This a guide for those who just started and want to know how to use Spotify to take advantage of all the features of the streaming platform.
Couldn’t resist and subscribe to Spotify to test the service? Here we separate some tips for those who are starting and want to know how to use Spotify in the Free or Premium version. Stay on top of this world of streaming, playlists, and offline music.
How to use Spotify
Spotify was founded in 2006 and is the music streaming service with the most users worldwide, with 100 million registered subscribers in April 2019, against Apple Music’s mark of 60 million. That means he’s the most popular within his social circle, which makes everything easy regarding sharing music, seeing what a friend is listening to, following people, and creating collaborative playlists.
If you don’t have an account, you’ll need to create one with a personal email or log in with Facebook. The process can be done before entering the application through the registration website or the Spotify application for Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac.
Learn how to use Spotify on your Computer, mobile, or web. Searching and following artists
The more you use Spotify, listen to music, and follow artists, the better the platform’s recommendations will get to you based on your music tastes.
My first suggestion is to follow the artists you like the most.
On the cellphone:
- Tap Search on the magnifying glass icon.
- In the search bar, type the name of the artist;
- Select the desired result;
- Then tap Follow in the top right corner.
On the Computer:
- Click on the search bar;
- Enter the name of the artist;
- Select the result;
- Click follow.
In addition to following artists and bands, you can follow playlists. This causes the lists to be saved in your library, and as soon as the owner updates it, it will also be updated. You can also follow podcasts, such as Tecnocast, from Technology.
How to create playlists
Playlists are lists of curated songs. Unlike albums, it’s possible to put in multiple songs from multiple artists, like old mixtapes. With this, you can create playlists for different climates, events, and situations. Spotify has a Browse and Made for You section with playlists created for various moments.
We’ve already done a tutorial on creating playlists and recovering a deleted playlist. For Premium users, playlists go a step further by allowing songs to be downloaded to your cell phone or Computer for offline listening, even without an internet connection (which is good for saving on your data plan).
Another cool feature of playlists is making them collaborative: anyone with the link can add songs to that list. It’s ideal for a party; for example, you can ask everyone to add what they’d like to hear to the playlist, so it pleases everyone.
After creating a playlist on the Computer:
- Right-click on the playlist;
- Check the “Collaborative Playlist” option;
- Then click Share;
- And click on “copy playlist link”;
- Then send the link to the people who should add the songs.
To make a playlist collaborative on mobile :
- Enter a playlist and tap the three dots icon in the upper right corner;
- Select “Make Collaborative”;
- After that, click again on the three dots in the upper right corner;
- Click Share and select “copy link”;
- Then send it to those who want to share the playlist.
sharing songs
One of the great strengths of Spotify is the social feature that makes it present in almost every corner of the internet. You can even listen to music outside of it, on the web player, on Xbox, on PlayStation, w on social networks, using the built-in players.
Before, Spotify had a chat feature that allowed users to communicate within the platform. But most only did that to send music links (just like Instagram’s Direct only serves to share posts from the social network itself). The chat feature has been discontinued, unfortunately.
But you can send someone a link to a song, and they’ll be straight to the track you want them to hear. In addition to sharing via a link, you can create a post on Twitter, or Facebook, send it via WhatsApp, and even post it on Stories.
To access the mobile sharing feature :
- Enter any playlist, album, or track;
- Click on the three dots icon in the upper right corner;
- Select Share and choose where you want to send it.
On the Computer, right-click the track, album, or playlist and Share.
See what friends are listening to
Out of ideas for what you want to hear? See what your friends are listening to on Spotify; if they have similar tastes to you, it can be a way to discover new music.
This feature is only available on the Computer. It would work for friends or celebrities that you started to follow and for your Facebook friends if you connected your account at the beginning of the tutorial. Just open the friend’s activity:
- On your Computer, click View and then Friends Activity.
If you didn’t log in to your Facebook account during the account creation step:
- Click the arrow next to your profile picture;
- Select Preferences;
- Scroll down the page to the option to connect with Facebook.
Spotify radio
It’s not like an FM radio, let me tell you. Spotify Radio creates a sequence of songs similar to a previously selected playlist, album, or song. From there, Spotify uses algorithms to suggest other tracks similar to the previous one.
The resource can either be accessed from the Radio tab, from the Computer, or the menu of some items, for example:
- Right-click on a song;
- Select “Go to music radio”;
- Let the magic happen.
My cell phone :
- Access the track, playlist, or album;
- Tap the three dots icon;
- Select “Go to radio…”.
The Browse tabs
You should waste a little time on this tab. Seriously, there’s a lot in it. Spotify separates content by styles and climates, such as Pop, Rock, Sertanejo, Workout, To Sleep, Games, and the like.
Within each section are a series of playlists curated by Spotify. It’s one of the ways to discover new music on the platform, from knowing what’s hot or immediately creating a soundtrack for that spontaneous gathering of friends.
Done for you
Here it all makes sense. It takes a while for Spotify to understand your taste in music and bring you relevant content. But once it works, finding new music that suits you and your taste is a wonder.
The Made for You tab is divided into:
- News Radas: With new suggestions of artists that you follow and usually listen to;
- Discoveries of the week: A playlist that is updated every Monday with suggestions of what you might like;
- Daily Mixes: Daily playlists with music from artists you like;
- See more: Retrospectives from years past, your time machine, and songs you haven’t heard in the past but might like.
