Spotify brings its desktop-only friend listening feature to mobile apps starting today, ending years of mobile limitations for the social music feature.
The Listening Activity feature, available on desktop since Spotify's early days, now appears in mobile app sidebars alongside messages. Users can view friends' current or recently played tracks, tap to listen, add to libraries, or react with emoji.
Listening Activity remains opt-in, requiring users to enable it in privacy settings under "Privacy and social." Private sessions temporarily hide activity from followers for six hours before automatically ending.
Spotify simultaneously launches Request to Jam, allowing Premium users to invite friends to synchronized listening sessions through chat. If accepted, both participants can queue songs while chatting, with Spotify suggesting tracks based on shared tastes.
Free users can join Jam sessions when invited by Premium subscribers but cannot initiate requests. Pending Jam invitations expire after a few minutes if not accepted.
Both features roll out immediately to iOS and Android users in markets with Spotify Messages access. The company expects broad availability across these markets by early February.
Spotify Messages, which launched in August last year, will expand to support group chats in select markets soon according to company communications. The platform continues building social features to compete with Apple Music's SharePlay and other streaming services' collaborative tools.
The mobile Listening Activity launch follows a 2022 community feature experiment that never officially released. Spotify now delivers the long-requested mobile functionality as streaming services increasingly emphasize social discovery and shared listening experiences.
