Spotify is deepening the social experience within its app. The streaming service has launched two new features in Spotify Messages: Listening Activity and Request to Jam. These tools allow friends to see what each other is playing in real-time and instantly invite each other into shared listening sessions. The move capitalizes on the popularity of Spotify’s messaging platform, which has seen nearly 340 million messages sent since its launch.
Listening Activity: Share Your Real-Time Vibes
Listening Activity is an opt-in feature that displays what you’re currently playing. It appears in your Messages chat list and within individual conversations. If you’re not actively listening, it shows your most recently played track. Crucially, it’s visible only to existing Messaging contacts who have also opted in. You control who sees it and can turn it off anytime.
When you see a friend’s activity, you can interact directly. Tapping on it lets you add the track to your library, start playing it, or react with an emoji. This feature turns passive listening into a shared, real-time social experience, making music discovery more dynamic and personal.
Request to Jam: Instant Shared Listening
The second feature, Request to Jam, makes shared listening effortless. It builds on Spotify’s popular Jam feature, which has more than doubled its daily active users year-over-year. Previously, starting a remote Jam required manual coordination. Now, Premium users can send a Jam request directly from a Messages chat.
The recipient can accept or decline. If accepted, they become the Jam host, and both participants can collaboratively add songs to a shared queue. They can also message in sync about the music. This seamlessly turns a moment of seeing a friend’s listening activity into a live, interactive listening party.
Availability and User Controls
Both features are rolling out globally in Messages-enabled markets on iOS and Android. They will be broadly available by early February 2026. Listening Activity is available to all users with Messages access. For Request to Jam, Free users can join a session when invited by a Premium subscriber. As part of Messages, both features are restricted to users aged 16 and above.
These updates reflect Spotify’s strategy to integrate social connectivity directly into the listening experience. By reducing friction in sharing and collaborating, Spotify aims to make music a more central part of daily social interaction.
For the latest feature updates and how-tos, visit the Spotify Newsroom. App settings can be managed in the Privacy and Social section of your profile.
The launch of Listening Activity and Request to Jam in Messages represents a significant social upgrade for Spotify. These features bridge the gap between solitary streaming and shared experience, allowing friends to connect over music more naturally and spontaneously than ever before.
