Spotify, after acquiring Heardle in July 2022, has decided to shut down the music guessing game that took inspiration from the popular game Wordle. Heardle, which allowed players to guess a song’s artist and title by listening to its intro, is set to be discontinued on May 5, despite initial plans to keep it free for all players.
The decision to discontinue Heardle is driven by Spotify’s strategic shift towards music discovery, evident in its recent app changes. These updates include introducing TikTok-style discovery feeds, Smart Shuffle, and the AI DJ, which figures out users’ music preferences and personalizes their playlists.
Spotify’s recent app redesign aims to create a seamless music discovery experience for its users. In light of these changes, the focus on Heardle no longer aligns with Spotify‘s core objectives.
Heardle, although popular before its acquisition, saw a decline in usage post-acquisition. While it maintained a loyal user base, Spotify decided to invest its efforts and resources elsewhere to enhance its music discovery features.
Heardle allowed users to guess songs and then listen to the full track on Spotify. However, its usage patterns suggested that it didn’t significantly contribute to Spotify’s music discovery goals. Moreover, the features offered by Heardle began to overlap with other music discovery features integrated into the Spotify app.
While the closure of Heardle may disappoint fans of the game, Spotify’s commitment to improving the overall music discovery experience for its users remains unwavering. The company continues to explore various interactive experiences, such as its AI DJ feature and other integrations.
As Spotify says farewell to Heardle, the company remains dedicated to delivering innovative music and podcast discovery solutions to its users.
