# Spotify: Music and Podcasts reviews: what users love, hate and want

> Loved for its catalog, but ad overload and loading failures are driving users away.

- App: Spotify: Music and Podcasts by Spotify (Music, iOS)
- App Store page: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spotify-music-and-podcasts/id324684580?uo=4
- Source: Apple App Store, United States store. The 50 most recent public reviews, written Oct 30, 2026.
- Satisfaction score: 70/100 (how happy recent reviewers are; 0 = unhappy, 100 = delighted)
- Recent average: 4.1 stars. 18% of these reviews gave 1 or 2 stars.
- App Store rating: 4.8 stars from 42,875,943 ratings
- First published: 2026-11-01. Last updated: 2026-11-01.
- Canonical page: https://synthiya.ai/r/spotify-music-and-podcasts

## What users love

1. **Huge music selection covers every taste** (6 mentions). Quote: "the selection of music to choose from is never ending"
2. **Recommendations feel like they know you** (2 mentions). Quote: "it knows what I like and what I want to hear"
3. **Easy, user-friendly interface** (3 mentions). Quote: "way better UI"

## What users hate

1. **Too many ads, especially on free tier** (10 mentions). Quote: "ads are killing me"
2. **App won't load, crashes, or freezes** (5 mentions). Quote: "it just WILL NOT LOAD"
3. **Feels nearly useless without Premium** (2 mentions). Quote: "Almost useless without premium"
4. **Shuffle keeps repeating the same songs** (1 mention). Quote: "stop shuffling the same songs over and over"
5. **Hand-picked song choice is time-limited** (1 mention). Quote: "won't let me choose my music by hand after a short amount of time"

## What users want

1. **Ad-free option without paying Premium** (3 mentions). Quote: "Can I have no add"
2. **Show queue length; don't reset on tap** (1 mention). Quote: "Letting us check how long our queue is would be great"
3. **Unlimited hand-selected song choice** (1 mention). Quote: "please change it back to unlimited"
4. **Add Hazbin Hotel content** (1 mention). Quote: "WE NEED TO HAVE HAZBIN HOTEL"

## Why people say they are leaving

- Deleting account after an unexpected subscription charge
- Switching to Apple Music because the app won't open properly
- Uninstalling and reinstalling repeatedly because playback freezes

## What to fix first

Make the free tier far lighter on ads and fix launch and freeze bugs, starting with the iOS update regression.

## Opportunity for a competitor

A free, lightly-ad-supported player with reliable launch, offline play, and strong recommendations could win users frustrated by ads and crashes.

## Rating by app version

| Version | Average stars | Reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 9.1.94 | 4.12 | 50 |

## Quick answers

### What do users like most about Spotify?

Users like “Huge music selection covers every taste” the most. 6 reviews mention it. They also praise “Recommendations feel like they know you” and “Easy, user-friendly interface”.

### What are the biggest complaints about Spotify?

The top complaint is “Too many ads, especially on free tier”. 10 reviews mention it. Users also complain about “App won't load, crashes, or freezes” and “Feels nearly useless without Premium”. Of the 50 reviews we read, 18% gave 1 or 2 stars.

### What features do Spotify users want?

The top request is “Ad-free option without paying Premium”. 3 reviews mention it. Users also ask for “Show queue length; don't reset on tap” and “Unlimited hand-selected song choice”.

### Why do people stop using Spotify?

The main reason people give is “Deleting account after an unexpected subscription charge”. Others point to “Switching to Apple Music because the app won't open properly” and “Uninstalling and reinstalling repeatedly because playback freezes”.

### Is Spotify worth it, according to reviews?

Mostly yes. Recent reviews give it 4.1 stars on average, and it scores 70 out of 100 for satisfaction. Its overall App Store rating is 4.8 stars from 42,875,943 ratings.

### What should Spotify fix first?

Based on the reviews, our teardown says: Make the free tier far lighter on ads and fix launch and freeze bugs, starting with the iOS update regression.

## About this teardown

Synthiya read the 50 newest public reviews of Spotify: Music and Podcasts on the App Store in the United States and summed up what people say. Each point comes with a real quote. Mention counts are estimates. How we make teardowns: https://synthiya.ai/methodology

Cite as: Synthiya. “Spotify: Music and Podcasts reviews: what users love, hate and want.” Updated Nov 1, 2026. https://synthiya.ai/r/spotify-music-and-podcasts