On Sept. 15, Spotify updated its app by including free features that were previously unavailable to non-premium users. 

Spotify free users were frustrated with all the ads they had to go through to be able to listen to music. The new update changed many things, including the ability to pick and play a song from a playlist or an album instead of shuffling through them, a feature previously reserved for paid users. They have also implemented the ability to see lyrics, personalize playlist covers and loop songs.  

“My opinion is that it’s pretty good,” junior Lupe Luna said. “Now I don’t really have to struggle all the time with Spotify, because it would constantly play ads for the music that I wanted.”

Spotify’s hope is to gain more users with these new features. Though some, such as Junior Ashley Dunn, still believe that it won’t be as successful as other apps.

“I feel like Apple music is really popular,” Dunn said.

The number of users who have been listening to music on Apple has been growing significantly, with 95 million users as of 2024. Students say that music is a big influence on their lives, setting the mood for things like studying or working out.

“I listen to music pretty much every day,” junior Luisa Gapiastone said. “[I listen] most mornings while I drive to school and often while I’m doing homework. So it’s a big part of my life.”

Many students, such as Dunn, Gapiastone and Luna, are happy with the new changes and enjoy the freedom they have in the app. 

“Spotify is a super important app in my life,” Gapistone said.“[The] update changed a lot for me in a good way.”