Spotify is testing its own version of Snapchat/Instagram-style Stories, reports TechCrunch. The short-form sharing format now ubiquitous across social media platforms is to be called "Storyline" on the music streaming service, and enables artists to share their inspirations, insights, and provide further details about their work and creative process.

spotify storyline
The format is being compared to Spotify's "Behind the Lyrics" feature which uses pop-up cards that load concurrently with the music, except users tap through different Storyline screens at their own pace and see segmented lines at the top of the screen to indicate how many slices of the story remain ahead of them.

A Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch that Storyline is still in testing in the U.S. and in other markets on both iOS and Android, but there's no sign of it on desktop and no other details on a possible global rollout are available at this time.

Users participating in the test will see an indicator at the bottom of Spotify's player interface that alerts them to the additional content, which can include lyrics, text and images, and users can swipe up on the screen to reveal the story and start tapping through it.

The Storyline feature was first picked up on Reddit and covered by Android Police.

Tag: Spotify

Top Rated Comments

martyjmclean Avatar
76 months ago
We didn’t want Behind The Lyrics, we didn’t want Canvas, we didn’t want the new UI, we definitely don’t want this.

Spotify is the best service, but they need to remove the bloat and focus on what they do best: playlists and discovery.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ruslan64 Avatar
76 months ago
Nobody wants stories everywhere. What do these tech giants not get. In Spotify we don’t even want behind the lyrics. All we are asking for are just plain lyrics, which should be easier to implement anyway.
('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/14/spotify-testing-instagram-style-stories/')


Spotify is testing its own version of Snapchat/Instagram-style Stories, reports TechCrunch ('https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/13/spotify-is-testing-its-own-version-of-stories-called-storyline/'). The short-form sharing format now ubiquitous across social media platforms is to be called "Storyline" on the music streaming service, and enables artists to share their inspirations, insights, and provide further details about their work and creative process.



The format is being compared to Spotify's "Behind the Lyrics" feature which uses pop-up cards that load concurrently with the music, except users tap through different Storyline screens at their own pace and see segmented lines at the top of the screen to indicate how many slices of the story remain ahead of them.

A Spotify spokesperson told TechCrunch that Storyline is still in testing in the U.S. and in other markets on both iOS and Android, but there's no sign of it on desktop and no other details on a possible global rollout are available at this time.

Users participating in the test will see an indicator at the bottom of Spotify's player interface that alerts them to the additional content, which can include lyrics, text and images, and users can swipe up on the screen to reveal the story and start tapping through it.

The Storyline feature was first picked up on Reddit ('https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/comments/bn3pf2/has_anyone_else_noticed_the_new_storyline_feature/') and covered by Android Police ('https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/05/13/spotify-storyline-lets-artists-tell-the-story-behind-their-songs-instagram-style/').

Article Link: Spotify Tests Snapchat-Style Stories Feature Called 'Storyline' Offering Additional Artist Content ('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/05/14/spotify-testing-instagram-style-stories/')
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nburwell Avatar
76 months ago
We didn’t want Behind The Lyrics, we didn’t want Canvas, we didn’t want the new UI, we definitely don’t want this.

Spotify is the best service, but they need to remove the bloat and focus on what they do best: playlists and discovery.
I couldn't of said it any better myself. I have behind the lyrics disabled, canvas disabled, I hope that if this new "feature" gets pushed out to all users, we can disable this as well.

Spotify definitely has a leg up on AM in terms of playlists and discovering music, but the bloat in the app really makes me question what in the world they're doing over there.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kuito Avatar
76 months ago
I know as a developer, you try to stay in front of what users want, “hoping” it ends up working & being successful. We have enough stories all over the place.

A switch for only lyric mode, switch for only facts about the artist, switch for facts about the song-only modes would be better.

Promoting for new music discovery could always be better.

There just isn’t much more I want from a music playing app.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...