After launching lossless streaming for Premium subscribers, Spotify is rolling out another major update—this time for free users worldwide. For the first time, free listeners can directly search for and play any song they want.
This update introduces three key features:"Pick & Play," "Search & Play," and "Share & Play." Here's everything you need to know, plus a step-by-step guide on how to use them.
What's New for Free Users?
Until now, free users on mobile could only shuffle playlists with limited skips. With this update, you can:
Pick & Play → Tap play on any song you want.
Search & Play → Search for a specific track or artist and play it instantly.
Share & Play → Play a song shared by a friend or artist on social media (e.g., Instagram Stories, Notes, or Twitter/X posts).
This makes Spotify's free experience much closer to Premium, giving users more control over what they listen to.
How to Use the New Features
Play Any Song
Open the Spotify app.
Use the search bar to find the track you want.
Tap the play button to start listening.
Play via Social Media
Tap a Spotify song shared on Instagram Stories, Notes, or X (Twitter).
The link opens directly in Spotify.
Hit play and enjoy the track.
Play Shared Playlists
What Are the Limitations?
Spotify confirmed that free mobile users will have an "on-demand time" allocation each day.
Once that daily limit is used, you'll go back to shuffle mode with limited skips.
Premium subscribers don't face any of these restrictions.
In short: Free users can now request songs, but only up to a daily cap.
Why Spotify Made This Move
Boost engagement: Free users make up the majority of Spotify's base—433M out of 696M monthly active users.
Grow ad revenue: Spotify wants ads to account for 20% of revenue (currently just 11%).
Encourage social sharing: With "Share & Play," social platforms drive more listeners back to Spotify.
What Features Stay Premium-Only?
Meanwhile, new additions like Messages and Daylist remain available across both free and Premium tiers.
What does this update mean?
For users : Free experience is no longer useless, and user stickiness is improved.
For Spotify : Increased advertising exposure will attract more active free users.
For the industry : Other streaming platforms (such as Apple Music and YouTube Music) may follow suit and optimize the free model.
As of the latest quarterly data, Spotify has 696 million monthly active users worldwide , of which 433 million are free users . Clearly, the focus of this update is to activate this large free user base.
Final Thoughts
Spotify's "Pick & Play" update is one of the biggest upgrades free users have ever received. While there are still time limits, this shift transforms the free tier from mostly shuffle-based listening into a more personalized, on-demand experience.
Quick tips:
If you just want to occasionally pick songs, the free plan works well.
If you want unlimited playback, lossless audio, and AI playlists, Premium is still the way to go.
