Spotify is losing its heart, but it’s a big plus overall

Spotify is adding a dual purpose ‘plus’ button to its app, but it comes at the expense of the heart icon for registering your enjoyment of a particular track.

The company is consolidating the ‘heart’ and Add to Playlist buttons, so users will be able to like a song and automatically pick where they’d like it to be stored in a new or existing playlist.

The song will automatically be added to the liked songs/episodes playlist, as was the case with the heart, and the plus will become a green tick. Tap the tick again and you’ll be able to choose a new destination for the track or podcast.

Spotify says the change has been undertaken to create a more intuitive experience and that’s probably accurate, just about. The means of adding a song to a playlist currently sits behind the three dots menu at the top right of the now playing screen, so this definitely makes it more accessible.

Another plus of the plus is the ability to add an entire album or playlist to the library in a single tap. Spotify believes saving the content to the app makes users more likely to listen to it again, rather than just forget about it.

Here’s the word from the horse’s mouth.

Tap to save: To save a song or podcast episode, tap the Plus (+) button to the right of the song or episode title in the Now Playing view. After your choice has been successfully added to Liked Songs or Your Episodes, the Plus (+) will become a green check. You can change the destination of your saved content by tapping the green check.

Easily add an entire album to Your Library: Just click the Plus (+) button to add your favorite album, playlist, or audiobook to Your Library. You’ll see the green check once it’s been successfully added.

Spotify

The feature is rolling out on iOS and Android globally from today.