Spotify Adds a Direct Messages Feature

Spotify is starting to roll out a new direct messages feature that will allow users to share songs, podcasts, and audiobooks without leaving the app. The new messaging feature will only be available on mobile devices in select markets for people aged 16 years and older, and users will be able to control who can message them.

“It’s easy to start a chat in the app with people you know and have previously shared Spotify content with. You’ll also see suggested people to message based on things like whether you’ve previously shared Spotify content with them, joined Jams, Blends, or collaborative playlists together, or if you share a Family or Duo plan,” the company explained.

Spotify has a different set of social features depending on the platform you use. As an example, the desktop app has a Friend Activity feed where users can see what the people they follow are listening to, but it’s not available on the web or the mobile apps. Messages in Spotify will be mobile-only, and they will only be available for people users have interacted with before through the app.

To send messages to their friends on the platform, Spotify users will need to tap the share icon when listening to a song, podcast, or audiobook, select a friend, and hit send. Conversations can be seen by tapping the profile photo in the top left corner of the app, and users will have the choice to accept or reject message requests from friends and family.

Spotify says that its direct messages are “protected with industry-standard encryption in transit and at rest.” The company will also use detection technology to identify potentially unlawful and harmful content that will be reviewed by human moderators.

While Spotify is about to get a bit more social, the company won’t stop encouraging users to share Spotify content on other social platforms like Instagram and TikTok. “Messages on Spotify are designed to complement these integrations, not replace them, and we’re excited to continue offering more ways to drive hype for the Spotify content you love, wherever you are,” the company said today.