Spotify will allow listeners to submit their star ratings of podcasts as part of a new feature rolling out on Thursday that takes a page from Apple’s playbook.
The feature will be available in most Spotify markets globally, except for Russia and Turkey, at launch. Users will only be able to submit a rating after they have listened to at least 30 seconds of the show, and the company has begun encouraging podcast hosts to start adding shout-outs in their shows to encourage listeners to leave ratings on Spotify.
Podcast creators will be able to check their star ratings — ranked from 1 to 5 stars — on their show pages as soon as the show has at least 10 ratings.
The star rating system follows a feature Apple has offered for its apps and podcasts for several years, though with any user-generated rating system, there can be instances of users intentionally targeting a show or app with 1-star ratings for reasons other than the quality of the show or product.
As for now, Spotify’s rating system will stick with the five-star ranking and users will not be allowed to write in reviews, as is the case with Apple’s approach to ratings.
“Once listeners find a new show that looks promising, we want to make sure they have all the information they need to hit play — including a sense of how other listeners have enjoyed it,” Spotify said in a blog post announcing the ratings feature. “By introducing ratings, we’re making it easier for listeners to decide when to try out a new podcast that might be their next favorite.”
