Technologies

Spotify Setting Tweaks That’ll Change How You Listen to Music

Volume isn’t the only setting you can adjust on Spotify. Here’s how you can make listening to your favorite playlist even better.

With more than 195 million subscribers, Spotify is arguably one of the most popular music streaming platforms in the world. CNET also ranks Spotify as one of the best music streaming services on the market, and gave it an Editor’s Choice Award.

Spotify lets you listen to music wherever you are, recommends new songs based on your activity and provides fun, personalized streaming data at the end of every year. If you were gifted a Spotify subscription for the holidays, you can also make and share playlists with friends on social media, or with the whole world through the app.

If you feel like something is missing from your listening experience though, Spotify lets you take control of various settings to make your music sound more superb. That way whether you’re in a quiet library, on your morning commute or pumping some iron in the gym, your music will always fit the mood.

Here’s how to crank your Spotify listening experience up to 11 no matter what the situation.

Adjust your base volume to match your environment

Volume is pretty easy to figure out, but did you know Spotify lets premium users adjust the base volume of the app depending on their environment? You can select either Quiet, Normal or Loud, and each has its own benefit.

Quiet will make songs a little quieter and sound cleaner, making it a good choice if you’re relaxing at home. Normal makes songs play at a medium base volume, and the sound is less crisp than Quiet. This is a good choice for most people and situations. Loud is — you guessed it — louder, but you might lose some audio quality because of the loudness. This option is good if you’re at the gym or other similarly noisy environments.

Here’s how to adjust the base volume on your iPhone:

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
3. Tap the Playback option near the top of the menu.
4. Beneath Volume level there are three options: Loud, Normal and Quiet.

If you’re using the Spotify app on a Mac, here’s how to adjust the base volume:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Click the down arrow in the top-right corner.
3. Scroll down until you see Audio Quality.
4. Under Audio Quality, you should see Volume level.
5. Click the drop-down bar to the right of Volume level.
6. From here, you see the same Loud, Normal and Quiet options. Pick whichever one works for you.

Here’s how to adjust the base volume if you’re using the Spotify app on an Android device:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
3. Scroll down to Playback and you should see Volume Level.
4. Next to Volume Level you should see the Loud, Normal and Quiet options. Pick the one you want.

Finally, here’s how to adjust the base volume in Spotify while on a Windows computer:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Click your account name in the top-right corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Under Audio Quality, you should see Volume level. Click the drop-down bar to the right.
5. Select either Loud, Normal or Quiet.

Use the Spotify Equalizer for more control

If you prefer being more hands-on with how your bass and treble come across in each song, you can adjust the in-app equalizer. Adjusting your bass affects lower-frequency sounds, making your music sound deeper with increased bass or flat with less bass. Treble affects the higher sound frequencies, making your music sound brighter and crisper with increased treble, or duller and kind of muddied with less treble.

Here’s how to access the equalizer on your iPhone:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Tap the gear in the top right corner to access Settings.
3. Tap the Playback option.
4. Scroll down the menu and tap Equalizer.

Here’s how to access the equalizer on your Android device:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
3. Under the Audio quality heading — not under Data Saver — tap Equalizer.

This opens the equalizer page on both systems. Here you can find the manual equalizer slider and a handful of premade genre-based equalizers.

You should see the manual equalizer slider that looks like a line graph with six dots. When you first get to this page, the equalizer should be flat.

Each dot on the graph can be adjusted for more or less sound. The far left bar represents your bass, the far right bar controls your treble and the middle bars control — you guessed it — your midrange. You can tweak the bars as you see fit.

There are also genre-based equalizers on this page. You can pick which genre you’re listening to and the app automatically adjusts the sliders to optimize for that style of music. After picking one, you can further adjust the sliders for the perfect listening experience.

If you want to reset the equalizer, there’s a genre-based equalizer called Flat. This will reset the equalizer to its default.

The Mac and Windows versions of Spotify don’t have an in-application equalizer. But you can search for an equalizer application to help you in your journey to find the best sound.

Adjust the quality of your music for a clearer sound

You can also adjust the audio quality of your music. This is handy if you’re using mobile data and don’t want to bump up your phone bill. Reducing the audio quality will use less data.

Here’s how to change the audio quality on mobile and tablet:

1. Open the Spotify app.
2. Tap the gear icon to access Settings.
3. Scroll down until you see the heading Audio Quality — not under Data Saver.
4. Under WiFi streaming and Cellular streaming, you can select Low, Normal, High or Automatic. The Automatic option adjusts the audio quality to whatever your signal strength is. If you’re a paid subscriber you’ll see a fifth option under both WiFi streaming and Cellular streaming called Very high.

How to change the audio quality on your desktop:

1. Open Spotify.
2. Click the down arrow in the top-right corner.
3. Click Settings.
4. Scroll down to Audio Quality.
5. Beneath Audio Quality you should see Streaming quality. Click the drop-down menu to the right.
6. Choose between Low, Normal, High or Automatic options, and the Very high option for paid subscribers.

For more on Spotify, see which Spotify plan is best for you and how Spotify stacks up against Apple Music.

Technologies

Gears of War, Dragon Age and Herdling Coming to Xbox Game Pass in August

Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play Gears of War: Reloaded soon.

Gears of War is one of the most iconic Xbox series, spawning sequels, spinoffs and books. I fell in love with the series almost 20 years ago when the original landed on the Xbox 360. So I can’t wait to play the remastered edition of the game, called Gears of War: Reloaded, when it launches on Xbox Game Pass on Aug. 26.

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, a CNET Editors’ Choice award pick, offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV and PC or mobile device for $20 a month. A subscription gives you access to a large library of games, with new ones, like Doom: The Dark Ages, added monthly, plus other benefits such as online multiplayer and deals on non-Game Pass titles.

Here are the games Microsoft is adding to Game Pass soon. You can also check out other games the company added to the service recently, like Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

Blacksmith Master (game preview)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.

Adventuring in a medieval world can be fun and challenging but it can also be difficult work. If you’d rather run and manage a shop in a medieval setting, give Blacksmith Master a try. You run your own forge and have to manage resource acquisition, production and sale of goods. You’ll build your own forge, craft everything from utensils to weapons and become one of the most skilled craftsmen in the kingdom — all without fighting dragons or other dangerous creatures.

Void/Breaker (PC)

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play now.

You’re trapped by a ruthless AI in an endless loop where you’re forced to fight hostile enemies, die and then repeat. In this roguelite game, each time you die, you’ll face new challenges. Fast gunplay, quick movements and all-out destruction are your friends in this adrenaline-filled adventure. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get out one day.

Goat Simulator Remastered

New for Game Pass Standard subscribers on Aug. 20.

Chaos. That’s the best way to describe this game. You play as a goat and your mission is the total destruction of everything in sight. Can’t stand the look of that car? Run it off the road. Don’t like the town hall’s placement? Demolish it. Want that kid’s ice cream? Eat it. Do what you want in this sandbox-style game where anything is possible.

Game Pass Ultimate subscribers got access to this game in November and Game Pass Standard subscribers can get in on the fun soon, too.

Persona 4 Golden

Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass and Game Pass Standard subscribers can play on Aug. 20.

A string of serial murders set this game in motion, where you’ll travel between the real world and the world within TVs as you try and find out who — or what — is behind the murders. You’ll explore your town and carry on daily activities, as well as travel to the TV World to explore different dungeons and battle monsters in this RPG.

Herdling

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Aug. 21.

Get ready for a grand alpine adventure as you shepherd some giant Calicorns — which look like Appa from Avatar: The Last Airbender — up into a mountain pass. You’ll encounter eerie dangers, puzzles and more on your adventure. And before you ask, yes, you can pet these wonderful creatures.

Gears of War: Reloaded

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Aug. 26.

The iconic Gears series is back with a new, remastered edition of the original game. This game maintains the original story of Marcus Fenix and his squad as they take on the alien Locust hordes and it includes a bonus campaign act, every multiplayer map and mode, plus characters and cosmetics unlocked through progression.

This game is also coming to PlayStation 5 and PC, and thanks to cross-play functionality, you’ll be able to play with and against your friends on those platforms.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers can play on Aug. 28.

Step into the enchanted world of Thedas, a land full of untamed wilderness, glittering cities and strife. A pair of corrupt ancient gods has broken out of their hold and is wreaking havoc across the globe. It’s up to you to gather a team and stop them, but that’s just the main quest. You can also embark on side quests and companion quests that shed light on who they are and how the world is changing around you. Veilguard changes the Dragon Age formula with a more action-oriented approach, though it retains familiar aspects like branching dialog choices and skill trees. So get ready to dive into a wild adventure, make new friends and become a legend.

Games leaving Game Pass on Aug. 31

While Microsoft is adding those games to Game Pass soon, the company is also removing five others from the service on Aug. 31. So you still have some time to finish up your campaign or any side quests before you have to buy these games separately.

Ben 10: Power Trip

Borderlands 3
Paw Patrol Mighty Pups Save Adventure Bay
Sea of Stars
This War of Mine: Final Cut

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, read our hands-on review of the gaming service and learn which Game Pass plan is right for you. You can also check out what to know about upcoming Xbox game price hikes.

Technologies

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Beta Dates Have Been Revealed. Here’s How to Join

There are separate Game Pass subscription and preorder requirements to join the closed and open betas for the next Call of Duty game.

Clear your calendars for early October: The Black Ops 7 beta dates have been revealed on the game’s Xbox store listing, and they’re only a couple months away.

The next Call of Duty game is a collaboration between developers Treyarch and Raven Software, and it takes place after Black Ops 2 in the series’ chronology. While the Black Ops games jump around a confusing timeline, Black Ops 7 is a direct sequel to a 13-year-old game.

The game’s beta will focus on classic Call of Duty multiplayer modes and feature a mix of six-versus-six and 20-versus-20 maps. This larger-scale action is reminiscent of the Battlefield series — a longtime competitor that just finished hosting a successful beta of its own.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Call of Duty Black Ops 7 beta, including key dates and how to join the early access period.

Black Ops 7 closed beta date and requirements

If you want to jump into the Black Ops 7 closed beta and try the game before anyone else, you’ll need to shell out some cash. The early access beta begins on Oct. 2.

While access to the closed beta is limited, it’s still more widely available than previous Call of Duty closed betas. Usually, people who preorder the game get special access to the closed beta — this is still true with Call of Duty Black Ops 7. This time around, though, Microsoft is adding another way to play during the early-access beta period.

If you have an active Game Pass subscription, you’ll also be able to join the Black Ops 7 closed beta. Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass PC and Game Pass Console plans are all valid subscriptions to gain access to the early Black Ops 7 beta.

Game Pass is already the best value gaming subscription plan available, so the Black Ops 7 closed beta access is just another way to sweeten the deal.

Black Ops 7 open beta access

Maybe you don’t want to preorder. Maybe you don’t like gaming subscription services and don’t want to grab Game Pass just for the Black Ops 7 beta. Whatever your reasoning for missing the closed beta may be, you’re not locked out of trying the next Call of Duty game forever.

The Black Ops 7 closed beta rolls directly into the game’s open beta period, during which anyone will be able to try out the new Call of Duty multiplayer experience. Black Ops 7’s open beta begins on Oct. 5. We don’t yet know when the beta period will end, although the minimum duration is two days long, according to the store listing.

The open beta period will allow any interested gamer to try out Black Ops 7 on their console of choice. Call of Duty Black Ops 7 will launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S and PC, and will feature cross-platform gameplay. While no official release date has been revealed, leaks point to a mid-November launch.

If you’re still playing the most recent Call of Duty game, Black Ops 6, check out our guide on how to make the most of the game’s double XP. If you’re looking to pick up the game after a long hiatus, learn how The Armory can help you catch up on the content you’ve missed.