Spotify is testing a stripped back music streaming app for Android called Stations that looks to provide free music providing you’re happy with only listening to playlists.
Described as an “experiment” by Spotify, the Stations app looks to offer pre-made playlists the music streaming firm is calling ‘stations’ with titles such as Indie, Folk, Feel Good and Workout.
It also appears to offer personalised playlists that they will be constructed from a users listening habits. From app design renders these will take the form of ‘favourite’ playlists and those with particular themes such has ‘Aussie Top 50’ and ‘Easy Listening’.
The renders also show a very simple but colourful user interface that’s quite a departure from the predominately black and white interface of the standard Spotify app on Android.
There don’t appear to be any options to make custom playlists or skip tracks and the Stations app will play music from the moment its opened. This approach is part of Spotify’s experiment to essentially streamline its mobile music listening.
“When you have access to all the music in the world, finding the right thing to play can feel like a challenge. With Stations, you can listen immediately, and switching stations is simple and seamless–no searching or typing needed. As you listen, it learns what you like and creates personalised stations that you’ll love,” said Spotify.
While such an app may not appeal to Spotify users with premium accounts, the allure of free music streaming could catch the attention of people who have yet to sign up to Google’s Play Music service, providing they can stomach the in-app adverts.
However, while the Stations app is currently listed in the Google Play Store, it’s not available to Android phones outside of Australia. So we’ll have to wait and see if the experimental app makes it out of Australia and into the wider world.
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What do you think of Stations; is it a clever idea or a waste of time? Let us know on our Facebook page or tweet @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
