Spotify is one of those apps that you can ‘install’ on your Chromebook as a Progressive Web App or PWA. And then it turns out that an app that is actually almost equivalent to, for example, its Android counterpart. Spotify on Chromebook as PWA works as follows.
A Progressive Web App or PWA is actually a set of web data that is downloaded and stored together in a folder intended for that purpose. A bit of a local copy of a web page. The advantage of this is that it can also be ‘visited’ if your Chromebook (or Chrome browser) is not connected to the internet. You can still use the normally running app in the browser on the go.
The next time any created or changed documents will be synchronized. This makes it possible, for example, to use Google Docs on your Chromebook just like locally installed software. In fact, that idea formed the basis and the raison d’être of the entire Chromebook. Unfortunately, as far as we are concerned, there are still far too few PWAs. But there are plenty to keep you entertained.
Also read: Do you already know these 10 Spotify tricks?
Spotify web player works everywhere
Literally entertaining in the case of Spotify, the well-known music service that offers streaming audio. As you may know, Spotify has a great web player ready for you, which works in any self-respecting browser. For example, you can still listen to your own music on your work computer by listening to https://open.spotify.com to go with your browser.
Then – if you have an account with Spotify – you can click on login top right of the image. No account? Then it remains with free listening with limited possibilities and sound quality options. In this article we assume a paid subscription to be able to show all features.
Install Spotify as PWA
To start, we’re going to install Spotify as PWA. For this it is important to look closely at the buttons that can be seen at the back of the address bar. Be the first to visit the mentioned webpage with the Chrome browser. You will now see a new button immediately to the left of the share button, in the form of a stylized laptop with a downward pointing arrow. Click on it and in the dialog box that opens on the button to install.
Wait a moment, and you will now see a ‘program window’ with Spotify appear. Basically, that’s a disguised browser window without all the surrounding browser-specific buttons and controls. Much more important: Spotify is now available locally as an ‘app’. You can find it in the standard overview of all your installed apps.
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To see that, tap the circle on the far left of the dock (aka the Shelf in Google jargon). In the opened panel you will see Spotify at the very top, with a blue ball to indicate that it is a new app. It will also be listed among all other apps from now on.
By the way, the app panel has changed for a while and you get to see that immediately after clicking on the circle button. Tip in between: To sort apps by name, for example – easy for the overview – Alt-click (equivalent to the right mouse button in Chrome OS) somewhere between the apps and click on Name in the opened dialog box. You will then find Spotify at – yes – the S.
You can also drag Spotify to the Shelf for extra quick access, if you need it. You can only drag that from the sorted overview and not from the bar with newly installed apps and the like.
Options and operation
Whichever way you choose, Spotify is now faster than ever to launch on your Chromebook. Once the PWA has started, log in to your account using the appropriate button. Leave the option in the login panel Remember me turned on if you don’t want to log in every time and click the button login. Hop: there are all your playlists and other things you ever set up under your account.
It obviously works the same as in the mobile app. At the top left you will find, among other things, the search button with the music categories and so on. Choose an album or playlist and a track; the controls at the bottom allow you to pause, skip, or skip back a track. You can also activate seamless blending here. Little new under the sun for seasoned music service users.
Be sure to take a look at the Settings, you can find this option by clicking on your username at the top right of the screen. Unlike the ‘real’ Spotify app, you only see the option to change the language here. That’s good to remember, things like quality and storage cannot be managed here.
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There are also limitations
That brings us to the only shortcoming of Spotify as a PWA: you can’t download a playlist and save it locally to play without an internet connection. If you do want that, you have to install Spotify (also) from Google Play. With that you get the Android app at home. Once you have downloaded it, you will have many more options available to you.
Log in there with your Premium account and then click on the settings gear at the top right. You can now fine-tune the sound quality, among other things. It is also possible to download playlists and albums again. Logical, because it is the regular Android app with the same possibilities as on a smartphone or tablet. However, you should keep in mind that the storage space of many Chromebooks is not particularly large.
It is therefore better to use the PWA to prevent it from filling up. After all, a Chromebook is primarily intended for online use, so you don’t sit there listening to music on the train.
Are you going to get started with the Android app, and suddenly you have very little free storage space? Be sure to click on the settings gear and scroll down to the heading Storage. click on Delete all downloads to delete ever downloaded and perhaps now forgotten music files. Also click on Delete cache can create breathing space.
If you have a Chromebook with a significantly larger storage capacity (they exist!), you can use the Android app with a little more peace of mind, of course. But the elegance of Spotify as a PWA isn’t that crazy after all!
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