Spotify just got 3 handy upgrades — here’s the new features you can try now

Last month, Spotify was busy introducing some minor upgrades to one of the best music streaming services. And it appears the company isn’t slowing down in June.

In the last couple of weeks, Spotify quietly rolled out (via TechRadar) a trio of new features that should be helpful for those of you who listen to more than music on the platform.

The biggest change affects podcasts, no real surprise, since podcasts have gotten more popular on YouTube since they were shoved into YouTube Music. Read on to find out what’s new.

Updated Podcasts feed

At the end of May, Spotify released a series of features specifically for podcasts that are meant to act similarly to the service’s music discovery tools.

There is a new Following feed on the home page that puts all the podcasts you follow into a dedicated place that lets you see new episodes and releases from podcast channels. You have to enable a podcast filter on the home page that will display the Following feed as an extended tab that lets you see the latest episodes.

Plus, there is a new podcast recommendations feed that you can access on the Home page.

Spotify is also expected to release a new “In this episode” feature that lets podcast makers link audio (albums, songs, audiobooks, etc.) mentioned in the podcast to other content that is on Spotify.

“Follow-Along” feature for audiobooks

Audiobooks are getting a similar “In this episode” like podcasts. The new “Follow-Along” feature is an expansion of a feature made for Bloomsbury’s 33 1/3 series — a collection of short books about popular albums.

Now the feature is coming to some fiction audiobooks. With the feature, publishers can attach other media, including graphics, photos, and songs that are mentioned in the books. These will appear in the Now Playing section, which can be added to your playlists.

Upcoming releases hub

Spotify isn’t forgetting its music streaming. There is also a new Upcoming Releases hub. This is a new feature in the Search page that will let you view and save soon-to-be-released albums.

The hub will also recommend new releases based on your habits and a ‘Top 10 countdown’ list that will highlight anticipated albums or songs based on the number of global pre-saves.

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