Spotify Adds Messaging to Boost Social Features in the App

Spotify has introduced a new messaging functionality whereby you can chat with people within the application. Sending links to music and podcasts in Spotify outside the app has been a part of the everyday life of people ordering to listen to the items on WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook, for instance.

Spotify is now seeking to implement that interaction on its own site. In doing so, it not only maintains users within the app but also keeps a record of what was shared, making it easier to revisit songs and podcasts.

How Messaging Works

Spotify messages can initially only be one-on-one. You can begin a talk with a person you are connected with within the application. This is anyone you share a playlist with, or someone you added to a Jam or Blend, or, on a Family or Duet plan. To initiate chat conversations, both have to connect to each other by sending a request, through which the other party has to agree before the discussion.

It is also possible to initiate a chat when links are sent out. When a person posts a Spotify track on platforms such as Snapchat or TikTok, you can tap the link and grant a request to talk with the person. It is also possible to invite friends personally with the help of contacts.

Features In Messaging

The new functionality is reminiscent of the messaging functionality of other social networks. Users are able to send texts, share songs and respond to messages with emojis. The Messages section can be reached by tapping the profile picture, and in this section, one may access all conversations. This demonstrates Spotify’s attempts to increase the degree of interaction on its apps without requiring users to leave and go to another platform.

Issues of Privacy and Safety

Spotify added that the messages are encrypted when storing and, on their way, out. Nevertheless, Spotify chats are not discussed as being encrypted with end-to-end encryption like WhatsApp or Signal, so there can be more privacy concerns.

The firm also undertakes spot checks of messages to ensure that they do not violate the rules of the platforms. Users can report offending messages that they believe may be abusive, and Spotify is guaranteed to audit them against its terms of service.

This can be an issue for privacy maintenance users because they want complete security in their personal discussions. Spotify is striking the safety-social space balance, keeping track of harmful activity but ensuring users still have a social space.

Step toward a more interactive Spotify

The introduction of messaging is part of a larger strategy of Spotify. Spotify CPO and technology officer Gustav Soderstrom stated last month that the Spotify mobile experience would soon be far more interactive. The use of messaging is indisputably included in this transition.

Spotify has gradually introduced more social features, including podcast comments, collaborative playlists, and video-centric feeds. The firm has also not excluded the option of adding comments to music tracks in future. This is a clear step toward becoming not only a music app, but an environment where users communicate with others using the same type of content audio.

The Rollout Plan

Now, Spotify is willing to introduce this messaging feature only to users aged 16 years and above, in a few Latin and South American countries, on the mobile versions. It is also available to both free and premium users.

Spotify is set to roll out the same across the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the EU, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand in the coming weeks. Such a gradual launch implies that Spotify would like to understand how people use the feature before making a globally significant launch.

User Comments

The new feature would receive mixed reactions. Other users might like to have a straightforward means of sharing and talking about music without having to quit the app. Some people have, however, already complained that Spotify is getting too messy. The interface has been described as overwhelming and with too many features heaped onto what was once a basic audio player.

Spotify has also provided the disabling option to those people who do not want to have the feature. Users have the option of disabling messages by selecting Settings > Privacy and social and then toggling the option off. This is to help those who would like a cleaner experience skip the extra notifications or unwanted chats.

The Greater Picture

It is not just convenience that Spotify intends to add messaging. It is an indication of a greater rivalry in the music and social media world. By ensuring its conversations remain within its app, Spotify is more likely to make it a destination where people spend more time as opposed to going elsewhere. This may also assist in building a stronger identity of the community around music and podcasts, and not a streaming service.

On the other hand, this will cause it to lose the favor of users who expect Spotify to remain a company that focuses on music and audio, rather than on social networking. The efficiency of this balance will be better understood when it is rolled out in bigger markets.