Spotify is rolling out a significant update to its in-app lyrics feature, expanding its reach while sharpening the divide between free and paid users.
Announced on Wednesday, the changes include global access to lyrics translations, a redesigned placement of lyrics within the app, and a new offline viewing option available exclusively to Premium subscribers. The updates signal Spotify’s continued effort to turn lyrics into a driver for user engagement—and, ultimately, paid upgrades.
Offline lyrics mark the most direct push toward subscriptions. Premium users will be able to read full song lyrics without an internet connection, a capability that free users won’t have access to. Spotify has increasingly leaned on feature-based incentives like this after earlier attempts to restrict lyrics behind a paywall in 2024 sparked widespread backlash, forcing the company to soften its approach later that year.
Beyond access, Spotify is also changing how lyrics are presented. In the updated design, lyrics now appear directly beneath album artwork or the looping visuals that accompany many tracks. According to the company, internal testing showed that placing lyrics closer to the center of the listening experience led to higher engagement. Sharing lyric snippets from the “Now Playing” screen will remain unchanged.
Spotify is also introducing what it calls “lyric previews,” which will begin rolling out globally to both free and paid users on iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
Another major expansion affects lyrics translations. First introduced in 2022, the feature had previously been limited to 25 markets. It is now becoming available worldwide. When a translation exists, users can tap a translate icon on the lyrics card to display translated text beneath the original version. The language defaults to the user’s device settings.
The update marks a notable evolution for a feature Spotify was slow to fully adopt. Licensing hurdles delayed a comprehensive lyrics rollout for years, despite strong user demand. Real-time lyrics were finally launched globally in 2021, following limited regional releases and testing that began as early as 2019. Prior to that, Spotify relied on a partnership with Genius, offering a “Behind the Lyrics” experience that blended partial lyrics with background information and trivia.
With offline access reserved for subscribers and translations now reaching a global audience, Spotify is repositioning lyrics as both a core listening feature and a strategic lever in its ongoing effort to convert free users into paying customers.
