Introducing Messages, A New Way To Share What You Love on Spotify with Friends and Family

Recommendations have always been at the heart of the Spotify experience. Friends and family share their favorite music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more from Spotify millions of times each month. That’s because word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways for people to discover their next favorite track. 

Spotify users have told us they want a dedicated space within the app to share songs, podcasts, or audiobooks they’re excited about with friends and family, and an easy way to keep track of recommendations. For artists, authors, and creators, easier sharing means more word-of-mouth recommendations and helps create new fans. Our goal is to give users what they want and make those moments of connection more seamless and streamlined in the Spotify app.

That’s why, beginning this week, Messages will start rolling out to Free and Premium users aged 16 years and older in select markets on mobile devices.

The Spotify content you’re already sharing, now all in one convenient place

Whether you’re sharing a new audiobook with a friend for book club, bonding over your new favorite song, or swapping history podcasts with Dad, the right recommendation can spark a great conversation with those closest to you. Messages are a fast and convenient way to share and chat about what you’re listening to with the people you care about.

Messages also open up new opportunities for artists, authors, and creators—more users can spread the word about an artist’s track or creator’s podcast with their friends and family, helping drive discovery.

Here’s how Messages work

Messages are one-on-one conversations where you can share Spotify content and react with text and emojis. 

• Share Spotify content and start a message in-app with people you’ve interacted with before through Spotify. 
• When listening to a song, podcast, or audiobook in the Now Playing View, tap the share icon, select a friend, and hit send.
• Once you accept a message request, you’ll be able to react with emojis, send texts, and seamlessly share Spotify content back and forth. Access Messages by going to your profile photo in the top left corner. 

Messages are for the conversations you’re already having about music, podcasts and audiobooks with your friends and family. 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.

As always, you should continue sharing Spotify content directly through your favorite platforms like Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, Snapchat, TikTok, and more. 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.

Messages puts you in control of the conversation with the people you care about

With Messages on Spotify, users are always in the driver’s seat. Users have the choice to accept or reject message requests from friends and family. Spotify’s Terms of Use and Platform Rules against illegal and harmful content still apply to Messages, so if something doesn’t feel right, you can easily report that content or account. You can report by holding down on the message in question, selecting “Report,” and choosing how the message violates our Terms of Use and/or Platform Rules. You are also able to block other users and opt out of Messages entirely through Settings. 

To help ensure a secure sharing experience, conversations are protected with industry-standard encryption in transit and at rest. This means your data is protected by encryption when it’s stored and when it’s on the move. In keeping with our platform best practices, Spotify will utilize proactive detection technology to scan messages for certain unlawful and harmful content, and our moderators will review reported content. This two-pronged approach helps us offer a safer environment while respecting user privacy.  

This is just the beginning. We’re excited to continue building and refining the experience for more Spotify users around the globe in the months ahead.