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Collaborative playlist option disappeared

Collaborative playlist option disappeared

My Question or Issue

I am using the desktop windows 10 and mobile Android app - and on all platforms the option to make a playlist collaborative has disappeared, please help get it back. 

It is only showing option to invite collaborator but when I add my friends as collaborator they are unable to add songs to the playlist. 

Screenshot_2022-03-29-13-23-56-092_com.spotify.music.jpg
Reply
Top Answer
Elena
Moderator

Hey @WallyOllyO & @YMaster, thanks for these shares!

 

We were able to join both of your playlists as collaborators and add a song to them. This all seems to work as intended.

 

Are you sure whoever you're sending the links to are opening them properly? We might have a hunch what's going on. If the links are opened from a browser on the desktop, the browser might default to loading up the Web Player. There should be a prompt to launch Spotify, but depending on how the browser is set up it might not appear or it can be dismissed. Keep in mind that the collaborative functions aren't supported on the Web Player, and only work on our desktop and mobile apps. Joining should still be triggered, but once you join a playlist, you need to go to the apps to modify them.

 

The best way to avoid any confusion is for the links to be opened up on a mobile device with the Spotify app installed.

Top Answer
danicajenner
Gig Goer

Hey guys. If you wanted to vote to being back the old collaborative playlists, they've made the idea live now. So go ahead and vote to bring them back! https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/Desktop-Playlists-Have-both-quot-make-collaborative-quot-and/idi-p/5371021

74 Replies

Been making collaborative playlists for years....having to generate a new link every 24 hours is a real buzzkill. Just sent as an email to a group of 12 people...there's no chance they'll all open it in the next 24 hours. Adds extra work for the playlist creator and makes it harder to collaborate. I'd recommend making the link valid for longer if people are really having lots of security issues and this feature has to stay.

I'm also having the issue that the links aren't working for people. They still can't add.

I don’t understand why they chose to completely replace the Make Collaborative function when they could have simply added an option to create temporary links. Discord is the prime example of how to properly execute an invite system—no one would be upset if Spotify just copied their homework.

Just noting that we are having the same issue - invited via collaborator link, but collaborator could not add songs on desktop app or mobile. On mobile, collaborator does SEE the options to add songs, but the songs chosen don't actually add to the playlist.

I don't know where I should post my opinion on this, but I figured I'd start here. As someone who uses Spotify every day, I feel like this is either a misinterpretation of said "Community Ideas," or laziness on Spotify's part. I could not imagine anyone wanted the open collaboration option (set a playlist to collaborative, now anyone can add or remove) removed completely. What people wanted was a way to control who can add and remove. This "new functionality" could be considered a

solution to some cases, but it does not take a lot to understand that this will not work for everyone.

That being said I have experienced bots adding random songs to my playlists, I know how annoying it is. Especially when said playlist is all Christian music - explicit songs don't exactly fit in.


So on behalf of any user like me- Something as simple as allowing anyone to add, but not delete songs from a collaborative playlist until the playlist owner/moderator gives permissions is a great solution. Further, you could have made it an optional system. Some people might want their collaborative playlists invite-only, some completely open, others some middle ground. So I have to ask, is there something I'm missing? Why can't a company that makes as much revenue as Spotify does figure out simple features like these? I don't pay $17.30 a month for nothing, do I?

Hey there @uzamabalcoj11,

 

Thanks for the post.

 

You can change the sorting to of every Help Board category by Topic Start Date or Latest Post Date.

 

 

Hope this helps.

AlexModerator
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I am unable to see the Collaborative Icon (small icon with 3 heads) that appears on one of the collaborative playlists that I made.  Why is this showing up for other collaborative playlists I have, but it is not appearing on the one I have just created? 

Hi @hannahz!

 

Could you try adding a new track to playlist to see if that does the trick? Make sure also that you're using the desktop app and not the Web Player, as collaborative playlist aren't supported there yet.

 

Let us know how it goes. Cheers!

YordanModerator
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this is a weird loophole/hack but i made the playlist private and then I could manually make everyone, who liked the playlist through link, a collaborator. Worked for me 👍👍

I'm in this same boat. I tried to make a collaborate playlist for my team at work as part of our employee engagement activities. I clicked 'Invite Collaborators' and copied the link into an email and sent it out. No one can get in. I copied a new link and sent it individually to someone - she can't collaborate. 

 

I've tried from the desktop app, I started it all from the iphone app, I've updated the iphone app...... nothing is working. So now I look like a chump for trying to create something engaging that doesn't work as expected 😞 

Suggestions?

We do the same things and were originally running into the same issues! Some pointers I can give you that might help (what's worked for us so far) is make sure everyone who wants to collaborate has updated their Spotify app. Also make sure no one is trying to add songs on the web player as you can't do so in a browser - only in the app. How I disburse our playlist is send individuals who are interested individual links (understand it might not be super feasible depending on your company size) - i.e. copying a new link for each person. You also want to make note that links only last for 24hrs. After they get the link, the individual must "heart" it so it is added to their library and they (hopefully) become a collaborator. Some troubleshooting steps you can take if they still aren't able to add:

1) Make sure the app is up to date

2) Have them unlike the playlist

3) Have them quit their app
4) Get them a fresh link and have them add the playlist back to their library
5) Cross your fingers

Hope this was at least somewhat helpful! I found the biggest hurdle for us what everyone trying to use the same link. Sending you Spotify-working vibes
 

Has there been any updates on getting the Collaborative Playlist Option Back? I use it for the college classes I teach so that my students can add to our Class Spotify Playlist at any point within the semester. The collaborative link that expires after a period of time is super troublesome in my case -- it would be too time-intensive remaking the link each week throughout the semester & it's crazy to think about adding 100+ students individually to a playlist. 

 

So does any Spotify reps have any answers for returning the easy-to-use "Make Collaborative Playlist" Feature? Is it coming back? (Please can it come back!)

 

Or can anyone else offer any support for my case?

has it ever been solved? I see 2 years old comments and nothing new, no info it would have ever been solved and the less how or whether it works for everoyne

im having this issue. im on a chromebook, and neither "invite colaborators" or "make collaborative" (or whatever) are options on any of my playlist, even public ones. just... yknow... a little confused abt that one, man.

I've also noticed, as the creator of a playlist, once I've invited collaborators, I can't reorder the songs, which defeats the purpose of creating a playlist.  If it's collaborative, those permissions should not be removed.  

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