Spotify is changing its developer mode API to require premium accounts, and limit trial users

Spotify is changing how its APIs work in developer mode, its layer that lets developers test their third-party apps using the audio platform’s APIs. Changes include a mandatory privileged account, fewer test users, and a limited number of API endpoints.

The company first launched developer mode in 2021 to allow developers to test their apps with up to 25 users. Spotify is now limiting each app to just five users and requiring developers to get a Premium subscription. If developers need to make their apps available to a broader user base, they will have to apply for an expanded quota.

Spotify says these changes are aimed at reducing risky use with the help of artificial intelligence or automated use. “Over time, advances in automation and artificial intelligence have radically changed the usage patterns and risk profile of developer access, and at Spotify’s current scale, these risks now require more structured controls,” the company said in a blog post.

The company notes that development mode is for individuals to learn and experiment.

“For individual developers and hobbyists, this update means that Spotify will continue to support personal experiments and projects, but within more clearly defined limits. Development Mode provides a protected environment for learning and experimentation,” the company said. It is intentionally limited and should not be relied upon as a basis for building or expanding a business on Spotify.”

The company is also deprecating several application programming interface (API) endpoints, including the ability to pull information such as new album releases, an artist’s top tracks, and markets where a track may be available. Developers will no longer be able to perform actions such as requesting track metadata in bulk or obtaining user profile details for others, nor will they be able to pull album record label information, artist follower details, and artist popularity.

The decision is the latest in a series of actions Spotify has taken over the past two years to limit how much developers can do with its APIs. In November 2024, the company cut off access to certain application programming interface (API) endpoints that could reveal users’ listening patterns, including songs repeatedly repeated by different groups. This move also prevented developers from accessing the structure, rhythm, and properties of the tracks.

In March 2025, the company changed its baseline for expanded quotas, requiring developers to have a legally registered business, 250,000 monthly active users, be available in Spotify’s major markets, and operate an active, live service. Both moves angered developers, who accused the platform of stifling innovation and only supporting large companies rather than individual developers.