Spotify shakes up playlists with new plus icon

Goodbye heart, hello plus sign

(Credit: Spotify)

Spotify’s interface is getting an update as its heart button and “add to playlist” option have been rolled into a single icon.

Announced in a blog post, a new plus symbol will let users save songs and add them to their playlists. By tapping the icon once, you’ll save the song to your library, and can tap it again to add it to a playlist of your choice.

➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Spotify plus button

• ❤ Say goodbye to Spotify’s heart icon

• ➕ A new plus button will let you save songs and add them to playlists

• ⏲ Spotify hopes the new interface will save users time

• 💪 Don’t worry, you’re current library and playlists won’t be affected

Previously, those options were split across two buttons, and Spotify hopes the change will “create a more intuitive experience”. The new plus icon lets users save songs to multiple playlists at once, which should save a bit of time, and rolling two buttons into one will clean up the app’s interface.

The new plus icon can also be used to add playlists, albums, and audiobooks to your library, much as the previous heart symbol was used to. Saved songs will automatically be added to your Liked Songs section, although you’ll be able to change the destination of your saved content in the app.

The feature has already started rolling out to all users on iOS and Android and will reach every user in the coming weeks. All of your previously liked songs and saved episodes will remain intact.

Alongside additional features, Spotify users can expect a price hike to appear sometime later this year. Spotify co-founder and chief executive Daniel Ek confirmed a few months ago that Spotify US users will pay for their monthly subscriptions in 2023, following a price rise for YouTube Premium and a price hike for Apple Music.

Rumors started swirling last October that a new Spotify Platinum Plan will introduce hi-fi audio quality alongside premium features like reduced ads in podcasts and the mysterious-sounding Studio Sound, Library Pro, Audio Insights and Playlist Pro tools. The $20-a-month tier hasn’t been officially announced, though, and we’re yet to hear any more insider speculation as to when it may appear.

For now, I’m pleased to see the change Spotify is making to its app’s interface. While saving a song by tapping a plus icon doesn’t seem hugely intuitive, the idea of rolling two functions into a single button sounds like a great way to save time rummaging around fiddly menus.