India, May 20 -- On May 13, global digital audio streaming service Spotify decided to give its iconic, flat-green app icon a temporary makeover. They swapped the minimalist design for a 3D, shimmering, dark-green disco ball.

The internet absolutely panicked. Because Spotify rolled out the change without a massive warning banner, millions of users woke up, looked at their screens, and were deeply confused. Many users thought their app was broken, updating, or that their phone screen was physically dirty.

Once people realised it was intentional, a wave of hate took over. Users blasted the design as "sterile," "grim," and "too much."

Some tech reviewers even jokingly called the style "discomorphism" and criticised it for looking like a la...