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Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a rare day when you find a popular app and realize it has Android-specific features that don\u2019t, or even can\u2019t, exist on iOS. Most apps and services aim for feature parity between the two platforms, and when they don\u2019t, it\u2019s often iPhones that win, not Android phones \u2014 sadly.<\/p>\n
But that\u2019s not the case with one particular Spotify feature that only exists on Android because it could technically only exist on Android: App shortcuts. I\u2019m specifically talking about the ability to make unlimited home screen app shortcuts for any Spotify artist or album. Let me walk you through it.<\/p>\n
Do you use App Shortcuts on Android?<\/p>\n
65 votes<\/p>\n
Yes, I have many of these!<\/p>\n
45%<\/p>\n
Wait, what exactly are App Shortcuts?<\/p>\n
34%<\/p>\n
No, I have no need for them.<\/p>\n
22%<\/p>\n
Create home screen shortcuts for your artists and playlists<\/p>\n
This is my favorite little-known Spotify trick<\/a>. If you\u2019re obsessed with an artist or a playlist and want to open their page immediately, without first opening Spotify or relying on an algorithm-based widget that may or may not show you what you want, then creating specific shortcuts is the way to go. To do this, follow these steps:<\/p>\n First, go to the artist or playlist you want to create a shortcut for inside the Spotify app. The video above shows the process in detail. However, I recorded it when adding albums was also supported, but that doesn\u2019t seem to be the case now with the latest Spotify app version \u2014 only artists and playlists offer shortcuts. Additionally, Spotify used to show this as \u201cAdd to home screen\u201d in the options menu of whatever you were listening to inside the app, but not anymore. You have to know about the play once > trigger an App Shortcut trick to make all of these standalone icons. It\u2019s a step back, sure, but I\u2019m glad there\u2019s a workaround. I don\u2019t ever want to go back to the dreaded favorites widget.<\/p>\n Bypass Spotify’s algorithmic widget, crowded home screen, and confusing Library. Just open the music you want.<\/p>\n Now, each time I\u2019m obsessing over a new artist or playlist, I just add it to my home screen. That way, I can bypass Spotify\u2019s busy algorithmic home page, the capricious favorites widget, and the confusing Library that mixes everything before I filter. Instead, one tap and I can start playing what I want.<\/p>\n As a bonus, if you\u2019re on Android 16 QPR2 and you enable the Themed icons option<\/a>, these shortcuts will automatically follow the color and shape that you choose for the rest of your home screen. It all looks very\u2026 film negative-like.<\/p>\n So why Android and not iOS?<\/p>\n Rita El Khoury \/ Android Authority<\/p>\n Spotify is using Android\u2019s App Shortcuts API<\/a> to achieve this. Apple offers a similar Home Screen Quick Actions<\/a> feature for iOS, and the Spotify app uses that too on the iPhone and iPad, but Apple\u2019s implementation doesn\u2019t bring the custom artist or playlist art, nor does it let you break an action into its own icon. Google does. Because of this, it\u2019s easy to create a bunch of custom and easily recognizable icons for your go-to music on Android, whereas the Spotify app on iOS will only surface the last two or three recently played playlists or artists with a nondescript arrow next to them.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve tried to tinker a bit to see if I can recreate these with the Shortcuts app on iOS, and I think you can\u2026 if you\u2019re patient enough. You\u2019ll have to share the playlist or artist to get their link, make a new Shortcut that points to that link, try to manually apply an icon that makes sense (iOS doesn\u2019t automatically extract it like Android does), and then add a home screen icon for that shortcut. It\u2019s not as easy and not as seamless as it is on Android.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t want to miss the best from Android Authority?<\/p>\n
\nStart playing anything from them; the first song works if you don\u2019t want to overthink it. Just remember it\u2019s crucial to start playing something directly from the artist or playlist page.
\nGet out of the Spotify app and go to your home screen (or app drawer).
\nTap and hold on the Spotify icon, and you\u2019ll see a new item under Search with the specific music you just played, i.e., the name of your artist or playlist. This is the App Shortcut.
\nDrag this shortcut to your home screen.
\nRepeat this as often as you want to make as many icons as you need for your favorite music.<\/p>\n![\"spotify](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/spotify-android-app-home-screen-shortcuts-1.jpg\"\/ "\\"spotify")
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