Spotify’s shaking things up again, rolling out real-time listening features that let users share their music vibes with friends.
Spotify has launched a new feature that allows mobile users to share their current music streams in real time with friends. This update is designed to enhance social interaction within the iOS and Android apps, making music discovery a more communal experience. Users now have the ability to control privacy settings, determining who can see their listening activity.
Over the years, Spotify has evolved beyond a simple music streaming service, steadily introducing features that encourage social sharing. The latest update includes two key components: “Listening Activity” and “Request to Jam.” These additions allow users to see what their friends are listening to while also facilitating a more interactive music experience.
The Listening Activity feature is opt-in, meaning users can choose to share their current songs with friends via the Messages app. If a user isn’t actively listening, the system will show the last song they enjoyed. Only friends and family members already connected through Messages will have visibility into this activity, ensuring a level of privacy.
Interestingly, even if you decide not to share your own listening activity, you can still view what your friends are enjoying. To manage these settings, users can navigate to the Privacy and Social settings through the app’s side drawer. This allows for easy toggling of the feature, which can be switched off at any time.
In addition to Listening Activity, Spotify is introducing the Request to Jam feature, which aims to turn individual musical moments into shared experiences. Users can invite friends or family to join a live listening session directly through Messages. When someone is already listening, others will see a prompt allowing them to join in. This new feature also enables conversations about the music being played, fostering a synced listening experience.
For Spotify Premium users, starting a Jam session is straightforward. You simply open a chat in Messages, tap the Jam button, and send out a request. Friends or family can then choose to accept or decline the invitation, and if they accept, they become the host of the session, further enhancing the social aspect of music enjoyment on the platform.
The rollout of these features is currently underway in markets that support Messages, available for both iOS and Android users. The changes are particularly aimed at users aged 16 and up, emphasizing Spotify’s commitment to creating a more connected listening environment.
