Spotify has rolled out 2 new features in its in app Messages system to make social listening easier and more interactive. The updates introduce listening activity and Request to Jam, allowing users to see what friends are listening to and start shared listening sessions directly from chats on mobile devices.
The additions build on Spotify Messages, which launched in August last year. Since then, nearly 40 million users have sent close to 340 million messages on the platform, according to the company.
With listening activity, users can share the music they are currently playing in real time through Messages. If they are not actively listening, the feature shows their most recently played track. Spotify said the feature is optional and can be turned on through Privacy and social settings.
Listening activity is visible only to friends and family members already connected on Messages. Users can decide who can see their activity or disable the feature at any time. Once enabled, listening activity appears in the Messages side drawer and at the top of individual chats. Users can tap on a contact’s activity to play the track, save it to their library, open the track menu, or react using 1 of 6 preset emojis. Users can also view others’ listening activity even if they have not enabled their own, as long as the other person has opted in.
Along with this, Spotify has introduced Request to Jam, which allows users to start remote Jam sessions directly from Messages. Jam lets multiple users listen together and add songs to a shared queue. Spotify said daily active use of Jam has more than doubled year over year.
Spotify Premium users can send a Jam request using the Jam button in chat. The recipient can accept or decline the invite. If accepted, the recipient becomes the host of the Jam session. Both users can add songs to the shared queue and message each other while listening. Jam invitations expire if they are not accepted within a few minutes.
Spotify said Jam participants can see each other’s display names and receive music recommendations based on combined listening preferences. Users can leave a Jam session at any time. Free users can join a Jam when invited by a Premium user but cannot start a session themselves.
Listening activity and Request to Jam are rolling out on iOS and Android in markets where chats are available. Wider availability is expected by early February. Listening activity is available to all users with chat access, while Request to Jam requires a Premium subscription to start. Both features are limited to users aged 16 and above.
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