You might have heard of the TikTok-ification of music, with every new trend and buzzy artist seemingly originating from the addictive social media platform. Well, get ready for the TikTok-ification of music streaming, as Spotify has officially unveiled its redesigned home page that takes a whole bunch of cues from Gen-Z’s favorite app.

Wondering what such a thing looks like? Is Spotify trying to compete with TikTok? What will it change for you? Here’s everything you need to know about Spotify’s new TikTok-like vertical discovery feed.

Where Will The New Page Live?

The new feed will be the default home view on Spotify’s mobile app. The page will not be available on other devices like desktop.

What Is Different About Spotify’s Vertical Discovery Page?

Right now, if you open Spotify on your phone, you’ll see some suggested songs, playlists, and artists. There’s plenty of content — enough to fill up a good few scrolls — but there is a definitive bottom to the page. Once the new update takes effect, though, limits on content will be a thing of the past. New suggestions will pop up as long as your fingers can scroll. That’s where the TikTok comparisons come into play; think of it as your Spotify “For You Page.”

Beyond endless content, the new feed also brings along an entirely new look. Instead of skinny rectangles for songs and squares for playlists and albums, each suggestion has a dynamic, multi-media card that takes up a majority of the screen. Videos, release information, and Canvases (those little visuals that play during a song) are showcased as a preview of the track plays. Spotify claims this will make for a much more visual and useful browsing experience.

Will Spotify’s Vertical Discovery Page Affect Podcasts?

Yes! Your favorite podcasts will get the new visual and dynamic treatment as well. Videos and graphics will auto-play, giving you a snippet of an episode or show.

Is Spotify’s Vertical Discovery Page Replacing My Shortcuts?

Fortunately, while the new feed overhauls most of the home page, your shortcuts have remained untouched. Your favorite and most recently-played playlists will still be right at the top of the home page, right where you’d expect them to be.

Does This Have Anything To Do With That AI DJ?

It certainly does! Built into the new feed is a new AI-powered DJ, which will personally curate playlists and feeds for you based on your taste. It’ll recommend new things to check out and re-introduce you to forgotten favorites all while doing its best morning FM radio voice.

This feature isn’t yet universally available, though Spotify has hinted that it has been pleased with the reaction thus far and is working on expanding its availability.

Is Spotify’s Vertical Discovery Page a TikTok Rip-Off or Not?

Kinda, but not really. It would be insane to outright state that Spotify took absolutely no inspiration from TikTok and its enormous success, but at the same time, it’s not in any direct competition with TikTok. The goals of each platform are still wildly different and users will go to each for separate, unique needs.

Will the change pay off for Spotify, though? Only time will tell. One could argue that such a behemoth of a company wouldn’t make this significant of a change to its user interface if it was uncertain of its success, but stranger things have happened in the corporate world. We’re not predicting that this will be the streaming platform’s “New Coke” or anything, but change can often be a tough sell.

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