Spotify Updated With Home Screen Widgets on iOS 14

Following a brief beta testing period, Spotify today updated its iPhone and iPad app with a new Home Screen widget that provides quick access to recently played playlists, artists, albums, or podcasts. The widget is available in small and medium sizes.

spotify ios 14 home screen widget
To access the widget, update the Spotify app to version 8.5.80 or later and open the app. Then, tap and hold a widget or an empty area of the Home Screen until the app icons jiggle, tap the plus sign in the top-left corner, tap on Spotify in the list, and select the size of the widget. Home Screen widgets require iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 or later.

As with other Home Screen widgets, this one only serves as a shortcut to various parts of the Spotify app, as Apple does not allow Home Screen widgets to offer playback controls or toggles due to battery life considerations.

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Top Rated Comments

insomniac86 Avatar
64 months ago

Restricting playback buttons because of 'Battery life limitations' codswallop. This is 100% to try and get more subscribers to Apple Music.
Lol. You do realise that apple’s OWN music widget has the SAME limitation as Spotify’s right? Derp.

EDIT: I agree the widgets are crap on iOS 14 due to these limitations. But to say it’s to drive more subscriptions to Apple Music is ludicrous.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
64 months ago
Without them being interactive I just don’t see any reason for them
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
otternonsense Avatar
64 months ago
Totally useless widget without control buttons.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
and 1989 others Avatar
64 months ago
Restricting playback buttons because of 'Battery life limitations' codswallop. This is 100% to try and get more subscribers to Apple Music.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
matt_and_187_like_this Avatar
64 months ago

Without them being interactive I just don’t see any reason for them
Basically nothing but an option for a bigger app icon.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
64 months ago
To me widgets that can’t act as quick shortcuts to interactive things like play stop are useless I wish next year apple changes this
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)