Spotify abandons holo design for updated Android widget

After Spotify briefly removed the widgets from its Android app in 2019, the Swedish company returns this time with a new widget, which should replace the existing Holo widget of the streaming service. With both Google and Apple refocusing on widgets for the home screen, it appears that the widgets’ extinction is averted.

Widget for Spotify (Beta)

Apple’s introduction of widgets for iOS has put app developers — as well as Google — on their toes. After years of stagnation in widget development, Google is also returning to the widget industry with Android 12, including a handy messaging widget and a new weather widget. Spotify is closely following the steps of Apple and Google and has completed the development of a widget for the Spotify app on Android, Android Police and 9to5Google write.

An update in Spotify’s beta channel, with version number v8.6.40.914, brings, among other things, the custom widget. It is striking that Spotify has kept both widgets. For those who still use Spotify’s old widget, changes are not immediately visible after updating the beta version. In the selection tab of widgets for your home screen, you can find the new widget.

Spotify has reduced, among other things, the control buttons and the cover of the played song or album in the new widget. You will also find the Spotify logo in the widget by default and the widget can change color based on the song played. Currently, the widget does not yet work correctly on all devices; on Android 11, the color of the widget does not seem to want to adapt to the cover yet. Furthermore, the widget has rounded corners on some devices and appears as a square widget on other devices.

No new features

Aspects outside of the widget’s design are unchanged. For example, the widget stops your music and allows you to rewind or fast forward to the previous or next song, respectively. If you want to control music that is played on another device via your Spotify account, you will still have to open the app. The widget’s size also remains unchanged – with a default 4 x 1 footprint, which can be customized by the user.

For now, only beta users will be able to access the new widget. It is unknown when Spotify plans to roll out the widget to all users. If you want to discover the beta version of Spotify, you can sign up for the beta program via this link. Please note that from time to time you may experience problems in beta channels, the updates are often not as stable as in the non-beta channel.