Spotify's beta introduced something new on the left side of the app: an Apps menu and an App Finder. That immediately raises the practical question: what do these Spotify apps actually do, and are they useful yet?
I took a first look through the beta to see how the app system works, how easy it is to add apps, and what kinds of music tools Spotify was testing inside the desktop experience.
Quick Answer
The quick answer is that Spotify's beta apps were easy to add and showed a lot of promise, but they were still early. The App Finder listed around 11 apps, and each one could be added with a simple add button, after which it appeared in the Apps menu on the left side.
The early app lineup focused on music discovery, charts, reviews, recommendations, concerts, lyrics, and social listening. Some apps were simple content feeds, while others connected more directly to your Spotify library or outside services like Facebook.
How Spotify Apps Worked
In the beta version of Spotify, the main change was a new Apps area in the left-hand navigation. Under that, Spotify included an App Finder where available apps could be browsed and added.
Adding an app was straightforward. I clicked the small add button next to each app, and it appeared in the Apps menu. For this first look, I added all of the available apps so I could preview them one by one.
At this stage, the feature felt more like a starting point than a finished ecosystem. The apps were not separate programs outside Spotify. They lived directly inside the Spotify interface and extended what you could do while listening.
Charts and Music Discovery
One of the first apps I opened was Billboard Top Charts. This app brought Billboard chart lists into Spotify, including broader chart categories and genre-specific lists like hip-hop.
The useful part was that these were not just static lists. From inside the app, you could subscribe to a list, share it, or start playing individual songs. That makes sense for Spotify because charts naturally turn into playlists.
For anyone who uses Spotify to keep up with popular music, this kind of app is a good fit. Instead of searching around for chart information somewhere else, the chart becomes something you can immediately listen to.
News and Reviews
Several of the early apps were focused more on reading than listening. Fuse appeared to be a music news app. The Guardian looked like it brought in critic reviews around specific songs, albums, or bands.
Pitchfork and Rolling Stone were also part of the early set. Rolling Stone showed recommended albums and songs connected to the magazine's music coverage.
These apps matter because they turn Spotify into more than a search box and a playlist manager. If you are already listening to music, it is useful to have reviews, recommendations, and music writing close by.
Last.fm and Listening History
Last.fm was another interesting app in the beta. It showed recommended albums, recent tracks, and what had been played over the last few months.
That kind of listening-history view is useful because it gives Spotify more memory. Instead of only thinking about what you want to play right now, apps like Last.fm can help surface patterns in what you have already been listening to.
For music discovery, that can be more helpful than a generic recommendation list. Your own listening habits are often the best starting point.
Mood, Lyrics, and Social Listening
Mood Agent was built around creating playlists based on the type of mood you are in. That is a practical idea because many people do not start with a specific artist or album. They start with what they are doing or how they want the music to feel.
TuneWiki looked like a lyrics-focused app. Lyrics inside Spotify make sense because it keeps the listening experience in one place instead of forcing you to search the web while a song is playing.
Soundrop appeared to be aimed at social listening. It asked for a Facebook login, and the idea seemed to be that people could listen together or share a listening room around the same music.
Concert Discovery
Songkick was one of the more practical apps in the beta. After signing up, it scanned my playlists and library to track artists and find concerts related to the music I already listen to.
That is the kind of app integration that feels especially useful. If Spotify already knows the artists in your library, it makes sense to use that information to show nearby concerts or upcoming shows from those artists.
In my quick test, it surfaced artists from my library and showed concert-related information. That made the app feel more connected to my actual music collection than some of the simpler news or review feeds.
My First Impression
My first impression was that Spotify Apps had a lot of potential. The early apps were not all equally polished, and some were clearly just simple content integrations, but the overall idea made sense.
The biggest strength was convenience. Charts, reviews, recommendations, lyrics, concerts, and social listening all belong near the music player. Putting them inside Spotify reduced the need to jump between different websites and services.
This was still a beta, so I would not judge it like a finished product. But as a direction for Spotify, I was glad to see them testing it. It opened the door for Spotify to become a richer music hub instead of only a place to search and play tracks.
Key Takeaways
- Spotify's beta added a new Apps menu and App Finder in the left-hand navigation.
- Apps could be added with a simple add button and then appeared directly inside Spotify.
- The early app list included charts, music news, critic reviews, recommendations, lyrics, concerts, and social listening.
- Billboard Top Charts made chart lists playable and shareable inside Spotify.
- Songkick was one of the most practical apps because it scanned the Spotify library for artists and surfaced concert information.
- The feature still felt early, but it showed real potential for making Spotify a broader music discovery and listening hub.
Watch the Video
The video above above for the full walkthrough of the Spotify beta interface, including the App Finder and quick previews of the early apps available inside Spotify.
