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Spotify has finally got around to updating its Android app, following complaints about the software failing to play ball with Android devices running Ice Cream Sandwich. This would be the “major update” the music-streaming service promised several weeks ago.
The new version is in beta right now, but you can download it anyway for a sneak peek. Spotify has promised a “top-to-bottom” redesign, that introduces slide-out navigation, the ability to peek at your friends’ profile pages and playlists, and the option to see related artists — something the iOS Spotify app doesn’t have.
If you want to try out the new app, you’ll first need to persuade your phone to allow installation from unknown sources. Try asking it really nicely, but if that doesn’t work, fire up the Settings menu, then tap Applications, and then Unknown sources. Then download the .apk file from this site.
I’ve played with the app on a Samsung Galaxy S2, and while it certainly looks and feels like an improvement, the key question is whether this version offers more stability than the previous, glitch-riddled edition.
That version had customers rightly annoyed, with complaints ranging from the app proving too slow to use, crashing frequently and not working properly with Ice Cream Sandwich. Not ideal when you’re forking over £10 per month.
There’s no word on when this new version of the app will be pushed out to everyone, while Spotify assures us that absent features like Last.fm scrobbling and playlist folders will be in place before the proper release.
If you’re a Spotify customer with an Android phone and fancy giving the new app a whirl, let me know what you think of it and what kind of phone you’re using in the comments below, or on our Facebook wall.
