Spotify’s awful new logo is thankfully being ditched

Spotify never meant for its shiny new disco ball app icon to stick around, and the company has now confirmed it will retire the icon just weeks after introducing it.

Spotify introduced the emerald-green, mirror-ball-style logo as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations. But despite the initial buzz, it seems the experiment didn’t land well enough to last.

Spotify has now confirmed it will roll back the disco ball icon to the standard Spotify logo next week. This will end what was essentially a short-lived anniversary makeover.

Reactions from users have been mixed to say the least. Some Spotify listeners said they actually liked the change. They argued that the disco ball stood out more on home screens full of flat, glass-style icons on iOS. A few even suggested keeping it as a paid customisation option. Others were less impressed, calling it unnecessary or simply “a disco ball.” We’re firmly in the latter camp on this one.

Android users, meanwhile, were largely unaffected. Spotify reportedly didn’t roll out the icon change on that platform. This means most of the debate stayed confined to iPhone users in the first place.

Alongside the icon experiment, Spotify has also launched a limited-time feature called “Party of the Year(s)”. This gives users a breakdown of their listening habits across the past two decades. The experience mirrors Spotify Wrapped. It offers insights like top artists, favourite tracks, and long-term listening trends in an “Unwrapped-style” format.

It’s not yet clear how long that feature will remain available. However, Spotify’s phrasing suggests it also ties it to the anniversary window, meaning Spotify may remove it around the same time it drops the disco ball icon.

While the branding change might not have stuck, it’s another example of Spotify leaning on novelty features and nostalgia-driven experiences to keep users engaged between major updates. Even if Spotify removes the icon soon, the brief experiment has already done its job by getting people talking, even if only for a few weeks.