Spotify Introduces Friends’ Listening Activity Feature on Mobile

Since its inception, Spotify has allowed users to peek into their friends’ listening habits, primarily through the desktop app. While the company tested a community feature on mobile back in 2022, it never made it to a full launch. Now, Spotify is officially rolling out Listening Activity on the mobile app.

This feature is opt-in, which is a nice touch. To activate it, head to your privacy settings within the mobile app. You can also select which friends can see your listening activity, so you can keep your old college pals in the loop without revealing your current obsession with Caspar Babypants now that you’re a dad of two.

In the mobile app, you’ll find your friends’ listening choices displayed in the sidebar next to your chats. If something catches your eye, you can easily tap on a song to add it to your library or react with an emoji.

Additionally, Spotify is introducing a Request to Jam feature. Premium users can hit the Jam button in a chat to send a request, and if the recipient accepts, their listening will sync up remotely. This allows both users to queue songs and chat about their reactions. Spotify will even recommend tracks based on your shared musical tastes. Free users can join a jam if invited, but they can’t initiate a request.

Both features are currently rolling out on iOS and Android in regions where messaging is available. However, Spotify is taking a gradual approach to this launch, with plans for it to be “broadly available” by early February.