Spotify introduces 'universal interface' for iOS

The new design, which is now available to free and Premium subscribers through an update, features a new shuffle play button, new action rows and cover art for track rows.

Spotify says the new easy-to-use interface will make playing your favourite song or playlist as simple as the tap of a button. “The experience is much more adaptive and responds to the size of your device,” it said.

The new ‘shuffle play’ icon, which replaces written words, is a simplified green button that contains both the play and shuffle icons. This reduces streaming to one click of the new universal button, which Spotify says makes the app a more accessible experience for users around the world.

All actions such as ‘like’ and ‘play’ are now grouped in a row at the centre of the screen instead of in the top corner where they were previously. And for Premium users there is a new download icon for listening without an internet connection, replacing the previous text action. The icon is identical to the one on podcasts.

The design now shows a track’s cover art in all views, excluding the ‘album’ view. This is supposed to make it easier to see the songs users want to listen to. Also, the update will highlight songs that users have already liked by showing the heart icon next to the track name.

Through the interface, favourite artists can be easily followed and the ‘heart playlist’, which is based on the songs that users have liked, can be easily created.

The new update is limited to iOS subscribers for now, but Spotify says it will soon roll it out to Android users.

Spotify has been serious about creating user centric apps recently. The new look ditches text labelled actions in favour of icons for what seems to be a move towards creating a more universal and intuitive interface.

The tech company also recently redesigned the look for its podcast platform.