Summary
- Spotify is rolling out several quality-of-life improvements to its mobile apps.
- Updates include playlist folder editing on mobile and bulk editing of playlists and the queue, among others.
- Most features are available now, but some are limited to Premium subscribers.
On May 28, Spotify announced several upgrades to its mobile apps to help make the service easier to use. These are relatively small changes, but they actually add up to some big quality-of-life improvements — much more so than some of Spotify’s other recent additions.
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What’s new with Spotify
Five updates are being rolled out now — some for all users, and some specifically for Premium subscribers. Here’s the breakdown:
Playlist folders on mobile
Playlist folders are an excellent way to help keep a large playlist library under control. However, until now, you’ve only been able to create and manage them on desktop — while they would show up on mobile, no editing was possible. Now, that’s changed, and mobile users can also create and organize folders.
This change is available now for all users globally.
Bulk editing tools for playlists
You can now edit multiple tracks in a playlist all at once. This was one of my biggest frustrations with Spotify — if you wanted to move or remove multiple songs, you had to do it one at a time. The feature is a little buried, though. To access bulk editing, head to your playlist, tap Edit, then tap Select at the bottom of the screen. Once you select your tracks, you can tap Move or Remove, or simply drag them to a new location in the playlist.
Bulk playlist editing is available now for all users globally.
The return of bulk editing in the play queue
In early 2025, Spotify inexplicably removed the ability to bulk edit the play queue. The company has thankfully walked back that decision. To find this tool, head to your queue and tap Edit at the top right. The available options are Move up and Remove.
This feature is available now for Premium users globally.
Background downloads on iOS
This feature is aimed at making “offline listening more dependable.” Music and podcasts can now continue downloading when the app isn’t open. You’ll also see a notification showing download progress.
Background downloads are rolling out now for Premium users globally. It’s worth noting that this appears to be the only new feature that’s on a gradual rollout — if it doesn’t work for you yet, give it some time. Speaking of downloads, you might also want to periodically clear your Spotify cache to free up some space.
A reshuffle button
This one is another much-needed change. There’s now a reshuffle button in the play queue, so you can easily change up the order of songs with shuffle on. Previously, you’d have to toggle shuffle off and back on, which doesn’t sound like a big deal, but with Smart Shuffle thrown in there, it’s a lot of taps. The reshuffle button also lets you see the new order right there in the queue, so if you still don’t like it, you can keep tapping it until you’re satisfied.
My one complaint here is the location of the button. To get to it, you have to tap into the play queue and you’ll find Reshuffle at the bottom. If you’re on the playlist screen, that’s a lot of taps, and it’s probably simpler to just toggle shuffle off and on.
Reshuffle is available now for Premium users globally.
Finally getting back to basics
I’ve been a Spotify user for 15 years, and generally a big fan of the service. The company has been adding a ton of new features lately, but they’ve been… a little questionable (narrated magazine articles?). Today’s upgrades bring things back to basics and actually make the daily experience of listening on Spotify better. Hopefully, this trend continues.
- OS
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Android, Windows, Linux & Mac
- Price model
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Free, Premium
Spotify is a leading music and audio streaming service offering millions of tracks, podcasts and personalised playlists. Free and paid plans are available. The company has also expanded beyond music, with podcasts and audiobooks available.
