[Desktop][Podcasts] Eliminate Blue Dot on Desktop app - Use Progress Bar to Show If Played

[Sunshine21]

The blue dot functionality in the desktop app is extremely confusing currently. Apparently a solid blue dot represents both a podcast you have listened to completely as well as something you haven't started at all. Then the partial blue dot shows that you started it but didn't listen to the very last moments of the podcast - which you can see how much is still left on your progress bar.  (Discussion around this topic and explanation here: https://community.spotify.com/spotify/board/message?board.id=desktop_windows&message.id=96074#M96074

I would like to suggest that the blue dot not exist at all. The progress bar should be blank if you haven't listened to it and the blue as much as you have listened to it.  Why does it go back to grey after you have listened to it fully??? It should stay solid blue representing how much you have listened forever.

If you used the progress bar to show progress and never return back to grey, there is no need for the blue dot - which honestly is not intuitive of what it does anyway.  You don't need to have multiple icons communicating the same info.  The bright blue bar communicates perfectly if I've listened to it and how much I have remaining. Returning the progress bar to grey if you have fully finished the episode is the misleading part and should not happen. If I have finished it, it should show solid blue because I have listened to it.

I hope this happens and both the lack of blue dot confusion and clear use of progress bar is both intuitive and enjoyed by many.

[bandwiches]

You got my vote.  

Full Blue - [1] You listened to 100% of the episode or [2] You haven't started it.

1/2 Blue - You made some sort of progress

Empty - No idea.  Not a single moderator has explained this status.

But, wait! There's more! Below, I listened completely to episode 209 which auto-started 208.  I listened all the way through 208 which auto-started 207.  Episode 207 I did not finish.

[Elena]

Updated on 2021-03-05

Hey @Sunshine21,

Thanks for submitting your idea to the Idea Exchange!

We've gone ahead and marked this as a new suggestion. Spotify Staff will look into this idea once it reaches the necessary amount of votes.

More info on how your feedback reaches Spotify via the Idea Exchange can be found here.

Cheers!

[bandwiches]

500 votes is the minimum, just so everyone is aware.

@Elena - It cracks me up that this is a request to remove a feature that never worked in the first place and we're required to get 500 votes.  Is there no alternative considering the feature itself is a bug?

Good luck to us, I guess.

[Termas]

The blue dot is broken, plain and simple. It shouldn't have to get 500 people to get Spotify to see that, as it's more like fixing a bug than having a "new feature". For instance, I have the blue dot on podcast episodes that I have listened to AND that I haven't listened to.

The whole thing should be like in the (android) app, where it STATES PLAINLY that the episode is either "played" WITH the green (why the different colour?) bar, OR it is stated that "X minutes remaining". How hard can this be?

What. a. joke.

[alberthu]

+1 to what everyone is saying on this thread, here's my specific use case in case it's helpful

I can see that I previously left off on Episode 5 of this playlist. That's the only reason I know I should start there or the next episode. The blue dots next to Episode 1-4 are super annoying because to me it seems like I haven't played them yet, but I have. From other UIs I've interfaced with, I would expect a dot like that to go away as soon as I hit play on that track for the first time. To me, it feels like a notification dot or an "unread messages" dot. 

Please change this!!

[osornios]

Updated on 2021-05-27

Hey @Sunshine21 

Your Idea has been submitted a while ago, and unfortunately hasn't gathered enough votes (50 votes within 3 months) to keep it active in the Exchange. Be sure to know that this does not mean that your Idea has been declined by Spotify.

Don't worry, your Idea will still be able to gain more votes, and may get a Live Idea status if it receives enough of them.

For more info on how the Ideas Board works, click here. 🙂

[Mihail]

Updated on 2021-05-28

Hey folks,

Thanks for coming to the Spotify Idea Exchange and voting to make this happen.

We're happy to announce that this idea has now been implemented.

Once again, thanks for helping us make Spotify better, by participating here on the Community.

[Sunshine21]

SO EXCITED!!! Thank you for the update!!!!

[alberthu]

love it!!! awesome work

[bandwiches]

We did a thing!!!