Spotify is testing a new feature that lets you play music tracks stored locally on your smartphone. The application will be able to examine the internal storage of the mobile and add the MP3 files to the user’s music library. This new feature is very similar to Music Locker, the most popular feature of the fire Google Play Music and recently adapted for YouTube Music.
Spotify’s leadership in the music streaming market is still undisputed. But, Apple Music continues to gain market share. And Google’s new strategy, based on YouTube, poses a considerable risk for the Swedish firm. To stay ahead, the service must multiply initiatives, both in terms of content (thematic playlists, exclusivity negotiations, podcast production, etc.) and related functions.
Also Read – Spotify Lets You Find A Song Using Lyrics Only
One of Spotify’s next new releases was discovered over the weekend by an engineer called Jane manchun wong. She posted on Twitter a portion of a screenshot showing a setting in the Android version of the app. This parameter gives the right to the streaming service of scan local storage volume to import music tracks and integrate them into the library.
Spotify already offered to import and integrate music tracks from a computer. This function should therefore be quickly brought to the Android version of the service. It seems unlikely that it will be ported to iOS later.. Indeed, Apple’s mobile operating system does not simply store files in the memory of the mobile. And a third-party application does not have the rights to scan other’s files, even if they are legitimately purchased songs from iTunes.
A feature to counter YouTube Music
The arrival of a feature for importing songs from Android is good news, but it’s not that surprising. Indeed, Google has integrated the same into YouTube Music. As a reminder, for a year, the Mountain View firm has gradually closed all the functions of Play Music in order to transfer users of the latter to its new music streaming service. In October, Play Music officially bowed out.
Music Locker, the famous private storage space of Play Music where it was possible to import songs, has already been deployed on YouTube Music. And this for all users (and not just the holders of a paid account). Music Locker is a great function. It was therefore urgent that Spotify could align. So it will soon be done. It remains to be seen whether the Android import will be exclusive to premium subscribers. Even if that would be surprising vis-à-vis the competition, it is not impossible.
Source: Twitter
