Spotify Upgrades Digital Windows Phone App in Stores: Windows Listeners Get New Features

Spotify announced an upgrade to its Windows Phone app with an updated Browse feature, the "Your Music" feature and a new slick appearance to entice users to use its streaming music service.

TechCrunch reports the new app for the Microsoft-powered smartphones has a black-colored theme alongside the "Your Music" feature that enables users to save tracks and albums.

"Our new design makes accessing your favorite music smoother than ever before. The new dark theme and refined interface lets the content come forward and 'pop,' just like in a cinema when you dim the lights," the company said in a blog post.

It is unclear what motivated Spotify to upgrade the Windows Phone app. It launched its first Windows app back in 2010 and did not update it to Windows Phone 8 until 2013.

One reason might be the music streaming company's competitors Rdio and Deezer have made sure Windows Phone users have access to their services. In addition, developers regularly create and update apps for iOS and Android mobile platforms but not the Windows Phone because there have not been enough users to make the investment needed to develop apps worthwhile.

While the Browse feature was launched in 2013, the upgrade enabled Spotify to deliver "even more relevant and localized content" by joining the current trend of music services to personalize music to specific places and moments.

According to TechCrunch, 52 percent of listening on Spotify happens on tablet and mobile devices. If Spotify positions itself as a mobile-first company, it will generate more revenue because users must pay for subscriptions to access the music features on these devices.

Spotify is a digital music service launched in October 2008 by Swedish startup Spotify AB. It is a commercial music streaming service providing digital rights management-restricted content from record labels, including Sony and Warner Music Group. Music can be searched by artist, album, record label, playlist or genre. Paid "Premium" subscribers have service without advertisements and can download music to listen to offline.