Subscribers to the Spotify music streaming service could be about to get a big new feature — and it's one that Apple Music should absolutely look to steal for its own app.
The new feature, confirmed by CEO Daniel Ek, is called "Your Offline Mix" and is designed to give people something to listen to even when they don't have an active internet connection over which to stream music.
Those situations could include when setting foot on an airplane or just when the local 5G connection isn't as fast as it could be. But while Ek didn't go into details about how the feature would work, it's the prospect of downloading a proactive playlist that makes this the most interesting. A screenshot shared by Ek suggests the playlist created will be a multi-hour one.
Already being tested
As TechCrunch reports, some users are already sharing details about the feature that has appeared on their devices as part of Spotify's testing. However, it isn't immediately obvious how Spotify is choosing which accounts to enable the new feature on, or whether they are all Spotify Premium subscribers.
"A mix of your recently played songs for when the vibe is high, but your connection is low," Ek's screenshot shows.
We’ve been testing out a new feature called "Your Offline Mix" - a playlist designed for those times when you might not be online ✈️ What do you think? pic.twitter.com/9so0FZMRPXJune 8, 2023
Whether or not Apple Music will also start to offer a similar feature to Your Offline Mix, we will have to wait and see. But as anyone who found themselves on an airplane and having forgotten to download their music will attest, it's sure to be one that would prove popular.
The Apple Music subscription is of course available as part of the Apple One bundle that also includes services like Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple Fitness Plus, and more.
