Why I Moved to Spotify

I was an Apple Music subscriber until recently. But the terrible Apple Music apps on all platforms has forced me to seek alternatives, and there was Spotify.

As a tech enthusiast and a part-time music enthusiast, I was eager to try Spotify when it arrived in India. After installing it on my iPhone and Mac and using the one-month free trial, I was pleasantly surprised. The user interface was enjoyable to use, and I found myself using the service more than I expected.

Encouraged by this positive experience, I decided to use both Spotify and Apple Music in parallel for a while to determine which was better. However, during this time, Spotify was facing a legal battle with Warner Music, which led to some of my favourite artists, including Cardi B, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Eminem, and Coldplay, being unavailable on the platform. As a result, I ultimately decided to stick with Apple Music."

Now in 2023, Spotify doesn’t have this problem. So, when I was frustrated with using the Apple Music apps, I decided to give Spotify another chance, and this time it stuck with me. Here are the reasons why I chose Spotify over Apple Music.

UI/UX

I find that Spotify's user interface is more aesthetically pleasing and intuitive compared to Apple Music. The design and organization of everything on the app just feels more polished and engaging to me. On the other hand, I've never been a big fan of Apple Music's UI/UX, the look and design of the app on my iPhone, iPad, and Mac never quite appealed to me. When I switched to the Spotify app on my Mac, I was struck by how exhilarating and enjoyable the experience was.

Performance

Beyond its sleek design, Spotify also outperforms Apple Music in terms of performance. In my experience, Apple Music has struggled with poor or nonexistent internet connectivity, particularly on the iPhone app. When I have a bad internet connection, it takes forever for the Apple Music home page to load, making it seem as if the app is designed to function only when online. In contrast, I have not encountered any such issues with Spotify, making it a more reliable and seamless option overall.

Smart Features

I found some of the smart features that Spotify offers, such as Automatic Now Playing recognition, Gapless Playback, Crossfade, and duplicate song detection in playlists, to be incredibly useful. Additionally, I've been impressed by Spotify's recommendations and discovery features, which have consistently outperformed Apple Music in my experience, despite my limited time using it.

Miscellaneous

One of the biggest advantages of Spotify is its cross-platform compatibility and reliable performance across all platforms. Although Apple Music is also available on other platforms, I have found that its non-native apps are often less dependable than their native counterparts. Additionally, I prefer Spotify's web player over Apple Music's web application, as it offers a better user experience and greater functionality.

However, there are some drawbacks to switching to Spotify. For instance, I own a HomePod which can natively play Apple Music but not Spotify. This means that the only way for me to play Spotify music on my HomePod is through AirPlay, which is not ideal and can be inconvenient at times.

From my experience with various gadgets, services, and platforms, I have learned the importance of being wary of lock-in services and not allowing companies to use their devices as a means to push us into using subpar services. In my opinion, Apple is doing exactly this with Apple Music. That's why I decided to switch to Spotify instead.