On mobile, it gets a bit more restrictive. Using an iPhone or Android device, you’ll still have access to the Spotify catalog, but you’re forced to listen to everything in Shuffle mode.
However, if you’re on an iPad or Android tablet, you’ll enjoy the same on-demand access to music as on desktop. Of course, it still has ads, but you’ll be able to listen to any playlist or album without shuffling.
That means you can’t listen to an album straight through. However, some select Spotify playlists let you choose songs on-demand.
Using Spotify Free, you must be online to listen to music. This means no listening in airplane mode to save data, though Spotify Free does have a Data Saver mode.
Spotify Free has a few other small restrictions on mobile. You can’t follow friends, access Spotify Radio, add local files, or watch videos. You’re also limited to six skips per hour when shuffling.