Spotify modifies its free plan in India

For free users in India, Spotify has announced limitations on capabilities including the ability to replay songs, pick particular song portions, or play songs in a particular order. The action attempted to standardize the market environment and encourage users to choose paid memberships. Better recommendations will be provided to Free users via "Smart Shuffle." 

Another benefit that free Spotify users in India will lose is the ability to click backward on a song. The music streaming giant will let users only forward on a song. 

However, there will be no limit to the number of hours users can stream music on the platform. This comes at a time when Spotify's rival Gaana, among others, have switched to only paid subscriptions over the past year. Earlier in July, Spotify's paid subscribers base hit a new high at 220 million. The Swedish music streaming giant said it touched 551 million monthly active users (MAUs) and 220 million paid users, during its second quarter (Q2) earnings call. 

According to the music streaming giant, all regions outperformed and saw higher MAU additions compared to the prior year period, driven by improved retention and marketing efficiencies. 

Spotify announced a hike in its prices in the US and several other markets globally in July. Similar price hikes were done by music streaming services Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube Music Premium.