Touch Preview on iOS removal

[JackF]

Hey folks, Spotify here!

Just a quick post to let you know we’re in the process of removing Touch Preview, the feature on the iOS app that gives you a sneak peek of a playlist, song, album, or artist before you hit play.

We’ve taken this decision as it currently has a very low engagement rate. We’re committed to offering the best experience on each platform, and we’re actively looking into new possibilities for the long press feature.

The change will take effect with app version 8.4.15, which goes live in the App Store today.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on what long press feature you’d like to see added. Thanks in advance for sharing your feedback!

[y0uri]

This feels like a knee-**bleep** response to complaints about platform-inequality. I don't believe for a second it "currently has a very low engagement rate". I think you either ran into technical difficulty to make this work on Android, or, and this is way more likely, there were legal/licensing issues with when and how much to pay out to artists that were being previewed without the track being actually started/listened to in the regular way.

So not only can't you, or won't you bring this much loved iOS-only feature to Android, perhaps in a misguided effort to quash the complaints, you're punishing even the people that can and do enjoy this feature, by removing it from all devices. WOW. And after years of stringing Android-users along, too.

I think you've grossly underestimated how much value this one single feature brought to your app for iOS users. Me, for example, I only use Spotify on Android to listen to music I've discovered / set-up previously on my iOS device. Touch Preview made browsing the catalog so much more fun.

You could've at least been honest with your users about the real issue here, instead of just getting rid of it 2,5 years down the line. What a way to take a dump on your users.

PS. Please, everyone also vote here:
https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/iOS-Discover-Restore-Touch-Preview-on-iOS-App/idc-p/1919...

[user-removed]

It's the worst choice that you've ever done.

Touch preview gave a sense to iOS 3D touch devices, allowed us to match the right song, searched through shazam or suggest by a friend.

It helped us to find new songs, understanding if a playlist or an album was right for us. To check song in our playlists, to surf faster into App Spotify. 

Your other competitors on iOS (Apple Music over all) give a preview button to listen about thirty seconds of a song, but no one had had the same idea to use touch preview, not even Apple. I think to touch on an album cover: a very cool thing.

Several times there have been problems to fix with this function, but remove it completely, without introducing alternatives is the worst choice.

I really hope you want to think about it or introduce alternative features to get that function back, cause this is a loud autogoal and a perfect help for iOS users - Apple streaming music.

[MattSuda]

So instead of adding Touch Preview to Android (other platforms) like was promised in the press release and never came, you guys decide to just remove it altogether from iOS 2.5 years later just because it had low usage?

If you would have released it on Android, more people would become aware of it and there would be more people talking about the feature and using it.

It had low usage because it was poorly advertised and not fully implemented across both major mobile apps (iOS and Android). Nobody knew it was there. This was a feature that set Spotify apart from the rest. It was really cool.

This is a very poor decision. Please add it back.

[burner]

**bleep** actually?
It‘s getting worse and worse...

When will the feature of listening to music be finally removed?

[scalv3rt]

What's the point, you never listen to us anyway!  The feature could have stayed for people who did use it and for those who didn't use it, they were still having a good user experience, it made no difference to them.

It's just like the song limit, no limit wouldn't effect those who weren't bothered or aware of it.

[mysame]

Such a bad choice. 

[HassanTanveer]

Never felt so demotivated to use the Spotify app now that you've removed one of my favourite features. You should've introduced a feature to toggle on or off if bothered you that much? Or leave it the **bleep** alone! If it's not broke don't fix it!!

I highly doubt it was a problem for users, I enjoyed it because it allowed me to listen to the preview before changing tracks and at the same time discovering new artists to add to my library and playlists

[maxxy649]

I've never really felt the need to comment on a change before but this feels very counterintuitive; sure, not everyone uses the feature but why remove it when it's very useful to some - especially with no replacement? I would go so far as to say it's a large part of the reason I use Spotify over rival services. I can't say much more other than "please bring this back :(".

[isaiasconj]

Why Remove. i just update on my iphone. i enjoyed using it. It made finding songs easy from really long playlists or albums. i dont want to click on tracks one by on just to hear the song. that what kept me from changing subscription. Please enable it back.

[RB712]

I am certainly disapointed right now. The Touch Preview feature has been the best thing of my Spotify experience and it has been because of it that I have been able to discover new great music that I really enjoy (and that otherwise I might never have come across).
I think that it is really a great feature that can't be easily replaced. And even if there is a great idea for the "long press", I think the user -who is paying for the service- should be able to decide which features to use, personalizing his experience. Specially when the features have already been developed by the company. We should just get them as an option in the settings menu.
This kind of desicions, and the services offered to the clients is what makes the difference between one company and another, so smarter alternatives should be taken into account instead of just deleting features in which some of the users rely on to enjoy and enrich their experience.
I am sure that I am not the only one who is displeased about this update.
Maybe Spotify should re-evaluate if the feature is "under-used" because of ita own nature, or if it is because it hasn't been introduced the right way to users.
No matter what, the best solution in some of this cases would be to keep the option in Settings, so that every client stays sattisfied. That is way better than throwing away the feature's development hard work and a part of the serviece thay at least some customers enjoy and use a lot.
Hope that there can be a reconsideration to satisfy all of the custumera and users.

[paytonmorr]

I am extremely disappointed in this decision. I am actually considering getting rid of premium and switching to another streaming service. Spotify needs to step it up and put previews back. Also- fix the not being able to search for users issue. Im getting fed up!!

[scalv3rt]

And there is no way to downgrade back to the older version. The decision-making at Spotify is crazy, they obviously don't care about the users and paying customers. We know what we want, the paying customer.

How have Spotify fallen so far behind thier competitors.

[garrett1855]

I never comment on these things, but I absolutely want to voice how unhappy I am with this feature removal. I use touch preview CONSTANTLY. In my opinion, this was one of the big selling points on sticking with Spotify over Apple Music. Now I have no reason not to check out the competition.

Really, really hope you guys change your mind on this.

[Asdfghjk15]

For me, touch preview has been one of the defining features of Spotify that have kept me from even considering switching to other music streaming services. It made music discovery on Spotify a breeze and a far more enjoyable experience than other music streaming services. I don't understand what you mean by "low engagement", it is a feature that I have used hundreds if not thousands of times per day. Now that it has been intentionally removed, I may reconsider my options. Google Play Music offers YouTube Red and local file uploads and Apple Music offers iTunes integration. If Spotify continues to cut features as it has now and has in the past, its competitors continue to appear more feature rich.

As another poster posited, it's possible this feature was removed due to licensing disagreements. If so, the decision to remove the feature is understandable. But please give another reason other than "low engagement," because I just don't believe that's true.

Thank you for considering my feedback; I certainly hope that future versions of Spotify will reinstate the much loved touch preview feature.

[haloluke117]

I used that feature every day to discover new music easily, and now you guys take that away. Disappointed.

[Asdfghjk15]

I have a great suggestion for what you can do with the long press. Have it play a short preview of the song so users can know whether they want to listen to it in its entirety or not. It will make music discovery and browsing on Spotify unparalleled. Oh wait...

[GooseR14]

This was by far a key feature to Spotify, it allowed me to enjoy looking for new music on the app. This allowed for quick previews of songs you've never heard and allowed you to find the song you where looking for very quickly. Now it's very cumbersome and annoying to listen to new music and search for a song having to individually choose each song and not being able to preview it. This is a key feature in Spotify and helps with the ease of the app please bring it back!!! And a quick suggestion mention things like this in the app updates instead of the generic improving Spotify as this is by no means an improvement so at least that way I wouldn't have updated

[scalv3rt]

Also, it would be nice and helpful if you said what the changes were in the update descriptionin in the app store. So people would know what they were getting themselves into. Instead of using that generic rubbish with no information.

[iMestie]

This is SO disappointing. I really hope you will change your mind. That feature was one of the perks of using your service, you know? It was SO useful! I'm sure you'll have some legal explanation for this disruption but I think it's time for me to consider other companies, especially those that offer student discounts here in Italy. Sorry, Spotify, that was a cheap shot to the users...