even though I got an add every 2 songs
- about billing
- worked before an update
Captured on . See reviews on Google Play
SpotifyEarly signal
People cannot see the player for the adverts covering it
4 people raised this, on both iOS and Android.
iPhone and Android users in the United Kingdom and the United States, across three app versions.
In their own words
Neither app store gives a review a permanent public link, so each entry is a snapshot taken on the date shown and the link goes to the app's review listing.
more than 2 ads after every 2 songs is more irritating
- about billing
Captured on . See reviews on Google Play
the ads are so in your face it's exhausting, pop ups covering the albums
Captured on . See reviews on the App Store
Every song is followed up by an advert. When there isn't an audible advert, you get an advert obscuring the album art
- about billing
- worked before an update
Captured on . See reviews on the App Store
What people do instead
Nobody described a way around this.
What you could do with this
These four are written from the reviews above. Everything else on this page is quoted or counted.
written
BUILD IT
Keep the advert out of the surfaces a listener has to touch.
See how3 points
- Never cover album art, the saved list, or search results
- Put a floor under the gap between two audio adverts
- State the frequency in the free tier’s own description
Why it might not workThe free tier exists in order to be interrupted, so every change here trades against what pays for it.
written
START IT
Listening software whose free limits are published and then held.
See how2 points
- One stated rate, changed only with notice
- Aimed at people who will never pay but will stay for years
Why it might not workMusic is licensed per play and the licence holders set the terms, so the software has little room to set them.
written
STUDY IT
Where is the point at which interruption stops being tolerable?
See how2 points
- Vary the spacing rather than the volume and see what people abandon
- Separate the audio interruption from the visual one, which reviewers report apart
Why it might not workAdvertising already studies tolerance, though rarely with the listener’s own account of it alongside.
written
WRITE IT
Two songs, an advert, and then the album art disappears.
See how2 points
- Set the frequency reviewers describe against what the tier promises
- Quote the listener who sat and counted
Why it might not workComplaining about adverts is the oldest complaint there is, and only the count makes it reportable.
Related challenges
Spotify
People cannot play the song they just chose
it keeps telling me that I can't choose my own music or songs
Build itMake the restriction legible before the tap, not after it.
Start itNot a company. This is a disclosure problem, not a missing product.
Study itDo people understand what a free music tier permits before installing?
Write itThe free tier that hides its own rules until you tap.
Reported repeatedly
Spotify
People lose their place when playback restarts itself
Spotify has its moments of working, but most times does not
Build itPersist the playback position through the app being killed.
Start itA player that keeps your position across whatever you listen on.
Study itHow often does playback state survive a backgrounded app?
Write itThe app that forgets where you were.
Reported repeatedly
Duolingo
People are interrupted mid-lesson by prompts they cannot close
Duo now forces users to use AI
Build itEvery interruption carries a close control, and it is tested.
Start itNot a company. This is a policy question, not a product gap.
Study itDoes an undismissable prompt change lesson completion?
Write itLearning interrupted by the thing that sells you learning.
Reported repeatedly