Spotify has announced that its podcast hosting platforms, Spotify for Creators and Megaphone, will adopt Apple’s HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) technology for video podcasts.
This will make it easier for video
podcasts hosted on Spotify’s platforms to also work on Apple Podcasts.
Apple had introduced support for HLS video podcasts earlier this year with iOS 26.4.
Spotify has also changed its Premium subscription pricing in India. The company has reduced the price of some subscription plans and removed the Lite tier from its lineup.
HLS, or HTTP Live Streaming, is a video streaming technology created by Apple. It helps videos stream more smoothly on devices with changing internet speeds, especially smartphones.
Instead of loading an entire video at once, HLS divides videos into smaller parts. This allows the video quality to automatically adjust based on internet speed.
For podcasts, HLS also allows users to switch between video playback and audio-only mode. This can help save mobile data or continue playback when the phone screen is locked.
The technology also supports offline downloads and dynamic ad insertion, where ads can be changed automatically during playback.
Spotify said regular RSS audio podcast feeds will continue to work for platforms that do not support HLS video streaming.
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is the traditional open system used for podcast distribution.
Spotify has also made major changes to its Premium subscription pricing in India. Earlier, the company had introduced Standard, Lite, and Platinum subscription tiers.
Under the new changes, Spotify has effectively merged the Lite and Standard plans.
Previously, the Rs 139 Lite plan offered limited features such as lower audio quality and no offline downloads.
Spotify has now reduced the price of the Standard plan from Rs 199 to Rs 139 and discontinued the Lite tier completely.
Users paying Rs 139 will now get the full Premium experience, including offline downloads and 320kbps audio streaming quality.
Spotify has also reduced the price of its Student plan to Rs 69 from Rs 99, while the Premium Platinum plan continues to cost Rs 299 per month.
