Tag: IOS

Read Spotify’s Joint Letter with European Companies Calling for Meaningful Regulatory Action Against Apple

January 18, 2023

Apple’s anti-competitive behavior harms hard-working consumers and developers—and the longer we wait, the harder it will become to stop them. Today, Spotify and seven other companies and organizations in sectors including publishing, audio streaming, dating, communications, and marketplaces sent a joint letter to call for meaningful regulatory action against Apple’s long-standing anti-competitive practices in Europe. 

Almost four years ago, Spotify filed a formal antitrust complaint with the European Commission because Apple’s anti-competitive behavior was stifling innovation and harming developers and consumers across Europe and around the world. Since then, little has changed. Apple has been enabled by the lack of decisive action by regulators, who continue to move hesitantly, even in the face of a groundswell of support. 

The clock is ticking. It’s time for regulators to address the ever-growing chorus of complaints against Apple, a critical step in stopping Apple’s continued abuses of its powerful platform. 

Read the letter here and learn more at TimeToPlayFair.com.

It’s Time To Act. The Internet Economy Depends on It

September 16, 2022

Spotify CEO Daniel Ek Speaking at an event in Brussels

In March 2019, Spotify took the bold step of filing a complaint against Apple with the European Commission for anti-competitive behavior and abuse of dominance in the music streaming market. For years, Apple has consistently tilted the playing field in favor of its own services to disadvantage rivals, stifle innovation, and make it harder for companies like Spotify to compete. 

But it’s not just Spotify who’s impacted.

Nearly every consumer now owns a smartphone and uses it as their primary means of accessing services on the internet, which means everyone is impacted, putting the internet economy at risk. 

Fast-forward to today, and the European Commission, while having built its own strong case against Apple over the last few years, still hasn’t brought the case to conclusion. This is especially problematic as we’ve seen Apple seek to circumvent or outright defy regulations in other markets around the world in order to evade meaningful changes to their behavior.  

This is why Spotify CEO Daniel Ek—joined by Global Head of Public Affairs Dustee Jenkins, General Counsel Eve Konstan, and others from our team—traveled to Brussels, the seat of the Commission, for a full day of meetings and events earlier this month. This included time with key Commissioners to ask that they deliver a robust decision against Apple as soon as possible, because the internet moves fast, and every day that passes without any action erodes companies’ ability to innovate on behalf of consumers—not just in Europe, but around the world. Remedies must be levied to drive impact. Otherwise, Apple will have no real incentive to change. 

But the Apple case wasn’t the only issue on our agenda. We shared our thoughts around the remarkable work the Commission has done to advance Europe’s digital economy, and the leadership role it has taken with the recent landmark tech regulations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and Digital Services Act (DSA). While we applaud these efforts, we don’t see the DMA specifically as a substitute to the case we filed in 2019. Instead, we view it as a much-needed complement and believe that a decision on our case is still key to ensuring significant and lasting change. 

We also spent time with students at Vlerick Business School, where Daniel discussed leadership, the importance of healthy debate, the challenges of continuous innovation, and Spotify’s relentless focus on speed and building culture and resiliency. He also talked about his desire to unleash Europe’s entrepreneurial potential and the role of business in driving meaningful solutions to some of society’s biggest issues. And realizing this is only possible when there is a level playing field. 

The day concluded with a Spotify-hosted reception that featured a fireside chat with Daniel moderated by renowned Brussels-based commentator Shada Islam and a musical performance by award-winning Belgian singer-songwriter and RADAR artist Meskerem Mees. During the conversation, Daniel reaffirmed just how critical it is to keep fair competition at the top of the Commission’s agenda, given the billions of developers and consumers who are at the mercy of gatekeeper platforms like Apple. 

Fair and open platforms enable better consumer experiences and allow developers to innovate, grow, and thrive. Spotify believes we have a duty to ensure that we’re helping to pave pathways to success for start-ups out there just looking for a shot. So we’ll continue to engage on these topics and advocate for an ecosystem in which fair competition is not only encouraged, but guaranteed. 

To learn more, please visit TimeToPlayFair.com

How to Customize and Share Your Spotify Profile

March 10, 2020

You already know that the music and podcasts you listen to serve as an incredible reflection of your interests and tastes. But did you know that you can customize your Spotify profile to match? Whether you’re streaming from your desktop or mobile, now you can update everything from your photo to your username and create a personalized music page unique to you.

Here’s how to get started.

Say cheese: How to change your Spotify profile picture

Looking to switch up your Spotify profile picture? Just keep in mind: You can’t upload any images that violate any copyright, trademark, or personal image rights. Read more about those here.

On Android and iOS smartphones and tablets:

1. Open up your Spotify app. Tap “Home,” then “Settings”—that’s the little gear icon.

2. Next, tap “View Profile.” Your profile has all kinds of cool stuff to check out, like your recently played artists, followers, and public playlists.

3. Then, tap “Edit Profile.”

4. Select “Change Photo” to do just that!  

5. Choose the picture you want to use, and make sure it’s a JPEG or PNG. If you’re an iOS user, make sure the picture has a file size of less than 10 MB (but don’t sweat it, most photos you take on your phone will meet those requirements).

On desktop:

1. Click your username in the top right corner of the desktop app.

2. Hover your mouse over your profile picture and click “Change.”

3. Select the picture you want to use. Like mobile, it must be a JPEG with a maximum file size of 4 MB.

Want to keep an air of mystery? You can also remove your photo completely. On mobile, complete steps 1-4 above. But instead of adding a photo, tap “Remove Current Photo” and voila! Easy as do-re-mi. On desktop, follow steps 1 and 2. After you click “Change,” you’ll be able to remove the photo.

If you’re not seeing the option to remove, it may be because you’ve linked your Spotify account to Facebook, making your Facebook profile photo your default Spotify icon.

To separate the two, you’ll need to use the desktop app, then follow these steps:

1. In the top right corner, click the down arrow to drop down the menu, then hit “Settings.” 

2. Scroll down until you see “Social.” That’s where you’ll find “Disconnect From Facebook.” Once you click that, your two accounts will be officially broken up. (Don’t worry, you can always get them back together by reconnecting in your “Settings.”)

Note: If you signed up for Spotify using your Facebook account, you can’t disconnect from it. For more information, see Spotify and Facebook.

Say my name: How to add or change your Spotify display name

If you want to use a nickname (perhaps channeling your inner Lady Gaga, Axl Rose, or Freddie Mercury, who all go by stage names), here’s how to do it on your Android or iOS smartphone:

1. Tap “Home,” then “Settings.”

2. Tap “View Profile,” then “Edit Profile.”

3. Tap your display name, then type in what you want your new display name—or secret identity—to be.

4. Once you’re done, tap “Save” and you’ll be good to go.

It’s time to shine: How to share your profile

Connecting with friends is one of the best ways to find new audio content—and we’re all about discovery. So, we’ve broken down how to share your newly updated profile so you can see what your friends are listening to.

On mobile and tablet:

1. Tap “Home,” then “Settings.”

2. Tap “View Profile.”

3. Tap the three dots (these will be horizontal on iOS and vertical on Android) in the top right. Then hit “Share.” Here, you’ll have the choice to share on a number of messaging apps, so you can spread your profile—and your great taste—far and wide.

 On desktop:

1. Click your profile picture in the top right corner of the app to go to your profile.

2. Click the three horizontal dots under your name.

3. Hover your cursor over “Share,” and select your favorite sharing option.

4. Send to your fans and admirers! 

Ready to get started? Open Spotify on desktop or mobile now to customize your profile and share your taste.

Spotify Integrates With Google Maps for Music on Every Mile of Your Journey

October 1, 2018

If you could walk 500 miles, but you’d rather drive 500 more, you may as well join the masses and stream “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers – the most popular song on road trip playlists – for your own adventure.

More and more, people are streaming their music from Spotify while on the go. In some cases, that means they’re using their mobile devices for both music and navigation, with navigation as the most widely used non-music app in the car. Now, instead of switching back and forth between your tunes and your directions, our new integration with Google Maps allows you to control what you’re listening to from Spotify right in the Maps app.

We’ve previously seen how well navigation works in harmony with music through our integration with Waze in 2017. Starting today, millions of Google Maps users across Spotify markets will be able to to “jam through the traffic jam” on both iOS and Android. After connecting your Spotify account, you’ll be ready to start.

Now, Spotify users can enable playback controls within the Google Maps navigation settings and enjoy music and podcasts from Spotify during an active navigation, making Spotify an easily accessible and natural part of your journey. Pause, play, or skip until you’ve found your perfect jam.

Switching and selecting music will be seamless as well. Through a simple entry-point from the Google Maps app into Spotify, you’ll be able to browse songs, albums, and playlists. There will be a banner in Spotify to help you to return to your active navigation.

So on your next excursion, we’ve got you covered—between streaming your own playlists, our featured Daily Lift or Morning Commute playlists, or playing your favorite album on shuffle, you can now travel to the beat of your favorite tunes and keep your eyes on the destination ahead.

The integration will be rolling out to all Google Maps users over the next few days. Ensure that you have the latest version of Spotify & download Google Maps on the iOS App Store here and Google Play store here.