Spotify said it is introducing new social features to its Messages tool, allowing users to see what their contacts are listening to in real time and to quickly start shared listening sessions from within the app.
The streaming company said the additions, called Listening Activity and Request to Jam, extend a messaging feature launched last year that was designed to let users share music, podcasts and audiobooks without leaving Spotify. Since then, almost 40 million people have used Messages to send nearly 340 million messages, a level of engagement the company said shows users are eager to interact around what they are streaming.
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Listening Activity is an opt-in function that displays a user’s currently playing track, or their most recent song if they are not actively listening, within Messages. The feature is limited to contacts already connected through Messages, and Spotify said users remain in control over who can see their activity. Interactions such as starting playback, saving tracks or reacting with emojis are available directly from the activity display.
The Request to Jam feature allows Premium subscribers to invite contacts into live listening sessions, building on Spotify’s Jam function, which has seen daily active usage more than double compared with a year earlier. The company said the update addresses a common challenge of coordinating remote listening by making it easier to see when others are already listening and to join them.
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Once a Jam request is accepted, the recipient hosts the session, with participants able to add tracks to a shared queue, message in real time and receive song suggestions based on combined listening preferences. Invitations expire if not accepted within a short period, and users can leave sessions at any time.
Spotify said both features are rolling out to iOS and Android users in markets where Messages is available, with broader availability expected by early February. The company said the updates are aimed at making shared listening and music discovery more seamless across the platform.
Source: Spotify