Spotify starts testing voice ads on Android and iOS devices

Spotify has decided to be more aggressive with its ads and announced over the weekend that it will launch voice-enabled advertisements. They are meant to encourage customers to use verbal commands to take action on the ad’s content available through Spotify.

TechCrunch reports the audio ads will initially redirect listeners to a branded Spotify playlist or a podcast. These voice ads will only be available to a limited number of Spotify’s free mobile listeners on both Android and iOS platforms, but they required users to have voice controls enabled.

The good news is Spotify users can opt out of voice ads in the Settings menu by turning off the Voice-Enabled Ads option. Moreover, the app will also allow users to completely disable microphone access via the mobile device’s Settings.

The voice ads will enable Spotify users to check out the content advertised by saying “Play Now.” If the user doesn’t say the voice command within the required amount of time or says something else, the mic will be turned off and the ad break will continue.

The voice ads test is live in the United States for free users of the Spotify app and uses the company’s built-in house technology. It doesn’t have a pricing model yet since it’s too early at this time.