Mooddy App Spotify Permission

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Two weeks ago a debate popped up around Spotify’s new EULA, foisted upon its users in the sadly common “either say yes or stop using the service” option. Most of the discussion was around new data that Spotify was asking to access and share with third-parties. Aside from musical taste, it “wants to be able to access the sensor information on your phone so it can determine whether you’re walking, running or standing still. It wants to know your GPS coordinates, grab photos from your phone and look through your contacts too. And it may share that information with its partners, so a whole load of companies could know exactly where you are and what you’re up to.” In a follow up blog post, Spotify’s CEO, Daniel Ek, confirmed that the app wants access location, identity, contacts, and photos, and tried to explain why it asked for that access. For example, access to photos to “to create personalized cover art for a playlist or to change your profile image,” and access location to “use it to help personalize recommendations or to keep you up to date about music trending in your area.”

Settings Apps & Notifications Advanced App Permissions. The above menu is organized by permission type, so you'll see entries like 'Camera,' 'Location,' and 'Microphone.' If you're worried about any of your apps having access to one of these, select the feature from the list. You'll then see all of the apps that can access this information or sensor — just turn off the toggle switch next to any of these. The official YouTube Music experience for TVs. YouTube Music allows you to easily find what you’re looking for and discover new music. Get playlists and recommendations served to you based on your context, tastes, and what’s trending around you. A new music streaming service from YouTube. This is a completely reimagined music service with official releases from your favorite artists.

In the same post, Mr Ek tried to explain that Spotify would access this data only if users give it permission. “Let me be crystal clear here: If you don’t want to share this kind of information, you don’t have to. We will ask for your express permission before accessing any of this data – and we will only use it for specific purposes that will allow you to customize your Spotify experience.”

It seems like Mr Ek is referring only to iPhone users. As of today, Android asks for all permissions when installing an app and doesn’t currently offer users the ability to turn off access to permissions once an app is installed and run for the first time. This ability will only be included with the future Android Marshmallow release which should allow users to “turn off” certain permissions in return for losing access to the feature that requires them. Right now, though, app permissions on Android are an “all or nothing” proposition: either accept them all and install the app, or don’t install the app. Mr Ek’s claim that Spotify’s access depends on user permission is true, but not entirely honest: users must accept all permissions if they want to continue to use Spotify.

The interesting part of the debate was when Markus Persson, creator of Minecraft, discussed these new permissions Mr Ek on Twitter. He raised a point that I think is valid: access to this data is a bit deceptive in that Spotify is providing minimal value (in terms of features) in return for permission to access very sensitive data. Access to all device photos just for the off-chance that a user wants to create their own cover art? How many users currently do that? He called it “feature creep for privacy invasion. I want NONE of those features. I want to stream music.”

Now, it could be that Spotify added features with a genuine wish to delight users. For example, Spotify Running (not yet available on Android… grrr…) accesses the phone’s accelerometer and GPS to determine the runner’s tempo (in steps per minute) and matches the music to the pace. For a runner using Spotify, this is a great feature while non-runners might see the request for GPS access invasive. That said, while GPS access for Running makes sense, other permissions, such as accessing contacts to share playlists, are more in line with what Mr Persson said: minimal benefit in exchange for sensitive, personal data.

Current permissions asked by Spotify on Android do not include GPS or contacts

Interestingly, yesterday Spotify posted an update to the post from two weeks ago that tried to clarify the changes, though, as I read it, it did not back down on any of the permissions and data access requests. In the post, Mr Ek defined two categories of information Spotify collects: “1) information that we must have in order for you to use Spotify; and 2) information that we can use to provide additional features and improved experiences if you choose to share that information.” Mr Ek clarified that the information requested in the second category is under the user’s control, which is, again, not yet true for Android users. That said, it seems that the Android app isn’t asking for access to contacts or GPS data yet, perhaps because the features needing that access haven’t yet been added to the app. It would be extremely interesting to see how many users actually restrict these permissions and how often that restriction is correlated with actual use of the associated feature.

Perhaps the bright point in the entire debate is that users now care enough about permissions to not install an app if too many are requested. In the past, it seemed like users ignored that entire part of the installation phase, just like the almost automatic agreement to any and all T&Cs. App developers, take note: ask for only the permissions you need and, if you are asking for access to sensitive information, make sure the feature justifies the request.

With more than 15 million songs on Spotify, deciding what to listen to can be overwhelming. This list highlights the best Spotify apps for discovering new music, reading album reviews and exploring the social buzz of emerging bands.

What's your favorite app on Spotify right now? Let us know in the comments section below.

1. Fuse

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Best for: Creative playlists The Fuse Spotify app is a perfect resource for curated playlists. With a gorgeous, image-heavy layout, the app is fun to use and very visually appealing. Fuse's 'What We're Listening To' playlist features over 200 tracks and is updated by staff members daily. You probably won't find new songs with this app, but you will enjoy the creative approach Fuse takes when compiling its playlists, such as 'This Niles Rodgers Playlist is Like the History of Disco and Dance,' 'The Daft Punk Samples Playlist' and 'Single Ladies: The Best One-Named Female Singers.'

2. Blue Note

Best for: Perusing classic jazz songs Blue Note is an essential Spotify app for jazz enthusiasts. The app features more than 70 years of music. Its interactive timeline and filters let you customize your browsing selection. 'View' or 'Read More' links bring you to a landing page with historical context and profiles of contributing artists. 'Add as Playlist' and 'Share' buttons make the interactive experience social, too.

3. TuneWiki

Best for: Looking up lyrics Say goodbye to those '[song name] +lyrics' Google searches. The TuneWiki Spotify app generates lyrics for whatever track you're listening to, and then as the music plays, it automatically bolds the current line. The app struggles with more experimental music like Dillon Francis and XXYYXX; since the words are so muddled, it simply says: [Instrumental] (Instrumental) {Instrumental} And I have to admit, I appreciated the creativity in conveying the different sets of instrumentals.

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4. Emerge

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Best for: Tracking social buzz of emerging artists The Emerge Spotify app uses data visualization to track new artists you care about. While most apps on the Internet try to cater to Millennials' notoriously short attention spans, Emerge takes a more long-term approach: It tracks social buzz and Spotify activity of 10 upcoming artists over a six-week period.

5. Pitchfork

Best for: Alternative music discovery Pitchfork's publication is exceptional for finding new music, so it's no surprise that its Spotify app is equally helpful. You can browse album reviews in three ways: an all-inclusive stream, the best new albums, or Pitchfork-made playlists. Each album listed comes with a numerical rating, an 'Add as Playlist' option, and a 'Share Album' option, as well as a full-length, Pitchfork-style album review.

6. Rolling Stone Recommends

Best for: Reading reviews of new releases The Rolling Stone Spotify app works hard in all the right places. The interface is hassle-free and the album and song reviews are hosted directly on Spotify. A large selection of the playlists are curated by top artists, from David Guetta to Tom Petty.

Mashable composite; image via iStockPhoto, iconeer