Thanks to widget: Spotify gets better on iPhones

The latest version of Spotify now supports iOS widgets. This means you can launch music from the lock screen with an iPhone or iPad - or display an album cover directly on the home screen. Before this Spotify update to version 8.8.26, there was virtually no Spotify support for iOS widgets.

This is what the new widgets look like

You can place the Spotify widget on the lock screen like any other widget. When music is playing, the previous control view appears. You can click on the track on the lock screen and the Spotify app will open immediately after unlocking.

Widgets are now also available for the home screen. They come in two different sizes.
The larger widget displays up to five covers of the most recently played tracks: Artists, playlists, albums or podcasts. The smaller widget shows the cover of the last track played. If you click on the covers, they will open in the Spotify app.

Setting up the new Spotify widget is simple and is done as with any widget by pressing and holding on the lock or home screen. If you don't have the widget in your selection yet, you'll need to update the Spotify app manually in the app store.

Better late than never

The Spotify update comes late. Apple rolled out the widgets on the lock screen under iOS 16 back in autumn. The smaller competitor app Tidal has already had widgets for some time.

The late implementation is probably due to the difficult relationship between Apple and Spotify. Spotify accused Apple of anti-competitive behaviour back in 2019. Spotify recently won a partial step in the antitrust proceedings regarding Apple's fees for in-app payments.