Spotify’s rolling out a new feature giving users a peek into their friends’ real-time listening habits. It’s all about enhancing the social experience on the platform.
Spotify, the leading music streaming platform, has announced a fresh feature that allows users to share and discover what their friends and family are currently listening to in real time. Dubbed “Listening Activity,” this new addition can be accessed through the Messages app, but users must opt in to share their own listening habits.
This latest feature builds on Spotify’s recent efforts to integrate social elements into its platform. Last year, the Swedish company introduced Messages, enabling users to share songs, podcasts, and audiobooks seamlessly. With Listening Activity, users can now see friends’ listening choices, even if those friends have chosen not to share their own activity, provided they have consented to the feature.
To activate Listening Activity, users simply need to navigate to the Privacy and Social Settings section. A quick toggle will enable the feature, making it visible in the chat area of the side menu and at the top of private message threads. This functionality allows users to engage directly with their friends’ music selections—whether it’s adding songs to their own library, starting playback, or using one of six emojis to react.
In a recent blog post, Spotify elaborated on this feature, stating, “Today, we’re building on that experience with two new Messages features: Listening Activity and Request to Jam. Listening Activity gives users a real-time look at what music their friends and family are listening to, while Request to Jam makes it easy to quickly turn those moments into shared listening sessions.”
In addition to Listening Activity, Spotify has launched the Request to Jam feature, which allows Premium subscribers to invite friends or family to join a live listening session through Messages. A simple tap of the Jam button sends an invitation, and once accepted, the host can manage the session while both users contribute to a shared music queue. The service will also suggest tracks tailored to their listening preferences.
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Spotify is rolling out these features gradually in markets where Messages is available, across both Android and iOS devices. This move signifies the company’s ongoing commitment to enhancing user engagement through social connectivity in music consumption.