Spotify lyrics are back for free users

Spotify users who don’t pay for a subscription can once again see lyrics for any song they listen to on the service. Back in May, the company began a wider rollout of a test that it initiated last fall, requiring a paid subscription to see lyrics to any track. Free users could still follow along with the words, but only for three songs a month. Now, Spotify is removing the restriction so free users can see all the lyrics they need to with no cap on viewing them.

“At Spotify, we’re always testing and iterating. This means availability of our features can vary across tiers and between markets and devices,” a Spotify spokesperson told Engadget. “Over the coming weeks, we’ll be expanding Lyrics availability for Spotify Free users so more people can enjoy viewing more lyrics, globally.”

As you might expect, the initial move to cap access to lyrics for free users drew backlash earlier this year. Perhaps Spotify thought doing so was a way to push people to its revised subscription tiers that start at $11 a month for music streaming. CEO Daniel Ek explained during the company’s most recent earnings call this month that plans were in motion to improve what’s offered to free users. It seems that list of updates included bringing back full access to lyrics.

“We are prioritizing enhancements in our free product pipeline that based on existing performance in certain markets,” Ek said on the call. “Further additional improvements will be integrated into our free experience in the coming months.”