Spotify Lite for Android Is Now in Beta; Here Are the Known Pros and Cons So Far

Spotify Lite is now being tested for Android devices, and here are some of the early reviews.

This week, reports noted a Google Play Store listing for Spotify Lite. But its thumbnail image clearly indicates that the app is still in beta.

The word “lite” in the app’s name obviously means that it is intended to be released as a scaled-down version of the original Spotify Music app. For one, Spotify Lite currently requires only 15MB upon installation and, as expected, its main promise is to not suck up a lot of mobile data for music lovers who are always on the go.

According to its Play Store listing, Spotify Lite's features include some of the basic services from Spotify Music. Users can search for new music and artists and browse through recommended playlists based on their observed preference in music.

The Spotify Lite app can also be used by non-paying users, which is generally good news. But, according to reviewers who have tested Spotify Lite, Spotify Premium subscribers lose some of the perks they enjoy with the original app. Several reviewers also complained about the lack of the shuffle button, which is one of the key advantages in paying for Spotify Premium.

Downloading music for offline listening is also available. But, currently, users cannot choose between the internal and external drives when saving a file. Meanwhile, a couple of Spotify users with “budget phones” confirmed that the app works notably fast on their devices.

However, the release of Spotify Lite is not yet 100 percent certain at the moment and it might turn out to be just a test. A company representative told TechCrunch, “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience. Some of those tests end up paving the path for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning. We aren’t going to comment on specific tests at this time.”