Spotify brings album art to life, tests dynamic visualisers in mobile app

You might have noticed something new while checking out the now playing screen on the Spotify mobile app. It appears the music streaming service is testing out dynamic video screensavers and album art on the mobile app.

The feature seems to kick in automatically for songs and albums where the artists have added video thumbnails. Playing supported albums displays the dynamic full-screen artwork in place of the regular artwork behind the playback controls. Tapping the artwork or staying on the now-playing screen beyond a few seconds triggers a full-screen takeover for the visualizer content.

We tested this out in Europe and India and had the same results. Emarosa’s new album ‘Peach Club’ is one of the supported albums. Android Authority reached out to Spotify for comment, but the company did not have anything to add.

As Spotify grows in new territories and markets, it will be increasingly important for the company to differentiate itself. The company has previously dabbled in video content and recently acquired Gimlet Media and Anchor signalling it’s intent to become a dominant player in the podcasting space. Spotify has also doubled down on removing users who use ad blockers on the free tier of the service.

While Spotify is the dominant music streaming platform, Apple Music is making strides in catching up. Meanwhile, Google Play Music struggles to, well, play music. Do you think visualizers and interactive music elements will give Spotify a leg up over the competition? Let us know in the comments section.