What to know

  • Spotify made podcast listener numbers public without warning.
  • Many podcast creators were surprised and concerned by the change.
  • Spotify quickly reversed the update and apologized to users.
  • The company says it is working to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Spotify recently made the number of listeners for each podcast publicly visible. This change happened without advance notice to podcast creators. Many creators noticed the new public listener counts and expressed concern about the sudden shift.

After receiving feedback, Spotify reversed the update. The company removed the public display of podcast listener numbers. Spotify issued an apology to creators and users for the confusion and lack of communication.

Spotify stated that the update was unintentional. The company said it values the privacy and trust of its podcast community. Spotify also promised to review its processes to avoid similar mistakes in the future.

Podcast creators and listeners can now use Spotify as before, with listener numbers no longer visible to the public. Spotify has not announced any further changes related to podcast statistics at this time.

Via: The Verge