Products · Product

Spotify

Raised as a usability problem by 1,056 people on Hacker News over 18 years (2009–2026), in 532 threads.

Ranked by people · period

This year (last 12 months)Last 5 yearsSince the beginning (2007)

1
Playlists hidden and albums many clicks awayUnreviewed
7 people this year · 5 threads
2
Forces songs onto people who don't want to hear themUnreviewed
4 people this year · 3 threads
3
Cannot steer the radio, so the same songs repeatUnreviewed
3 people this year · 3 threads
4
Podcast ads replay, requiring repeated dragging of the playhead to skipUnreviewed
3 people this year · 3 threads

1
Podcasts pushed onto the home screen when wanting musicUnreviewed
73 people in the last 5 years · 44 threads
2
Playlists hidden and albums many clicks awayUnreviewed
34 people in the last 5 years · 30 threads
3
Cannot download playlists for offline listeningUnreviewed
32 people in the last 5 years · 25 threads
4
Shuffle favors recent songs with no randomizing controlUnreviewed
30 people in the last 5 years · 22 threads
5
Recommendations keep repeating skipped and disliked tracksUnreviewed
17 people in the last 5 years · 15 threads
6
Clicking a song silently clears the queueUnreviewed
14 people in the last 5 years · 12 threads
7
Forces songs onto people who don't want to hear themUnreviewed
14 people in the last 5 years · 13 threads
8
Cannot steer the radio, so the same songs repeatUnreviewed
10 people in the last 5 years · 10 threads
9
Cannot browse liked artists to play only liked songsUnreviewed
10 people in the last 5 years · 10 threads
10
Hard to find the music wanted in the interfaceUnreviewed
10 people in the last 5 years · 9 threads
11
Album play button defaults to shuffle, requiring extra clicksUnreviewed
10 people in the last 5 years · 6 threads
12
Pop-ups interrupt song choosing, with a tiny dismiss buttonUnreviewed
10 people in the last 5 years · 9 threads
13
Podcast ads replay, requiring repeated dragging of the playhead to skipUnreviewed
9 people in the last 5 years · 8 threads
14
No way to list new podcast episodes on desktopUnreviewed
9 people in the last 5 years · 6 threads
15
Desktop app is slow to respond to interactionsUnreviewed
8 people in the last 5 years · 7 threads
16
Cannot move from an artist to saved albumsUnreviewed
8 people in the last 5 years · 8 threads
17
Playback takes seconds to startUnreviewed
6 people in the last 5 years · 5 threads
18
Finished playlists silently play recommendations, polluting listening historyUnreviewed
6 people in the last 5 years · 6 threads
19
Hide song button sits where add to playlist was, causing mis-tapsUnreviewed
5 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
20
Full track titles can't be seen for classical musicUnreviewed
5 people in the last 5 years · 5 threads
21
Search is hard to use for finding songsUnreviewed
4 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
22
Playlist tracks greyed out with no explanationUnreviewed
4 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
23
Search box hidden behind a menu clickUnreviewed
4 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
24
Cancelling the subscription is harder than it should beUnreviewed
4 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
25
Playback switches to neighbors' devices and can't be turned offUnreviewed
4 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
26
Autoplay turned on and shuffle changed without consentUnreviewed
4 people in the last 5 years · 4 threads
27
Hard to find new musicUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
28
Downloaded album page won't load offline, so songs can't be clickedUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
29
Playlist search removed and song deletion made harderUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
30
Unskippable large explicit ads with no way to disable themUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
31
Cannot disable video podcasts on child accountsUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
32
Home button acts as an unpredictable back buttonUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
33
Home screen shows repetitive blurbs instead of new musicUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads
34
Shows artist and show pop-ups despite notifications being disabledUnreviewed
3 people in the last 5 years · 3 threads

1
Podcasts pushed onto the home screen when wanting musicUnreviewed
92 people since the beginning · 54 threads
2
Playlists hidden and albums many clicks awayUnreviewed
57 people since the beginning · 50 threads
3
Cannot download playlists for offline listeningUnreviewed
40 people since the beginning · 33 threads
4
Shuffle favors recent songs with no randomizing controlUnreviewed
39 people since the beginning · 30 threads
5
Recommendations keep repeating skipped and disliked tracksUnreviewed
27 people since the beginning · 22 threads
6
Cannot browse liked artists to play only liked songsUnreviewed
26 people since the beginning · 22 threads
7
Clicking a song silently clears the queueUnreviewed
25 people since the beginning · 21 threads
8
Desktop app is slow to respond to interactionsUnreviewed
20 people since the beginning · 17 threads
9
Cannot steer the radio, so the same songs repeatUnreviewed
18 people since the beginning · 18 threads
10
Forces songs onto people who don't want to hear themUnreviewed
18 people since the beginning · 17 threads
11
Hard to find the music wanted in the interfaceUnreviewed
16 people since the beginning · 15 threads
12
Album play button defaults to shuffle, requiring extra clicksUnreviewed
15 people since the beginning · 11 threads
13
Podcast ads replay, requiring repeated dragging of the playhead to skipUnreviewed
14 people since the beginning · 13 threads
14
Cannot move from an artist to saved albumsUnreviewed
14 people since the beginning · 14 threads
15
Playback takes seconds to startUnreviewed
13 people since the beginning · 12 threads
16
Playlist search removed and song deletion made harderUnreviewed
13 people since the beginning · 10 threads
17
No way to list new podcast episodes on desktopUnreviewed
13 people since the beginning · 9 threads
18
Search is hard to use for finding songsUnreviewed
11 people since the beginning · 11 threads
19
Pop-ups interrupt song choosing, with a tiny dismiss buttonUnreviewed
10 people since the beginning · 9 threads
20
Playlist tracks greyed out with no explanationUnreviewed
9 people since the beginning · 9 threads
21
Hard to find new musicUnreviewed
9 people since the beginning · 9 threads
22
Finished playlists silently play recommendations, polluting listening historyUnreviewed
9 people since the beginning · 9 threads
23
Search box hidden behind a menu clickUnreviewed
8 people since the beginning · 8 threads
24
No per-song dislike, only per-artist blockUnreviewed
9 people since the beginning · 4 threads
25
Downloaded album page won't load offline, so songs can't be clickedUnreviewed
7 people since the beginning · 7 threads
26
Hide song button sits where add to playlist was, causing mis-tapsUnreviewed
7 people since the beginning · 6 threads
27
Unskippable large explicit ads with no way to disable themUnreviewed
5 people since the beginning · 5 threads
28
Resuming a playlist needs a button that is missing or hiddenUnreviewed
5 people since the beginning · 5 threads
29
Full track titles can't be seen for classical musicUnreviewed
5 people since the beginning · 5 threads
30
Cancelling the subscription is harder than it should beUnreviewed
5 people since the beginning · 5 threads
31
Playback switches to neighbors' devices and can't be turned offUnreviewed
5 people since the beginning · 5 threads
32
Menus keep changing, making behavior hard to predictUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
33
Playback limited to Spotify's own player on approved devicesUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
34
Navigation buried in side menusUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
35
Hard to import or export playlistsUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
36
Opening shared links requires creating an accountUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
37
Searching for a track loses your place in the album or playlistUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
38
Autoplay turned on and shuffle changed without consentUnreviewed
4 people since the beginning · 4 threads
39
Song titles fall below the fold and play links are hard to seeUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
40
Options button where scrolling starts causes accidental playlist scrollsUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
41
Own music must go through a PC playlist and sync to mobileUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
42
Web app hidden, pushing people to the slower desktop appUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
43
Must wait for song titles to load while scrollingUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
44
Discover Weekly moves unpredictably on the home screenUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
45
Desktop app lacks Ctrl-F searchUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
46
Web interface is slow to useUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
47
Playback controls hidden during playback, so skip must be guessedUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
48
Private mode buried in settings, so people forget to enable itUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
49
Saving a song also saves its album and artistUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
50
Removes downloaded songs, forcing repeated re-downloadsUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
51
Wrong genres can't be removed from recommendationsUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
52
Volume only adjustable while the app is in the foregroundUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
53
Classical metadata doesn't fit the artist, album and song structureUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
54
Cannot disable video podcasts on child accountsUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
55
Menu items don't make sense and queue contents appear randomlyUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
56
Cannot browse songs while keeping the playlist visibleUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
57
Home button acts as an unpredictable back buttonUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
58
Home screen shows repetitive blurbs instead of new musicUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
59
Shows artist and show pop-ups despite notifications being disabledUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
60
Skip and Close buttons are adjacent and small, causing mis-taps while drivingUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads
61
Audio lags half a second behind interactionsUnreviewed
3 people since the beginning · 3 threads

Every issue, all time, most people first

Podcasts pushed onto the home screen when wanting musicUnreviewed
92 people since 2017, in 9 different years · 2 this year
20092026
- Useful control works for songs but not podcast episodes, and is hidden so users must discover it2026-03-18
- Podcasts are pushed onto the home screen when the user only wants music2025-11-18
- Constantly pushes podcasts at the user, which they find annoying2025-06-17
Something wrong here?
Playlists hidden and albums many clicks awayUnreviewed
57 people since 2011, in 16 different years · 7 this year
20092026
- Playlist UX keeps changing and often gets worse, costing time daily2026-09-01
- Playlist links break when tracks are replaced or re-imported, forcing manual hunting for replacements2026-07-16
- About 1 in 10 consecutive songs fail to play when clicked2026-02-18
Something wrong here?
Cannot download playlists for offline listeningUnreviewed
40 people since 2011, in 11 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Offline mode fails in the car; playlists show missing tracks and no artist or song names2026-09-01
- Playlists are hidden offline because the app waits to sync first2025-06-17
- Downloaded music for offline listening gets purged unexpectedly, so it's gone on the plane2025-01-29
Something wrong here?
Shuffle favors recent songs with no randomizing controlUnreviewed
39 people since 2017, in 10 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Shuffled playlist over AirPlay or Bluetooth only loops the first 100 songs2026-09-01
- Shuffle button cycles to a smart shuffle mode that adds suggestions, unexpectedly2025-08-14
- Awful to use even when just trying to shuffle songs2025-01-29
Something wrong here?
Recommendations keep repeating skipped and disliked tracksUnreviewed
27 people since 2011, in 10 different years · 3 this year
20092026
- Genres in liked songs change randomly and selecting one plays unrelated songs2026-09-01
- Autoplay keeps picking the same most popular songs for each artist2026-05-01
- Removing liked AI songs doesn't stop the artist's new releases from appearing on the homescreen2026-05-01
Something wrong here?
Cannot browse liked artists to play only liked songsUnreviewed
26 people since 2011, in 11 different years · none this year
20092026
- Artists, albums, songs and playlists mixed in one list is confusing2025-08-15
- Library mixes liked songs, playlists and followed artists confusingly, and saving works differently on web and mobile2025-04-12
- Adding a song or album to library doesn't also add the artist, which is confusing2024-08-12
Something wrong here?
Clicking a song silently clears the queueUnreviewed
25 people since 2016, in 9 different years · 2 this year
20092026
- Suggested and new-release songs lack swipe-to-queue, unlike other song rows; inconsistent2026-09-01
- Adding a song to the playing queue requires scrolling and hitting several controls2026-03-18
- Can't choose whether songs go next or last in queue; hard to preview stations without interrupting playback2024-12-28
Something wrong here?
Desktop app is slow to respond to interactionsUnreviewed
20 people since 2015, in 6 different years · none this year
20092026
- Desktop app is so heavy it bogs down older computers2024-11-30
- App feels slow and bloated to use2022-12-19
- The desktop client became slow and bloated, making it laggy to use2022-11-30
Something wrong here?
Cannot steer the radio, so the same songs repeatUnreviewed
18 people since 2011, in 12 different years · 3 this year
20092026
- Radio playlists feel flattened and less useful for discovering non-mainstream music2026-05-27
- Artist radio fills with frequently played songs loosely related to the artist2026-05-21
- Playlist Radio is hidden behind a convoluted workaround to trigger2025-12-22
Something wrong here?
Forces songs onto people who don't want to hear themUnreviewed
18 people since 2016, in 8 different years · 4 this year
20092026
- Hide/disable song control on Discover Weekly often stops working, so disliked songs keep appearing2026-09-01
- Disliking a song only hides it for 30 days instead of never playing it again2026-09-01
- Keeps surfacing the same music the user dislikes repeatedly2026-07-06
Something wrong here?
Hard to find the music wanted in the interfaceUnreviewed
16 people since 2011, in 9 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Spotify isn't built for finding and listening to albums, pushing algorithmic playlists instead2026-07-16
- Can't find way around app; getting from a song to its album requires obscure right-clicks2025-05-24
- Hard to navigate albums in Spotify or Apple Music2024-12-28
Something wrong here?
Album play button defaults to shuffle, requiring extra clicksUnreviewed
15 people since 2016, in 6 different years · none this year
20092026
- No play album button and simple actions are needlessly hard, queueing nudges toward shuffle2024-12-28
- Clicking play on some albums swaps tracks for single versions2024-02-19
- After clicking, next tracks are by other artists instead of the linked artist's songs2023-12-14
Something wrong here?
Podcast ads replay, requiring repeated dragging of the playhead to skipUnreviewed
14 people since 2011, in 7 different years · 3 this year
20092026
- Popover ads interrupt listening, and the home screen doesn't surface usual playlists2026-09-21
- Free listening plays roughly three ads per song, frustrating users after cancelling2026-04-15
- Advertisements show up whenever the user goes to their music library2026-02-12
Something wrong here?
Cannot move from an artist to saved albumsUnreviewed
14 people since 2015, in 6 different years · none this year
20092026
- Finding and listening to albums is less intuitive; library UI isn't great2025-10-12
- Albums disappear from library and reappear as different remasters with tracks missing2025-08-18
- Whitespace-heavy layout makes curating and managing a large album library hard2024-08-01
Something wrong here?
Playback takes seconds to startUnreviewed
13 people since 2019, in 7 different years · 2 this year
20092026
- Tapping the track options menu now has noticeable loading delay2026-09-05
- App takes time to load and forgets the playback state from last session2026-02-03
- Songs take 10-15 seconds to start playing after tapping, even offline2024-03-16
Something wrong here?
Playlist search removed and song deletion made harderUnreviewed
13 people since 2015, in 5 different years · none this year
20092026
- Search results can't be easily saved, so searching requires a playlist workaround2024-12-28
- Search moved to separate view, so finding playlists or artists now takes extra steps2022-06-04
- Hidden features need keyboard commands; typing in a playlist unexpectedly filters instead of searching2021-11-18
Something wrong here?
No way to list new podcast episodes on desktopUnreviewed
13 people since 2020, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Only shows 8 recent podcasts, so new episodes of others are hidden in the library2023-10-06
- Can't find podcasts on Home page; only way found is Search2023-10-06
- No way to see all followed podcast episodes sorted by recent; clicking back removes new episodes2023-09-10
Something wrong here?
Search is hard to use for finding songsUnreviewed
11 people since 2014, in 9 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Search only filters the library instead of scrolling to the found song2025-12-15
- Search is barely usable and basic controls like play next song don't work2024-05-03
- Search button for own music library is not intuitive to find2023-04-06
Something wrong here?
Pop-ups interrupt song choosing, with a tiny dismiss buttonUnreviewed
10 people since 2023, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Waiting for the app to load and declining many cookie popups before playing music2025-06-18
- Random signup popover covers the player controls, forcing dismissal before playing the next song2024-12-21
- Random popups get accidentally clicked, redirecting users to unwanted screens2024-05-07
Something wrong here?
Playlist tracks greyed out with no explanationUnreviewed
9 people since 2012, in 8 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Tracks in playlists turn greyed out with no info about what they are2025-12-21
- Songs silently change or vanish from library, and deleted songs are hidden by default2025-02-02
- Unavailable tracks show as empty entries, unlike Apple Music's greyed-out display2024-04-08
Something wrong here?
Hard to find new musicUnreviewed
9 people since 2009, in 8 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Streaming services push bland music at you, so you must dig past it to find gems2026-06-19
- Hard to find something to listen to in the moment2024-03-24
- Hard to find good kids music; search returns low-effort spam2022-01-19
Something wrong here?
Finished playlists silently play recommendations, polluting listening historyUnreviewed
9 people since 2018, in 7 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Widget unusable until user watches Wrapped video and listens to playlist2026-01-07
- Recommendations inserted into personal playlists, so scrolling to a song lands on suggestions instead2024-04-08
- Unrelated playlist suggestions clutter the UI, forcing the user to ignore a large portion of it2024-02-19
Something wrong here?
No per-song dislike, only per-artist blockUnreviewed
9 people since 2017, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- No dislike button to reject radio tracks it recommends2025-04-17
- Hard to find the dislike feature, and it auto-disables later with the song still loaded2021-10-16
- No way to tell Spotify you dislike a song, so unwanted tracks keep coming back2021-10-16
Something wrong here?
Search box hidden behind a menu clickUnreviewed
8 people since 2017, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Album can't be found by searching for its title2024-06-11
- Search and sorting hidden on mobile; home page cluttered with unwanted content and no way to customize2024-02-19
- Search moved into the sidebar, hiding it and leaving wasted space2023-11-23
Something wrong here?
Downloaded album page won't load offline, so songs can't be clickedUnreviewed
7 people since 2013, in 6 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Offline search waits for a network timeout before showing local library results2026-09-01
- Can't view downloaded songs as a catalogue; library only offers albums and playlists2024-05-25
- Downloaded album page won't load offline, so songs can't be clicked2022-08-22
Something wrong here?
Hide song button sits where add to playlist was, causing mis-tapsUnreviewed
7 people since 2021, in 5 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Liking a song takes more taps since liked songs became a playlist2026-09-02
- Unlike button sits 2 pixels from play, and unliking is irreversible and unsyncs songs2024-02-19
- Like/add button placement and action inconsistent, so taps accidentally dislike songs2023-10-06
Something wrong here?
Unskippable large explicit ads with no way to disable themUnreviewed
5 people since 2019, in 5 different years · none this year
20092026
- Cluttered interface and pop-up ads make the app hard to use2023-11-11
- Homescreen is cluttered with ads despite paying for the subscription2023-09-08
- Unskippable large explicit ads appear on screen with no way to disable them2022-01-30
Something wrong here?
Resuming a playlist needs a button that is missing or hiddenUnreviewed
5 people since 2015, in 5 different years · none this year
20092026
- Playlists are now only shown in a sidebar instead of a full-window view2024-11-22
- Resuming a playlist requires a button that is missing or hidden in a menu2023-12-04
- Must click through several promotional screens to reach playlists, which are half empty2019-02-07
Something wrong here?
Full track titles can't be seen for classical musicUnreviewed
5 people since 2022, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Can't copy a track's title2025-08-07
- Spotify constantly truncates classical track titles, making them hard to read2024-01-20
- Full track titles can't be seen for classical music2023-02-01
Something wrong here?
Cancelling the subscription is harder than it should beUnreviewed
5 people since 2021, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Had to click through 7-8 confirmation pages before subscription was cancelled2024-10-16
- Cancel button does nothing, so user cannot cancel subscription in any browser2023-04-18
- Cancelling requires opening the app and dealing with marketing and many questions2022-10-27
Something wrong here?
Playback switches to neighbors' devices and can't be turned offUnreviewed
5 people since 2018, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Has to select the new device at least five times to get playback working2023-07-15
- Playback in one room stops when someone else starts music elsewhere, forcing others to restart it2023-01-20
- Music stops when played on another device, forcing a restart and frustrating housemates2022-12-12
Something wrong here?
Menus keep changing, making behavior hard to predictUnreviewed
4 people since 2015, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Layout keeps changing every day, making the app hard to navigate2024-05-25
- Menus and behavior keep changing back and forth, making the app frustrating and hard to predict2022-06-04
- Menu positions keep shifting randomly between updates, making items hard to find2021-08-17
Something wrong here?
Playback limited to Spotify's own player on approved devicesUnreviewed
4 people since 2014, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Can't tell whether connecting to a device uses Spotify Connect or AirPlay in the device list2022-05-19
- Offline playing still requires internet to get permission from Spotify2021-04-20
- Offline setting is greyed out when phone is connected via Spotify Connect, forcing workarounds2015-05-15
Something wrong here?
Navigation buried in side menusUnreviewed
4 people since 2016, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Menus are buried inside the app, so the command panel tool can't reach them2024-01-25
- Commenter found the app's navigation so difficult they uninstalled it2022-06-04
- Navigation buried in side menus made the app arduous to use2017-04-11
Something wrong here?
Hard to import or export playlistsUnreviewed
4 people since 2015, in 4 different years · none this year
20092026
- Only way to export playlists was copying and pasting them into Word2024-02-23
- Making it hard to bring playlists in or export them out2021-10-18
- Playlists must be manually copied from one account to another2020-10-11
Something wrong here?
Opening shared links requires creating an accountUnreviewed
4 people since 2012, in 4 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Having to create an account just to open shared Spotify links is annoying2026-06-19
- Spotify's website shows no link to download the Mac app2024-08-13
- Must open Spotify and search manually to share a YouTube Music song2019-04-13
Something wrong here?
Searching for a track loses your place in the album or playlistUnreviewed
4 people since 2017, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Finding removed songs again requires a cumbersome search that often fails2022-04-19
- Deleted tracks show no name, so users can't tell what is missing2022-01-14
- Artist tracks buried behind albums and discography; playlists move around on Home2021-08-08
Something wrong here?
Autoplay turned on and shuffle changed without consentUnreviewed
4 people since 2022, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Unwanted autoplay switched on and shuffle changed without consent, making playback hard to control2024-05-24
- Hard to take control of playback; SDK auto-plays unwanted tracks2023-11-21
- Couldn't tune recommendations and couldn't find an autoplay setting to turn off2023-03-12
Something wrong here?
Song titles fall below the fold and play links are hard to seeUnreviewed
3 people since 2014, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Emphasis on cover art over titles makes navigating albums difficult2023-02-01
- New interface feels less snappy and has excess padding between song titles2015-05-14
- Song titles fall below the fold and play links are hard to see on artwork2014-03-07
Something wrong here?
Options button where scrolling starts causes accidental playlist scrollsUnreviewed
3 people since 2015, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Buttons move and change text, making playlist editing hard to find2022-09-17
- Can't scroll back in the currently playing playlist, and Car Mode is really bad2020-08-05
- Options button sits where the scroll gesture starts, so users accidentally scroll the playlist2015-02-18
Something wrong here?
Own music must go through a PC playlist and sync to mobileUnreviewed
3 people since 2017, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Tapping a song plays it instead of adding it to the playlist in collaborative mode2023-12-29
- No clean way to integrate local or purchased music into the app2018-01-03
- Own music must be added to a PC playlist and synced to mobile, which is clumsy2017-08-09
Something wrong here?
Web app hidden, pushing people to the slower desktop appUnreviewed
3 people since 2013, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Web app is hidden, pushing users toward the desktop app which performs worse2018-04-16
- Web client lacks folders and drag and drop that the desktop app has2015-05-20
- Desktop app gives poor application UX compared with running in a browser2013-04-13
Something wrong here?
Must wait for song titles to load while scrollingUnreviewed
3 people since 2016, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- After leaving it idle, selecting songs just keeps loading until page reload2024-03-21
- Must stop and wait for song titles to load when scrolling2022-09-10
- Scrolling a list of song names lags for several seconds2016-06-28
Something wrong here?
Discover Weekly moves unpredictably on the home screenUnreviewed
3 people since 2018, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Discover Weekly moves unpredictably on home screen, so users must search for it2023-04-14
- Small UI changes keep moving things, making Discover Weekly harder to find2019-03-27
- Couldn't figure out how to like or dislike Discover Weekly on mobile2018-03-01
Something wrong here?
Desktop app lacks Ctrl-F searchUnreviewed
3 people since 2017, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Redesigns made the interface worse and removed Ctrl+F search2024-03-21
- Useful feature removed or hidden in releases, so occasional-use shortcuts become hard to reach2021-07-06
- Desktop app lacks Ctrl-F search and UI updates make features harder to use2017-02-12
Something wrong here?
Web interface is slow to useUnreviewed
3 people since 2015, in 3 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Web interface is painfully slow and clunky to use2026-01-06
- UI feels clunky and slow to interact with2018-07-27
- Slow, clunky app interface; web/native hybrid approach doesn't work2015-08-07
Something wrong here?
Playback controls hidden during playback, so skip must be guessedUnreviewed
3 people since 2012, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Playback controls hidden during playback; user must guess which element reveals skip2021-08-08
- Keeps playing vocal tracks despite repeated skips, never learns preference2017-10-11
- Couldn't find how to skip a track; skip was hidden behind a popup2012-05-23
Something wrong here?
Private mode buried in settings, so people forget to enable itUnreviewed
3 people since 2019, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Private mode doesn't signal it affects recommendations and silently blocks social features2023-08-20
- Private mode is buried deep in settings, so users forget to turn it on2021-10-16
- Must repeatedly open settings to toggle private mode on and off at the gym2019-03-28
Something wrong here?
Saving a song also saves its album and artistUnreviewed
3 people since 2014, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Same action keeps changing names, confusing users about how to save songs2023-07-29
- Can't save more songs without first removing existing ones2016-03-30
- Saving a song also saves its album and artist, which the user doesn't want2014-12-14
Something wrong here?
Removes downloaded songs, forcing repeated re-downloadsUnreviewed
3 people since 2018, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Lost all saved downloads and must re-download hundreds of albums one by one2023-02-07
- Removes all downloaded songs and forces user to re-download them repeatedly2022-12-12
- Downloaded songs get deleted from phone repeatedly for unknown reasons2018-10-10
Something wrong here?
Wrong genres can't be removed from recommendationsUnreviewed
3 people since 2019, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- No way to reset recommendations; only option is cancelling and deleting the account2022-10-27
- Wrong genres stick to recommendations and can't be removed, forcing account deletion2021-10-16
- Recommendations degraded because kids share the account, muddying suggestions2019-10-27
Something wrong here?
Volume only adjustable while the app is in the foregroundUnreviewed
3 people since 2018, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Volume control inconsistent across devices, and app moves things around with popups2024-04-24
- Phone volume jumps to 100% because it syncs with the desktop app's volume.2022-01-26
- Volume can only be adjusted while app is foregrounded, and streaming sometimes loses sync2018-04-12
Something wrong here?
Classical metadata doesn't fit the artist, album and song structureUnreviewed
3 people since 2015, in 3 different years · none this year
20092026
- Search results are mostly useless and classical pieces are hard to find across performances2023-03-28
- Classical pieces are forced into album-song hierarchy and get shuffled and disorganized2021-08-31
- Classical music metadata doesn't fit the artist/album/song structure, so searching is hard2015-07-29
Something wrong here?
Cannot disable video podcasts on child accountsUnreviewed
3 people since 2024, in 3 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- No way to block podcast content kids could reach through the app2026-09-01
- Pushes unwanted videos and podcasts at kids, hard to control what they see2025-01-29
- Cannot disable video podcasts on child accounts, so search fills with unwanted content2024-08-12
Something wrong here?
Menu items don't make sense and queue contents appear randomlyUnreviewed
3 people since 2015, in 3 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Adding an item to the queue takes too many steps through nested menus2026-03-18
- Context menu items like add to playlist and add to queue keep moving around2024-08-12
- Menu items don't make sense and queue contents appear or disappear randomly2015-08-05
Something wrong here?
Cannot browse songs while keeping the playlist visibleUnreviewed
3 people since 2013, in 2 different years · none this year
20092026
- Showing all songs requires several hidden steps: show all, change dropdown, switch to list view2022-06-04
- Can't browse songs while keeping the playlist visible; modern Electron UIs make drag and drop unclear2022-05-28
- Right-click shows browser menu instead of song options, making common actions hard to reach2013-04-13
Something wrong here?
Home button acts as an unpredictable back buttonUnreviewed
3 people since 2022, in 2 different years · none this year
20092026
- Back button inconsistent; doesn't do what users expect2023-01-23
- Home button acts as unpredictable back button; can't tell what was removed2022-04-28
- Home button sometimes goes home and sometimes goes back, so users can't predict it2022-03-08
Something wrong here?
Home screen shows repetitive blurbs instead of new musicUnreviewed
3 people since 2023, in 2 different years · 1 this year
20092026
- Home screen shows repetitive, pointless blurbs instead of helping discover new music2026-07-16
- Notifications and playlist links open the home screen instead of the content, forcing manual searching2023-10-06
- One stray click fills library and home screen with unwanted songs for weeks2023-04-29
Something wrong here?
Shows artist and show pop-ups despite notifications being disabledUnreviewed
3 people since 2023, in 2 different years · none this year
20092026
- Concert popups keep appearing with no in-app way to turn them off2024-07-18
- Keeps showing artist and show pop-ups despite notifications being disabled in settings2023-04-06
- Notification switches get re-enabled by Spotify, forcing the user to find and turn them off again2023-01-23
Something wrong here?
Skip and Close buttons are adjacent and small, causing mis-taps while drivingUnreviewed
3 people since 2015, in 2 different years · none this year
20092026
- Swipe to skip switches to car mode unexpectedly, forcing precise button taps while driving2022-03-08
- Skip Song and Close buttons are adjacent and too small, causing mis-taps while driving2015-05-15
- Accidental downward swipes minimize the player instead of skipping the song, especially while driving2015-02-18
Something wrong here?
Audio lags half a second behind interactionsUnreviewed
3 people since 2015, in 2 different years · none this year
20092026
- App pauses for seconds switching audio to video even when unwanted2021-08-25
- Audio sometimes fails to respond for half a second after interaction2021-03-05
- Takes 20-30 seconds to boot and skips audio under load2015-11-17
Something wrong here?

This list counts all time; the period switch above only changes the ranking. Each issue is a group of similar complaints raised by at least 3 people in 3 different months and threads. Each line under an issue is Claude Haiku's summary of one of its latest comments, not a quote; follow it to read the comment on Hacker News.

Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.

The newest 50 complaints