Spotify today announced that it is consolidating the heart and “Add to Playlist” icons into one more button, allowing users to save any songs, albums, playlists, audiobooks, podcasts or episodes in their library with just one click.
To add a song to “liked songs”, users tap the plus button on the right side of the “now playing view”. After tapping on it, the icon will turn into a green check mark to inform the user that it has been saved to the list. Then, if users want to add the song to another playlist, they can tap the plus icon again. Users can also select the new button on podcast episodes and add them to “Your Episodes”.
Starting today, the new icon is rolling out globally to iOS and Android devices. It will be available to all Spotify users in the coming weeks. Some users already have the icon because Spotify has been testing the change since last year.
Picture credits: Spotify
Although this is a minor change, it may be difficult for some users to get used to. A heart icon is widely used in many popular apps, including Spotify competitors like Apple Music as well as social media platforms like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram. Actually, Twitter changed his favorite / like button from a star shape to a heart in 2015 since the heart is a more universal symbol.
However, Spotify is confident that the new plus button will help users save time as it gives them the ability to add to multiple playlists at once. When testing the feature, Spotify said users were more likely to listen to the favorite track again after saving it.
In recent months, Spotify has launched many ways to try to improve the user experience. For example, last week the music streaming service rolled out “DJ,” a new AI feature that gives users a curated selection of music along with AI-powered spoken commentary on their favorite songs and artists. The new feature is still in beta and is only available in English to paid subscribers in the US and Canada.
Earlier this month, Spotify announced an “Exclude from Your Taste Profile” feature that allows users to dictate which playlists are excluded from their personalized recommendations.
Additionally, the company launched a new home experience over the summer where “Music” and “Podcasts & Shows” are separate streams.
