Music service Spotify has added a voice search feature to its iOS app that allows users to find song tracks, albums, and playlists.
The new test feature takes Siri out of the equation. With Apple trying to grow its music streaming service, it never allowed Spotify to integrate with Siri, including with Apple’s first smart speaker, HomePod.
Casey Newton, of The Verge, got wind of Spotify’s voice control feature and declared it “an excellent end run around Siri.”
Newton said Spotify’s voice control developed from a driving mode Spotify toyed with last year. Only a small number of Spotify users so far have access to this experimental feature.
To find out if you have the feature, tap the search icon at the bottom of your screen. For select users, a microphone icon bubble appears in the bottom right-hand corner, according to The Verge report.
The app will request access to your iPhone mic. You can then verbally request a song, artist, album or playlist. Newton said he got “mostly accurate results” during an hour of voice commands.
“So far, voice control appears limited to finding music inside Spotify’s vast catalog,” Newton wrote.”Ask it, ‘Who are the Beatles?’ and it will simply start playing a Beatles playlist without telling you anything about the band.”
He also wrote that the app could not create a playlist of songs. “But I’ll take it,” he said. “Apple has done its best to cripple the Spotify experience on iOS. And while the feature is officially still an experiment, the early version works well enough to make it a core part of my music listening.”
Spotify declined to comment on its plans for voice command.
Source: The Verge
