Spotify Rolls Out Real-Time Listening Activity and Jam Requests to Mobile Chats

Spotify has announced new updates for its in-app messaging, introducing real-time listening activity and the ability to request joining a ‘Jam’ directly from a chat.

The platform is strengthening its messaging section, which has seen nearly 40 million users share close to 340 million songs since its launch last year.

Mobile users can now see what their friends are listening to in real-time, a popular feature that has been available on the desktop version for years. In addition, they can now request to join a Jam, a feature for listening to music simultaneously, according to a company blog post.

Both updates are now available on iOS and Android devices with messaging enabled. Listening activity is available for all users with access to messages, while users of the free version can join a Jam hosted by a Premium subscriber.

The company noted that since both features are part of its messaging service, they are available to users over 16 years of age.

Listening Activity

The update allows users to share the music they are listening to in real time with selected contacts. If a user is not actively listening, the feature will display the last song they played. The only requirement is that users have previously connected via an in-app message.

To configure the feature, users can navigate to privacy and social settings and activate the ‘Listening Activity’ option. The application also allows for the selection of specific users with whom to share this activity.

Once enabled, the activity appears in the chat sidebar and at the top of message threads. Tapping on a friend’s listening activity allows others to add tracks to their library, start playback, open the song menu, or react with an emoji.

Jam Requests

To complement the listening activity feature, Spotify has added the option to request joining a person’s Jam from within the conversation itself.

To access this function, a user can enter a chat and tap an icon of two connected people in the top-right corner. A window will then open to confirm the request. If the recipient accepts, they become the host of the session, and both participants can add tracks to a shared queue and listen together in real time.