Spotify Icons and Symbols: What Do They Mean?

Spotify's user interface has undergone several changes in recent years, leaving many fans of the music streaming service unhappy. To help ease the pain, we've created a detailed guide to help you understand the meaning behind all the icons and symbols you'll find in the Spotify app.

Home Tab

The home tab is the first screen you see when you open the app. Here's what each icon and symbol means:

• Lightning Icon or “What's New”: This replaces the notification option and shows you all new songs and albums from artists you're following.
• Clock with Dots Icon: This shows your listening history.
• Cog Icon: This is where you can change your app settings. You can also easily block videos on Spotify in the Settings page.

Song Screen (When You Play a Song)

When you play a song, this is the screen where you can interact with the song and do more. Here's what each icon means:

• Plus Icon: Replaces the heart icon and allows you to add the song to your Liked Songs playlist.
• Three Arrows Icons: The arrow pointing backward starts the song from the beginning or plays the previous song. The arrow inside a circle is the play and pause button. The arrow pointing forward plays the next song.
• Criss-Cross Arrow: This is the shuffle icon. When enabled, Spotify will play a random song from the playlist.
• Rectangle Arrow (With 1 in the Middle): This is the repeat icon. Tap once to repeat the entire playlist or tap again to repeat the current song.
• Half Screen with Remote Icon: This is the Spotify Jam icon, where you can start a jamming session with friends and listen to songs or podcasts together.
• Box with Arrow: This is the share icon, allowing you to copy a link to the song or share it with messaging and social media apps.
• Parallel Lines: This is the queue icon, where you can see the current song playing and choose the next songs from the playlist.
• E Icon: This indicates explicit content in the lyrics of the song.

Search Tab

This is where you can search for songs, albums, artists, and podcasts. Here's what one of the icons means:

• Camera Icon: Allows you to create a unique barcode with an album cover, which other users can scan to load the song or playlist shared.

Your Library Tab

In this tab, you'll find your saved and created music playlists, subscribed podcasts, and liked songs and episodes. Here are some icons you'll see:

• Magnifying Glass: This is the search icon, allowing you to search for specific songs, lyrics, podcasts, and more.
• Plus Symbol: Tap to create a new playlist or invite friends to add songs to the same playlist.
• Up-Down Arrow: This is the sort icon, allowing you to sort playlists by most recent, alphabetically, recently added, and creator.
• Pin Icon: This bookmark icon displays your favorite playlists at the top for easy access.
• Four Squares: This icon changes the view from list to grid and back.

Podcasts List Page

Spotify also offers podcasts, and the icons and symbols here are slightly different. Here's what you'll find:

• Plus Inside Circle: Saves the podcast episode to your episode playlist.
• Down Arrow Inside Circle: Downloads the podcast episode for offline listening.

Podcast Player

Similar to the music player screen, there is a podcast player screen for listening to podcast episodes. Here are some icons you'll encounter:

• Number X: Indicates the current podcast speed.
• Number with Back/Front Round Arrow: Allows you to rewind or fast forward the podcast.
• Clock Icon: Sets a sleep timer for the podcast.

Lock Screen

You can also access the music or podcast player from the lock screen. Here's what one of the icons means:

• Triangle With Three Circles: This AirPlay icon allows you to connect Spotify with nearby Apple devices for listening.

Conclusion

Spotify is filled with various icons and symbols, and understanding their meanings can be a challenge. Hopefully, this guide has helped clear up any confusion you may have had. Whether you're a new user or a long-time Spotify enthusiast, knowing what each icon and symbol represents will enhance your overall experience.