Two of Spotify's most requested features — gapless playback and crossfading — have been added to the streaming service's desktop apps. The lack of gapless playback has been a key criticism for Spotify's detractors, who feel that without the feature it's impossible to truly enjoy some albums. We've given the new version a try and found that while some albums now play through seamlessly, others still have the gaps that we've come to know and hate, so your milage may vary. Crossfading also comes as a welcome addition — it's a polarizing feature amongst music listeners, but having the option is always a benefit.

Besides the two changes to the way you listen to music, Spotify's promising a number of improvements to the app's UI, with faster artist browsing, more intelligently sorted albums and top hits, and the ability to save and restore your now playing queue. There's also an improved social layout, the ability for premium users to hide the song purchasing buttons, and a plethora of other smaller bug fixes. Spotify says that it's begun rolling out the update already, but if you want to try it for yourself now, a preview's available here for Mac and Windows.