Spotify For Windows Phone 8 Exits Beta With Scrubbing And Boosted Offline Play

Spotify for Windows Phone has finally exited beta, with a new version hitting the Marketplace complete with track scrubbing, better offline playlist support, and more. The new app, revealed by Microsoft's Joe Belfiore earlier today, finally replaces the long-running beta program begun back in February, though faces competition from free services like Nokia Music on Lumia Windows Phones.

Among the changes in the new version is the ability to scrub tracks, and multiple new languages: in fact, there are now 19 supported. There's still the ability to set up offline playlists – synchronizing tracks to your phone's onboard storage, for times when you don't have a data connection – but it's supposedly more stable now.

Otherwise, it's Spotify as we already know it. Playlists are shared between devices using the same account, and there's instant synchronization to keep them updated as you edit them. It's also possible to share tracks socially, with an inbox to receive music from friends that they believe you'll enjoy.

Spotify remains one of the better known on-demand music services, though it has a few key rivals on the Windows Phone platform. Nokia Music, for instance, offers subscription-free streaming of multiple playlists direct to Lumia handsets, though does require a monthly payment for on-demand access to the catalog.

Meanwhile, Xbox Music is Microsoft's own alternative, available across Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone, as well as – from last week – the web. However, it still currently lacks an Android or iOS app, something Microsoft has said before is in the pipeline.

That given, Spotify is still probably the best option if you use multiple platforms (or, indeed, want integration with a Sonos system or similar). You'll need a premium account in order to use it on Windows Phone (or any mobile device) beyond the trial period.