Spotify is revamping its mobile app for free users. They won’t be stuck with shuffle mode but there’s still a catch.

Originally the mobile Spotify apps were only available to people on premium (paid) subscriptions. That was then switched so that free users could run the app but any album or playlist they selected would play in shuffle mode with no option to skip songs. Another restriction was that only part of the library was available for free on the mobile app.

After the revamp, free mobile users will be able to get instant access to any songs that are part of 15 specific playlists. Some of these will be more general such as recent releases or most popular songs, while others will be personalized and based on the user’s tastes. These will take into account the user’s listening habits and self-created playlists on the desktop edition.

The idea appears to be that these free ‘play on demand’ selections will entice users both to check out further music by the same artists and to sign up for the premium option. The free app will still be missing the option to listen to a specific full album in the correct order – though you’d have to ask a younger person than me if that’s a big issue in 2018.

As part of the revamp, the app will also have a data saver mode that cuts overall data consumption by as much as 75 percent. It will include some degree of caching to cover periods when mobile data signals drop out.