- Spotify could be preparing to launch its own lyric translation tool, as discovered by a user on Reddit
- The company has been testing the feature for years and will follow Apple Music if it goes ahead with the rollout.
- Subscribers have been asking for it for years, but some are concerned about the accuracy of the translations.
Update: We’ve reached out to Spotify for a quote on the arrival of lyric translations. We received the following statement from a Spotify spokesperson: ‘Rosalía’s album is among the first to include lyric translations in 13 different languages through Spotify’s expanded MusixMatch partnership. With the integration now live in key markets like the US and Spain (starting November 7), listeners around the world can instantly understand their lyrics, bridging the gap between their sound and the global audience.
The original story follows:
Spotify and Apple Music continually compete with each other as two of the best music streaming services. After Apple launched its AutoMix feature, Spotify launched its own audio mixing tool, and now the latter could be preparing to emulate another useful Apple Music feature: lyric translations.
According to a Reddit user (see below), Spotify could soon roll out its own lyric translation feature, following the free Apple Music update that introduced translations in September.
Lyric translations are rolling out in the US from r/truespotify
If Spotify rolls out the feature, US users will likely be the first to get access (the Reddit user above resides in the US). Spotify tends to launch new features initially in limited markets, even if it’s at the expense of subscribers’ patience.
While this is a feature that has been very well received by Apple Music users, there is a question about Spotify’s ability to produce accurate results. At the moment, Spotify uses data company MusixMatch to power its lyrics tool.
This is not the first time that a lyric translation tool has appeared on Spotify. The company is known to have been working on its own version of the feature for a while, dating back to four years ago, when a Reddit user noticed a letter translation button similar to the one above.
Spotify added a “Translate to English” button for non-English lyrics in some r/languagelearning songs
Spotify later addressed the status of lyric translations on its community forum and shared the following in 2023: “Lyrics translation is a feature that is still being tested in select countries. At Spotify, we are always testing new improvements and features to give our users a better experience. That’s why you may have something in the app that other users don’t have or vice versa, or you may have a feature to test temporarily.”
Spotify has not provided any further information about the status of its lyrics translation feature since then. However, if I had to guess, it would make sense for Spotify to wait until 2026 and roll it out once the whole Spotify Wrapped craze is behind us, although, as mentioned, only select users will likely see it initially.
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