What's up with this new desktop UI?

[tetre]

Device

PC

Operating System

Windows 10

I don't know where else to post this, but the new desktop UI is terrible. I'm running version 1.2.7.1277.g2b3ce637 and have tried the methods to revert the UI I've found elsewhere in the community (like changing prefs file, which I had to dig for), but none have worked.

The UI is just the complete opposite of what I'd want on desktop- very noncompact, difficult for no reason, and generally looks to be modeled more for phones than for a desktop.

If anyone knows a way to revert the update, please let me know.

[tetre]

Hey folks,

If you need a familiar experience to help you get started with the new Your Library sidebar, here's how to get it as close as possible to the old sidebar that previously only showed playlists:

• In the left "Your Library" sidebar, click on the "Playlists" filter at the top.

• Then, in the sort options drop down menu select "Custom Order". You will then see your previous playlist order and be able to move your playlists and folders like before.

• Your currently chosen filters and sort options will be remembered across restarts of the desktop app.

• If you would like to only see text in the Your Library sidebar (no art covers), go to the Spotify app Settings ➜ Library ➜ and turn on "Use compact library layout".

• Flexible Sizing: You can drag the Your Library sidebar to different sizes. Fully expand the sidebar by clicking the arrow button at the top, and fully collapse the sidebar by clicking on the "Your Library" heading to see only art covers.

• At the top, you can scroll through the different filters with your mouse scroll wheel for faster navigation when the sidebar is set to a smaller size. 

Hopefully this info helps!

Check out my help guide for more help:

Desktop: New Your Library sidebar

[at211]

So, so tired of Spotify constantly pushing things that make the user  experience worse with no regard for the user. Whatever new thing they want to push us into using more so they can maximize their profits is the only thing they give a **bleep** about now.

Desktop was pleasantly usable compared to mobile, even if it has gotten worse over the years. This new UI is awful and I'm about at my breaking point with frustration with Spotify now. Give us what we actually want instead of what you're telling us to want! 

[chainkidd]

Due to playlists having icons on the left, they take up way too much space, but that really isn't the worst part about this update.

Your playlists on the left are now filled with albums etc. you saved instead of just being your playlists and just when you sort under "playlists" and "from you" they show up almost as before (still too big).

But really the worst thing are album covers not aligning with anything, plus it's covering (haha get it) parts of you playlist too! Take a look at the screenshot and tell me that THAT was a good design idea.... Who let this pass I'm wondering???

The cover doesn't align when the library is "folded" in, neither does it when its extended to the side... I don't understand this, please revert. Everything is just messy now.

[komolinii]

They also removed spotify radio after a playlist/album finishes 😢😢😢😢

[chainkidd]

Wait actually? For me it's still there luckily...

[komolinii]

Yeah im devastated 😞

[TAG_Along]

As a long time subscriber, the update has been confusing and frustrating. At first I thought there were just some issues like visual bugs with how the Album cover looked. Or how my playlists are just a complete mess now with a bunch of others being thrown in that I didn't make. With no clear way to fix this in the settings. They can keep saying "we're listening to your feedback" all they want but they have nothing to show for it.

What frustrates me more is that support has been no help and anytime I asked for clarification they just closed my ticket without answering. I'm really trying to be patient and understanding but it is clear that Spotify does not care about making things easy for the users. Its been over three years that I have stayed subscribed to Spotify every single month. I am genuinely contemplating just unsubscribing and moving to another streaming service.

The customer support is unhelpful and unfinished/ugly/confusing/backwards UI updates get pushed out with no way to opt out. I wanted to give the benefit of the doubt, but with support not clarifying anything and leaving me hanging every time the moment I asked, I am just done. If this doesn't get reverted in the next two weeks, I am definitely leaving for another streaming service and not renewing my subscription. Because keeping things straight forward and easy is clearly not something Spotify is looking for anymore. 

Extremely disappointing, as I loved using Spotify every single day.

[user-removed]

I don't understand what the end result was supposed to be - everything is squashed but I also have less space. Spotify app designers seem to spend their time finding solutions for problems that don't exist, then just leaving the users with new problems that didn't exist before. If you use folders a lot, this is an awful design.

[Ned2600]

@Spotify @AlejaR

When are you going to acknowledge that this UI change was a big disaster?
I mean my post id getting over 30 likes already, so a lot of people agree with my points given.

I hoped that our constructive feedback made a change of view, but I'm not feeling it yet.

Again that said, the album art still looks ridiculously small on a 1440p resolution display, this UI is not high resolution friendly.

[Hemang]

God, just allow us to get the old UI back already. This is ridiculous- the new UI is a monstrosity. A lot of people have said it before. This is getting frustrating.

[disneysth]

It's so messy!! I was trying to learn how to use this thing and accidentaly moved one folder inside other folder and I can't move it back. Why compact the whole library into a sidebar, it's too much content for an small space. Bring back library into a full page like home and search.

[Oliver321]

This is a horrible update. Why are you breaking things which work perfectly, replacing them with garbage systems? Put it back how it was, or make it better. But don't force stupid things down the users throats. We should have the freedom to order everything exactly how we want, in the way we want, across all our devices. I don't know who is working on these redesigns, but I would guess they basically never use the desktop app, or they're a complete **bleep**, or both.

[aBoredUser]

Disagree, This new UI is too inconvenient compared to previous one

[aBoredUser]

My biggest complain is the new left header. I used to have a custom order for all my Library (Playlists, Podcasts, Albums) and now they are separated by sections. This is too bad since now I need to search for the type first before finding it. The annoying thing is that if you don't select the type of item in library, it will show you everything but IT DOESN"T LET YOU DO CUSTOM ORDER. This should already be implemented. Another thing I hate is that Pinned items are on top of the library at all times. There should be an option to remove. I only use my pins for my Phone and mainly cause they don't let you do custom order.

[Creatiive]

The previous design change was not even a year ago (https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/New-Design-Desktop/m-p/5436116#M113203) and now there is already a new design? And once again you wonder what these strange changes are about ... For example, as has been mentioned here, the playlist listing is terrible.

[kaworu_bloodpaw]

I don't know for sure, but the old new design that was never completely implemented is very similar to the new one. I believe it was also part of this new UI.

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Desktop-Windows/New-Design-Desktop/m-p/5436049/highlight/true#M1138...

[huwcbjones]

Well my day has been immeasureably ruined. It's quite obvious none of the UX designers use a portrait monitor, otherwise they would have seen this carnage.

I'm glad to see that 2 years since my last comment about making the UI less compact and how useful useless that is for usability on portrait monitors no-one has paid any notice and we're continuing down the "you can see 1 thing at a time" design. Yay.

https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/Desktop-Playlists-Add-density-slider-for-UI-display/idc-...

[HorseOnVenus]

It also works very slow on my computer! Horrible! 

[vaajy]

When content on sidebar is expanded, you can see last played column.

It seems like lists are updating after you play them, but artists only if you play something from their page.

So almost every artist column is empty in this field.

Would be nice, once certain artist is played from list, radio etc. it could update also this column.

[arbaraith]

But honestly this revamp of the UI is not an improvement and it doesn't better your user experience.
It'S just a change made to check the box on a work report saying: 'we worked on the app and changed something'
I would like to have the ability to ACTUALLY decide MYSELF if your proposed changes are an improvement to my experience as the user.
And i can tell you right now, 99% of the time the idiots in your development team declare some useless change they came up with is an improvement for MY experience? THEY ARE WRONG.

[RhymesWithHusky]

I agree! This new version is cumbersome to change the order of playlists within a folder now. It used to be so easy! Plus I like to see the playlists displayed to the right of the sidebar but it seems I can no longer do that. It just feels messy and difficult to navigate.