On the subject of the Store version for PC, Zac at WC notes:
Spotify's new Windows 10 app launched just yesterday and is likely going to be one of the more popular apps on the Windows Store for Microsoft. The Spotify app for Windows 10 is using the Centennial Desktop Bridge and is a port of Spotify's already popular desktop app. Unlike other developers, however, Spotify appears to have put a little bit of work into their centennial app to make the transition from the old Spotify app to the new Windows 10 Spotify app painless and straightforward.
If you're a Spotify user, you may have noticed that you didn't need to uninstall the executable version of the app before installing the version from the Windows Store. You may have also noticed that the Spotify from the Windows Store didn't create a secondary install of the app, forcing you to re-login and download your music again. Instead, the Spotify Windows 10 app is smart enough to simply take over an already existing Spotify installation, making the transition incredibly smooth.
Some Centennial apps on the Windows Store will create a secondary install of the same app that you may have already installed via an executable. Obviously, this doesn't make for a great user experience, so it's awesome to see Spotify putting the extra effort into making the installation of the Windows Store version of its app painless and seamless. It's a simple one-click install, and everything from your previous install of the app gets transitioned over to the new app.
...Microsoft's Centennial bridge allows for traditional desktop apps to come to the Windows Store for Windows 10 PCs and tablets. It's an incredible bridge that every Win32 app developer should be taking advantage of, and they should be taking advantage of it right now. We'd like to see more apps in the Windows Store from top developers. We have already got Slack, Office 365, Telegram, Kodi, and Photoshop Elements to name a few. 90 percent of the desktop apps I use are now in the Store, and it makes for a much more seamless user experience. Everything should be in the Store.
But, of course, this doesn't help Windows 10 Mobile and ARM-based devices, since the version above is a converted Win32 application. Instead, as I reported a few months back, in the context of the old Silverlight version of Spotify being put into maintenance mode:
In the meantime, I noted that Spoticast UWP has been updated many times over the last few months - it's a commercial application with just a one day trial, but it's well worth it. From the Store entry for this:
Spoticast is your Spotify universe with videos. Download the app and get the full features (download excluded) for 1 day for FREE !
- Remote Control Spoticast from any browser (even while you play video games on your Xbox One).
- Play videos from the artists you follow and love, movie clips, live, covers etc.
- Access to your Spotify playlists and the Soptify catalog to play the best songs and even better, cast them to a device to share a great time with your friends.
- Cast on TV : Chromecast, DLNA, AirPlay (AppleTV), Miracast, Smart TV, Internet Box, etc.
- Customize the Search Filter (live, acoustic, remix, covers ...)
- 360° videos handled with our application "Video 360"- No subscription : buy it once and enjoy it forever on all your devices !
Here's 'Spoticast for Spotify' in action:
Browsing through the bazillions of tracks and playing away through my Spotify account... (right) The UWP app's hamburger menu, slick and Windows 10-compliant navigation and conventions...
The playback screen, with album art always supplied.
You can try/buy this in the Store here. You get a full day to try the application for free, plus an extra day after each update (to test new features), which is a nice touch. These developers have a growing stable of UWP applications and are well worth supporting with a purchase or two - if you're a Spotify Premium user (i.e. £10 a month) then Spoticast here is a no-brainer - it works so much better than the old 8.1 official application.