- Spotify may bring playlist folders to mobile after 16 years of desktop exclusivity
- If it drops, you’ll be able to create and manage folders from the mobile app
- Users have been asking for this and it can be a serious quality of life upgrade
Spotify is constantly working to elevate its in-app experience with innovative new features and tools, but there’s one popular desktop feature that could make its mobile debut after 16 long years — playlist folders.
Thanks to the watchful eyes over at Android Authority, a new set of code strings were found that reference playlist folders in the mobile app. According to the outlet, playlist folder creation may become native to the mobile app under the Create button in the lower right corner. If you have disabled the Create icon, you will be able to create playlist folders from your library.
With this, Spotify will also allow you to actively manage your folders in the mobile experience, as additional lines of code point to the possibilities of adding and removing playlists from folders, as well as naming and deleting them. Android Authority also notes that deleting a folder can potentially delete all playlists in it, but it appears that Spotify will warn you and ask you to confirm this with a pop-up before any changes are made.
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As with all rumors, it’s hard to say when this tool will roll out, or if it will even be available. That said, features like SongDNA were also spotted in code strings first before Spotify revealed its plans to launch it, which we expect to drop sometime this year, so we’re optimistic about this one. We’ve reached out to Spotify for comment about playlist folders in the mobile app, but we’ll update this story as soon as we hear back.
Bridges desktop and mobile experiences
Since its launch in 2010, playlist folders have been an integral part of organizing your library in Spotify for desktop, giving you an easier way to group playlists into specific folders based on their mood and vibe. Not only does this help keep your slew of workout playlists, road trip mixes, and party playlists together, but it means you don’t have to wade through Spotify’s cluttered library interface to find the one you’re looking for.
However, the limitations of creating and managing folders from the mobile app are a major setback for many, especially those who are avid playlist curators and rely on them for daily listening. Therefore, this update would remove the tedious task of having to switch to Spotify’s desktop app to do this – but it’s taken Spotify quite a while to get there.
As for the other top music streaming services, playlist folders are a standard feature, especially in Apple Music and Tidal, so that Spotify hasn’t acted until now is pretty strange, to say the least. On top of this, users have been begging for playlist folders on mobile, with many taking to the Spotify Community forum to vent their frustrations.
It’s a long-awaited change, but a very logical one, given that Spotify’s millions of users interact with its mobile app more than any other format. On the other hand, I think it will encourage users to create even more of their own playlists and remove the fear of having multiple playlists for one activity or mood (I know the struggles of this myself). That said, having access to playlist folders at my fingertips would give me a newfound peace of mind in organizing my collection of personal soundtracks.
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