Spotify Connect will be available soon for free users

Spotify Connect is a pretty nifty alternative to Bluetooth and AirPlay, but so far it has been only the domain of Premium users. Those who listen for free do not have access to Spotify Connect, but the situation is about to change thanks to a new update of the Spotify Commercial Partners SDK. As of today, these hardware partners can enable Spotify Connect for free users in their speakers.

This is of course great news for free users, as they are subject to a number of restrictions that Premium users do not have to deal with. Many of these restrictions are still in effect – for example, free users can not download music and the number of songs they can ignore is limited.

However, opening its SDK to allow hardware manufacturers to support free users is the last of many improvements made by Spotify at its free level. The hope is for users of other music services to test Spotify for free, and once they are signed in, open a Premium account for additional benefits. Even if these converts never sign up for a Premium account, they always receive ads to listen to them, and it's finally one more person for the already considerable user base of Spotify.

Now that Spotify has opened its SDK, it is up to the hardware partners of the company to enable this feature in their speakers. "The release of our new eSDK will change the game for Spotify Free users who want to enjoy music on their connected speakers," said Mikael Ericsson, Spotify Product Manager in the ad. aujourd & # 39; hui. "We look forward to supporting our partners in the coming months as they update existing speakers and market new products."

Do not get me wrong, it's a big problem for free Spotify users, who are currently outnumbering those who pay monthly for a Premium account. The difference is not as big as you'd expect – Spotify recalled today that it has 191 million users worldwide, including 87 million subscribed to Spotify Premium. That leaves 104 million users listening for free, and this new feature of the SDK could allow free users to stay loyal to Spotify instead of leaving the ship and calling on another provider.