Spotify for Linux user? You’ll notice that the desktop app looks a little different next time you open it.
The music streaming service, which recently passed 515 million monthly active users, rolled out a redesign of its desktop app on Windows and macOS last week. That revamp is now hitting the official Spotify for Linux client — though it appears to be a server-side change rather than a client update.
Don’t panic unnecessarily because, as redesigns go, this one isn’t that bad — though (naturally) not everyone is a fan. Some users feel the new look is “so cluttered” and offers a “worse experience […] than before”.
The “big ticket” addition is the revamped sidebar. This remains on the left-hand side but has been reworked to feature an all-new Your Library section.
Your Library does what it says: you get quick access to your playlists as well as albums, artists (you follow), and podcasts. All show artwork beside their labels (though this can be disabled in settings). Plus, there are new search and sort options, and sort preferences stick between sessions.
Chances are there are things you want quick(er) access to so Spotify let you pin up-to 4 items at the top of the Your Library section — which is handy!
Expand Your Library to see more detail (such as managing folders) and access options to switch between tiled and list views (also: you can drag to resize this view). Additionally, you can now collapse the sidebar down into a vertical strip that only displays artwork:
Talking of art, the album art display remains 1:1 when expanded, even if the sidebar is collapsed. This looks a bit strange (see above) but, as before, just click the chevron that appears when mousing over the album art to tuck it in-line with the player toolbar.
A tl;dr of the changes: new sidebar, more padding, and lots of rounded corners plus darker background by default — here’s the design the the new version replaces:
Although Spotify for Linux is made by Spotify it’s not officially supported. The client is developed and maintained by a small team of Spotify engineers who use Linux themselves. They contribute to the build in their “free” time (i.e. they’re not paid to specifically work on the Spotify Linux app).
The new design does look a tiny bit nicer on macOS if only because the OS has rounded bottom window corners by default — but you can use the rounded corners GNOME extension to effect a similar look.
Spotify for Linux is closed-source software. You can install it from Canonical’s Snap Store, via the Spotify Linux repo, or fetch it unofficially from Flathub. See our sister site for full details on how to install Spotify on Linux.