Spotify testing voice search within its app

Spotify has been testing a new feature on a small number of users – a new voice interface. This voice interface would allow you to open the Spotify app and hit a mic button which would prompt you to make a voice commant like “Play my discover weekly”, or “listen to my workout playlist”.

Sure, you can already do this with Google Assistant by ending the command with “listen to ... on Spotify” but a native voice search function would allow make for a better experience tailored specifically for finding music, a playlist, a song, or discovering music.

I spy @Spotify laying the foundation for a smart speaker… pic.twitter.com/n1slxIFUNA

— Hunter Owens (@owens) March 14, 2018

This test was first found by Twitter user Hunter Owens who included screenshots into a tweet. A Spotify representative confirmed to Tech Crunch that this is a test “for now”. Currently, only a small number of users have access to the voice interface in the app.

A voice interface would make it easier to find certain playlists or music genres when you don’t feel like rummaging through tabs and lists of genres. There’s a vast collection of music on Spotify’s database and a voice input would make it much easier to find recommendations and songs.

Tech Crunch speculates that Spotify might even be able to use the voice interface for developing a smart speaker in the future. It would need to be more compelling than the already-available smart speakers that are compatible with the streaming service. Currently, Amazon Echo and Google Home devices are natively compatible with Spotify.

Via