A previously all-tier available feature on Spotify is now hidden behind Spotify Premium, with users reporting that the song lyrics are no longer accessible for those who use a free account. This setup is now under "routine testing" on Spotify, and it remains unknown if until when the company observes this, but users on the free tier are now left without the feature.
Using apps like Spotify and other streaming services with a free tier gave users a chance to view its lyrics right on the platform, but that already changed for the Swedish company.
Spotify Puts Lyrics on Premium, Claims Free Users
A previously free feature on Spotify is no longer accessible for those who choose to stream with ads, with many users taking it to social media to air this issue to the company. As initially reported by Pop Base, the Spotify app would give users a pop-up message whenever clicking on the feature to view the lyrics of a certain song, saying that they can "Enjoy lyrics on Spotify Premium."
Now, various users are also talking about the superiority of other music streaming platforms over Spotify, saying that Apple Music is better than Spotify.
However, other users argued that YouTube Music is also a considerable platform for all streaming needs as an alternative to Spotify.
Routine Testing for Premium Lyrics
According to The Verge, Spotify confirmed that the Lyrics in Premium are part of its "routine testing" on the app, looking for ways to enhance user experience and for the company to learn more from the market. However, when asked about when Spotify would bring it back to the Free tier, the company said that it is possible, but there are no timelines for this as of the present.
Spotify and its Premium Tier
In the past couple of months, there were already massive changes for Spotify Premium, the ad-free tier of the company along with many features, with the company looking to increase its revenue from the service. One of the main changes here was the price increase which it effected last end of July, with the subscription seeing a $1 increase, now $10.99 a month.
Additionally, in another bid to earn more from the platform's Premium users, Spotify has decided to remove iOS paid subscribers because of Apple's notorious App Store commission rate, with a 70-30 split. This means that users who have subscribed via their iPhones, iPads, and Macs will need to re-subscribe again, but this time, pay via a third-party platform.
The latest changes on Spotify all focus on its Premium tier, with the in-app lyrics which were available for free and are easily accessible via the internet being moved to the paid subscription service. It remains unknown when Spotify will keep up with this "routine testing," especially as free users are the ones mainly affected by this, with many already complaining online.
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