKev57]

I have been using Spotify client 0.8.5 with the workaround quite happily since the middle of February. I am quite happy to pay my subscription for this. However, i just had a new update forced on me - version 0.9.0.133. It is soooooo very unresponsive and immediately began soaking up my cpu. It's ben running now for 5 minutes or so and is still locked up. 

I shall try completely uninstalling and using the workaround again. if this fails it looks like i'll be cancelling my subscription. It will be a sad day if this happens as up until February i was a Spotify champion recommending the service to all and sundry. Now my only comment would be that Spotify is a bunch of s*** with little or no regard for it's customers.

[pj0tb]

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@nawak wrote:

Hi,

I just upgraded linux version to 0.9.0.133, It's better that the previous unless there is a bug with the radios, I cannot set as good or bad a song, and can't pass to the next song. It's like there is a paused radio…

Anyway, I see that there is less bugs than the previous version.

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Same issue here. Radio is not working as it should, as nawak described. I am a big Spotify radio fan, so I hope you guys can fix the problem soon.

Congratulations for the new release and keep it up!

[BigKev57]

I HAVE SOME FEEDBACK FOR YOU SPOTIFY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! **bleep** OFF WITH YOUR **bleep**TY UPDATES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I DO NOT WANT YOUR HORRIBLE RUBBISH NEW VERSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For all my fellow forum members who have downgraded Spotify has now caused a forced update. I tried the workaround and was immediately updated. If anyone can find another workaround so we can get back to using 0.8.5 i'm sure many many would appreciate it.

[Kelv76]

Spotify are wankers, they have had months to sort this out and zero change to the client!

[DennyEMufc]

Same with me, i have now been forced to suffer an update !   I DO NOT WANT THIS CRAP APPLICATION !!!!!   DO NOT FORCE UNWANTED UPDATES UPON US !!!!!!!!!!!  COME ON GUYS, we need another fix for this  ..... please ..............

[BigKev57]

This is the first time I have used or seen Spotify in it's new form since the middle of February. What a nasty, unresponsive piece of garbage this is. Absolutly appalling. I hope someone can find a workaround soon or i'm pretty sure there will be very many cancelled subscriptions. You should hang your heads in shame Spotify.