Improve Spotify Mobile UX (Buttons, Search, Playback, and Now Playing)

[j_wa]

Platform: Android (mostly), but applies to iOS too
Category: Mobile app experience, Now Playing, UI/UX design

Summary:

Several recent mobile UI/UX changes make basic use less fluid and more frustrating. I’m proposing a set of adjustments to improve usability for core actions like adding songs, searching, and accessing playback features.

1. Reconsider Placement of the “Create” Button

• The “Create” button (for playlist/Jam) now takes up valuable bottom space.
• Most users aren’t creating content daily, why not prioritize “My Library” (used more frequently)?
• Suggest moving “Create” to the center menu, or remove it from the bottom entirely (it's still available via the top menu).

2. Fix Double-Tap Search on Android

• The double-tap to Search is a solid UX choice, but the keyboard disappears mid-typing on Android.
• This forces a second tap into the field, making the feature less helpful.
• Suggestion: Fix the keyboard behavior for smoother interaction.

3. Hide/X Button Placement and Consistency

• A new “X” button to hide songs now shows up next to the “Plus” button.
• The feature feels intrusive (pop-up on each click), lacks consistency (does not always show up), and lacks user control (no option to disable it or set duration).
• Don’t place destructive actions in high-touch areas.
• Suggestion: move to overflow menu away from add to playlist button, or make it optional via Settings.

4. Improve Plus (+) Button Workflow

• Users like me don’t use the Plus to “like” a song, we want faster playlist management.
• A one-tap shortcut to playlist selection would be much more useful.
• Suggestion: Let the Plus open a one-tap playlist selector, or allow us to define its default behavior in Settings.

5. Restore Easy Access to Lyrics

• Lyrics used to be easy to find, but now they’re far off from the main player view. 
• Lyrics are a core part of engagement; bring them back to a visible location.
• Suggest restoring a dedicated icon, swipeable tab, or follow the desktop layout (placing it beside the Queue tab).

6. Simplify Discover Weekly Again

• The new genre-filtered version feels bland and less exciting. Simplicity works best.
• It also slows down the whole list.
• Part of the charm was randomness: some bad weeks, some jackpot discoveries.
• This filter and/or others would be much more welcomed in almost all other playlists than the randomly tailored for me.
• Let users disable filters entirely or move this feature to playlists where filtering is more expected.
• Suggestion, move filters to actual playlists that one would like to filter instead of the random “find new music” playlists or also, add a toggle in Settings to switch between “classic” and “filtered” Discover Weekly modes. 

7. Shuffle on Play Needs Fixing

• Playing a song directly no longer shuffles by default.
• For users who prefer to shuffle and are used to this functionality, this is frustrating.
• Your recommendation to “us” is to use the current “Shuffle” solution but combined with the “Smart Shuffle” bugs, slow response, and queue-breaking issues. This is not an option.
• Suggestion: Prioritize “Smart Shuffle” bugs so we can migrate to this new “routine” you are suggesting.
  

8. Now Playing: Grid View Concept

• Replace the static album cover and small “switch” buttons with a clickable, sortable grid. See image.
• Suggestions:
• Album Cover
• Go to album
• Music Video
• Song Radio
• Go to album or Start Jam
• Lyrics
• Spotify Code
• Interaction Model: Tap to open feature; long-press to return to main view (when applicable). This makes key functionality far more accessible, intuitive, and exciting.

Why This Matters:

These changes would restore fast access to key actions, reduce accidental taps, and enhance engagement, especially for power users. 

Most don’t need radical redesigns, just thoughtful tweaks that better match real-world use.