As expected, Spotify has today announced a new music streaming service for Android and iOS that won’t cost you a penny to enjoy. It’s not traditional Spotify streaming as you know it, though; the new “Shuffle” feature lets you pick an album or artist then delivers tracks in a random order.

“We don’t want to make another radio type service,” said Spotify CEO Daniel Ek, following rumors that the service would be another Pandora or iTunes Radio clone. “We want to make something that’s really great — that really fits into people’s lives.”

The service is ad-supported — which is why you don’t have to pay for it, but Ek believes that Spotify has created “the best free music experience in the history of the smartphone.”

“The more you play, the more likely you are to play,” he added.

Until today, the only way to enjoy Spotify on your smartphone or tablet was with a premium subscription priced at $9.99 a month. Shuffle changes that, and all you have to do is listen to a few ads. That shouldn’t be too difficult, should it?

Spotify’s new apps are available starting today. They’re essentially the same as the old apps, only there’s a new “Shuffle” button that appears inside artist and album pages for free users.

• ViaThe Verge