Don’t be sad that it’s over, be happy that it happened. Yes, Spotify has dropped the (disco) ball, changing the divisive app icon back to the old classic one on iOS and some users will be happy, while a small number will be devastated.
The music streamer quietly reverted back to the original app icon on Thursday, and indications were that the disco ball was only ever meant to be a temporary thing to draw attention to Spotify’s 20th anniversary celebrations and the related “Wrapped”-like nostalgic content for users such as the date they joined, how many total songs they have listened to, the first songs they listened to — “Bedside Table” by Adem in case you were wondering how awesome this THR writer’s opening salvo was — as well as their most streamed artist and songs (as a playlist, naturally).
Despite its impermanence, the disco ball elicited quite a bit of hate on social media, and Spotify was moved to explain that it was all temporary in a reply to a viral Pop Crave tweet. “Alright, we know glitter is not for everyone. Our temp glow up ends soon. Your regularly scheduled Spotify icon returns next week,” the company tweeted on May 17.
However, the change didn’t come until almost a month later, suggesting this was either expert trolling by the company or, more likely, some kind of tech snafu with changing things back to normal. On Thursday, some tech websites speculated that the change took so long due to a larger update needed for Spotify’s iOS app.
Still social media rage is still engagement of sorts, and the company no doubt raised awareness of its 20th anniversary. And like with the annual “Wrapped” push, the personalized, shareable content about user listening habits has proven popular for those who looked past the glitter.
