The new version of Spotify’s Android music streaming app will be experiencing a “top to bottom” complete design overhaul. The app is slated to sport brand new features like a navigation system that slides out, profile view system complete with playlists, viewing related artists, high-resolution image graphics, and improved 320kbps audio quality. If that’s not a beefy enough list of features for you, the app will also support version 4.0 of Android. This version is also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.
If this list of features has gotten you excited, you can download a preview version of the app. You can access the download link on Spotify’s website. To download and install from Spotify’s website, you have to set your Android phone to permit installation from “Unknown Sources.” You can do this easily by going to Settings then Applications then Click the Unknown Sources menu. Once you’ve completed these steps, click on the button beneath your phone so you can get the update.
The full version of the app is still being developed and won’t be released until Spotify has gotten enough feedback from its userbase. The app will be available from Google Play. The development team has not released a timeline for the release of the final version.
Although the Spotify service is free, if you wish to listen to music on your mobile phone, this service is only available to premium subscribers. These subscribers are charged a monthly $9.99 recurring fee. Spotify itself is a free app supported by ads and uses a desktop client as well as apps. Spotify launched in July of 2011. Its apps are available in the following mobile flavors: Symbian, Palm, Blackberry, Windows, Android, and, of course, iPhone.
In related news, Spotify is branding with large companies like Coca-Cola to build company-themed apps. Think of it as branded free mobile radio.