Major update promised for broken Spotify Android app
Spotify has promised a 'major' update for its Android app, as users complain of glitches and crashing.
Android phone owners are complaining that the Spotify Android app is thoroughly broken, with glitches and crashes reported, including word that the app stops working completely after customers install Ice Cream Sandwich. Spotify has told me that it's working on a 'major' update for the app.
A reader alerted CNET UK to the app's malfunctioning tendencies, saying the Spotify app exits every time a song is starred or added to a playlist, and pointing us in the direction of forum threads where Spotify customers -- who pay £10 per month to use the service on mobile devices -- are venting their frustration.
One commenter writes, "I can no longer use Spotify on my phone (HTC Desire HD). Too slow, too unstable, totally useless!"
Swedish blog Swedroid reports receiving several tips about the Spotify app not working with Android 4.0. One forum commenter writes, "Now since the Android app on my Galaxy Nexus (4.0.2) is utterly useless, Spotify will see no money."
Although the app maintains an average four-star rating on Google Play, the reviews there are littered with complaints about the app crashing. "It crashes all the time!" writes one, "It don't work" sums up another, while one claims, "I can't star a track or download a new playlist without it crashing." And those are just a few of the comments posted today.
'Major' update in the works
While the iOS version of Spotify recently received an update that allows for 320kbps streaming, the Android version has had no such luck, leaving customers unhappy that they're paying for an inferior service.
I got in touch with Spotify for comment, who told me, "We're working on a major Android update. Watch this space!"
So for now Android customers will have to sit tight. If you're experiencing glitches, forum moderators' advice has been to log out of the app and change your password, or to perform a clean installation of from a different location, like m.spotify.com if you previously got the app from the Android Market Google Play.
But that advice isn't a patch (geddit?) on a software update that could fix those issues. Fingers crossed Spotify's upcoming update addresses those concerns.
How does the Spotify app perform on your Android phone? Are you experiencing crashes and bugs, or is it working fine? Let me know your experiences -- as well as the version of Android you're using and the device it's running on -- in the comments or on our Facebook wall.