Spotify is applying new restrictions to users listening to music on the streaming service’s free plan in India. The company has started putting restrictions on how users on the free plan can play songs, including the ability to choose the order in which songs play on the streaming platform. The move is part of the Swedish company’s attempt to convert its large user base currently in the ad-supported free tier into paying subscribers.
As part of a recent update (via Music Ally) that rolled out earlier this week, Spotify has started limiting how users on its free plan can access music through the platform. Users cannot disable the ‘Smart Shuffle’ playlist option, shuffle songs, or use the traditional shuffle option without a Spotify Premium subscription.
In addition to the restrictions placed on track order, Spotify will also prevent users from ‘scrubbing’ songs. This means that once a song has finished playing, users will no longer be able to go back to a specific part of the track – or tap the back button to go to the beginning of the track. They also need a Premium subscription to play a song repeatedly.
These new restrictions appear to have been widely rolled out to users over the past week, with users complaining about the change on X (formerly known as Twitter) and commenting on the company’s Instagram posts. Gadgets 360 was able to confirm that the restrictions are enabled on Spotify for Android after updating to the latest version.
According to the Music Ally report, India is in the top 5 list of Spotify countries – in terms of monthly active users. While the percentage of Indian users paying for a Premium subscription is reportedly higher than other regions, the country is not one of the most profitable regions for Spotify.
In India, users can auto-renew Spotify Premium subscriptions starting from Rs. 119, or instead opt for prepaid plans that start at Rs. 129. The former is slightly more cost-effective on a monthly basis, while the annual prepaid Premium plan offers a significant discount – from Rs. 1,189 – compared to the free plan, which is Rs. 1,428. Spotify also offers smaller plans that start at Rs. 7 per day, called Spotify Premium Mini – this plan limits the benefits of subscribing to the mobile apps.