Spotify to Offer Separate Play, Shuffle Buttons for Premium Subscribers: Details

Audio streaming service Spotify is completely separating its play and shuffle buttons as part of an upcoming update. The two buttons will only be available for Spotify's Premium subscribers. The service has announced that it's beginning to roll out individual buttons for the two functions, which will replace the combined play/shuffle button that's currently at the top of playlists and artist pages.

The change is expected to hit Android and iOS devices "in the coming weeks."

"This new change will allow you to choose the mode you prefer at the top of playlists and albums and listen the way you want to. Whether you love the joy of the unexpected with Shuffle mode or prefer listening to tunes in order by simply pressing Play, Spotify has you covered," Spotify recently announced, as reported by The Verge.

Spotify's penchant for shuffling tracks has, at times, drawn the frustration of artists who want their albums to be heard in the original running order. "We don't create albums with so much care and thought into our track listing for no reason," Adele tweeted last year.

This led Spotify to display the standard play button by default on album pages instead of the play or shuffle combo. The upcoming change means that Spotify will begin using buttons and its user interface as a differentiator between the service's free and paid offerings.

Unfortunately, users still won't be able to play or shuffle any Spotify HiFi tracks. It's now been almost 18 months since Spotify announced its lossless-quality streaming tier, and the company has still not rolled it out for subscribers, according to The Verge.

Last month, Spotify silently enabled real-time lyrics on the Google Nest Hub allowing subscribers to use Spotify to listen to music while viewing lyrics that change as the song continues. The feature was previously accessible on iOS, Android, gaming consoles, desktop PCs, and some smart TVs.