Spotify Brings Pandora-Like Stations App to the US After Extended Testing in Australia

Spotify has brought its experimental Stations app to the U.S. after over a year of testing iOS and Android versions exclusively in Australia.

Designed to let Spotify account holders stream free music from curated, radio-like stations, the app has similarities with Pandora, offering personalized stations or playlists based on the user's Spotify history.

Music starts playing as soon as the app is launched, and then users can choose from a list of several preset stations. Like in Spotify proper, premium subscribers get unlimited skips and ad-free listening, while non-paying listeners can use the free ad-supported version which comes with limited skips.

The success of the Stations app in Australia hasn't been disclosed, but presumably it's done well enough for Spotify to extend testing to the U.S. where the majority of its subscribers reside.

"At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of experiments to create better listening experiences for our users," a Spotify spokesperson told Engadget. "Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. Spotify Stations is one of those tests."

Aside from the personalized content, the Stations app also serves popular playlists from the main Spotify platform, including Discover Weekly, Favorites, and Release Radar.

Stations is a free download for iPhone and iPad available from the App Store. [Direct Link]