Spotify has announced new social features that allow users to see what their friends are listening to in real time and interact directly within the app. The update is part of the company’s efforts to keep users sharing music without leaving the platform.
The new features are built into Spotify’s Messages tool, which was launched in August 2025. Users can now view friends’ listening activity at the top of message chats once the “listening activity” option is enabled in the app’s privacy settings.
When a friend is actively streaming a track, users can tap the activity to play the song, save it, open additional options, or react with an emoji. Spotify says this is designed to make music discovery more immediate and interactive.
Premium users can also send requests to start a Jam, Spotify’s collaborative listening feature. If the invitation is accepted, both users can add songs to a shared queue and listen together, while free users can join Jams when invited by a Premium subscriber.
The features are rolling out on iOS and Android in markets where Messages is available and are expected to be widely accessible by early February. Listening Activity is available to all eligible users, but Messages and its features are limited to users aged 16 and over.
Spotify says the changes reflect a broader push to increase engagement and retention by keeping conversations and shared listening experiences inside the app, rather than on external social platforms.
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