Ever since the popularization of the platform, Spotify’s free tier has always been defined by the experience of playing a playlist on shuffle, interrupted constantly by ads. Today, Spotify is drastically redefining its free tier by allowing users to finally pick and play individual songs.

Last week, Spotify vastly improved its Premium subscription by finally adding support for lossless audio. The long-awaited feature was first announced almost a decade ago. Now, the platform is getting with the times. Even better, lossless audio comes with a standard Premium subscription, rather than being introduced with a more expensive tier.

Because the Premium tier got an upgrade, Spotify is also improving the free tier. Now, free users will no longer be stuck in shuffle mode. The tier will now allow users to pick any song they want to listen to.

This is Spotify’s biggest update since… well, last week. It is, of course, fitting. Because the lossless audio update is so huge, the platform had to up the game for the free tier too. Outside of just playing music on YouTube, competing streaming platforms don’t really allow users to have as much control without paying a single cent.

That said, the free tier will still have a few limitations. It will still have ads and limited skips.

The new update is rolling out globally now.

SEE ALSO: Spotify is finally adding lossless audio

Sony has officially launched the new PlayStation Family App. This mobile solution is designed to help parents manage their children’s gaming habits more effectively and efficiently.

The app is now available on the App Store and Google Play. It combines key parental control features into a single, easy-to-use interface. There are also customizable features to manage children’s playtime.

The app simplifies child account setup with guided onboarding. Parents can create and manage profiles with clear instructions and age-appropriate settings.

Of course, playtime management is a core feature. Parents can set daily limits for the week. Children can request more playtime from the console while parents can approve or decline such requests directly from their mobile devices.

Real-time notifications alert parents when their child starts playing or requests more playtime.

Moreover, spending controls are also built-in. Parents can add funds, monitor balances, and set monthly spending limits for PlayStation Store purchases.

The app also provides daily and weekly activity reports, giving parents up-to-date insights into how much time their children spend gaming.

And of course, content filters are customizable. Parents can start by choosing and configuring age appropriate content with a tap of a button.

Age-based presets are already available as well for them to apply recommended settings for different age-groups. But every setting can be adjusted individually.

Lastly, social interaction settings allow control over how children connect and communicate with others online, including voice chat and messaging.

The PlayStation Family app is compatible with devices running iOS 14 or later and Android 8 or above. Sony says it plans to expand the app’s capabilities over time.

Spotify is still the biggest music streaming platform today. The service now offers videos, podcasts, and audiobooks. However, it still lags behind other services, such as Apple Music and Tidal, when it comes to offering lossless audio. Now, Spotify is finally opening the door a crack to start letting in lossless audio onto the platform.

Lossless audio has been a holy grail for the streaming platform for years and years now. Formerly, the feature was exclusive only to the more premium or the more niche platforms like Tidal or Qobuz. Now, the feature is already a default for bigger ones like Apple Music. To respond, Spotify said that lossless audio will ship out eventually. That was back in 2017.

Today, in 2025, Spotify is finally adding lossless audio. However, it’s a slow rollout. The feature is available only for users in Australia, Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Other territories will get the feature by the end of October.

It’s also turned off by default and can be turned on via the settings. The decision was likely made to the bill shock from the higher bandwidth requirement of lossless audio downloads.

On the plus side, Spotify isn’t following the expected trajectory of offering the feature through a more expensive subscription tier. Lossless audio is available to all those with Premium subscriptions.

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