It's been on Android and iOS devices for a long time now, but Windows Phone 8 users finally get to join the party: Spotify is available on the Windows Phone 8 store starting today.
Microsoft's previous mobile operating system had a third-party Spotify app, but this is the first time a Spotify-released app has hit Windows phones. Like the Spotify app on other operating systems, you can use it for free with a trial of Spotify Premium, but on Windows 8, you have to pay $9.99 a month after the month-long trial runs out.
This move comes a week after Nokia announced Music+, the paid subscription model of Nokia Music. Nokia, which notably manufactures the premier Windows 8 Phones (including the flagship Nokia Lumia 920), offers a free music service with every Lumia, which allows free mobile streaming, but with fewer features than Spotify.
Its Music+ service, however offers many perks that make it a pretty formidable competitor with Spotify Premium, including HQ music, offline playlists, mobile listening and computer-based music playback, and a pretty large music library with 18 million songs. Spotify has 20 million. But Nokia Music+ offers these features (and a few other fun gimmicks like a Karaoke-style lyric display) for $3.99, less than half you pay for a Spotify Premium subscription.
The Nokia Lumia Music+ service is relatively new, but then again, so is an official Spotify app on the Lumias. It will be interesting to see the music streaming wars that take place over Lumia smartphones between the two services.
I have a rundown comparing Spotify vs. Nokia Music+ here, for further details.
Of course, the news today means that people with other Windows Phone 8 devices that aren't manufactuered by Nokia will also be able to listen via an official Spotify app.
Via Slashgear
- Contribute to this Story:
- Send us a tip
- Send us a photo or video
- Suggest a correction
