Spotify today cut the beta tags off of its Windows Phone 8 application, launching a "big" update for all users.
According to a Sunday tweet from Microsoft's Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore, the app, now free of its beta shackles, includes more languages, offline playlist improvements, and track scrubbing.
The update also increases the overall speed and quality of the app, Spotify's user communications manager, Candice Katz, wrote in a short blog post.
Spotify landed on Windows Phone 8 in February. Previously available for Windows Phone 7 users, the application disappeared with the updated Windows Phone 8. Spotify promised in November that the team was working on bringing the app to the updated OS and the beta version arrived several months later.
Most of the application's mobile services are available only to subscribers, but there is a free Internet radio option. Spotify Premium costs $9.99 per month, beginning with a 30-day free trial period.
The Spotify application is currently available for free in the Windows Phone Store.
These updates still aren't enough to keep some users satisfied. With an average rating of three out of five stars, Spotify for WP8 has received a number of less-than-stellar reviews from users, including Nicholas, who handed the app a one-star rating.
"So the update from beta STILL doesn't bring the radio feature to the app???" he wrote. "Come on!! This is essential!"
The iOS version, meanwhile, got a boost last week, with new features and various improvements, all wrapped in a new logo. Included in the update was the new Discover page, initially launched on the Web in late May.
Perhaps Spotify's expansion into other music-discovery sectors can help keep people from jumping ship. Ticketing website StubHub today announced a new in-app feature, allowing Spotify users to seamlessly discover upcoming local music events.
"This latest partnership with Spotify represents how StubHub is now thinking about innovation," Chris Zachos, senior product manager of StubHub's music discovery space, said in a statement. "More than selling tickets, we are focused on partnering with the most creative companies in the industry to give our users an even more seamless and interesting way to discover music and experience live events."
Listed among Spotify's App Finder content, StubHub will automatically display events within a 50-mile radius of each user's city, offering details about concerts and a link to buy tickets.
In-app services are available only via Spotify's desktop client; the StubHub app is not available via Spotify Web or mobile.
For more, see PCMag's review of Spotify and the slideshow above.
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