By Zaman Adrees 
Spotify, a global leader in the audio streaming industry, is reintroducing a new in-app messaging feature as a part of its social engagement initiative. It is not only a simple update but also a well-thought move to change a user’s perception from a mere music library to a social ecosystem that interacts with one another.
Therefore, by offering a separate area for users not only to talk but also to get new content, Spotify is expecting to keep the present users, find new ones, and, in addition, create loyalty to the brand in the very competitive market.
A Lesson from the Past: Why Now?
This is not the first time that Spotify has tried to implement a native chat function. A similar feature was launched in 2013 but was unexpectedly discontinued in 2017 due to low engagement. At the time, Spotify’s user base was significantly smaller, and the app’s primary function was to stream music. The company’s focus was on acquiring users, not necessarily on building a community around them.
The market perspective is now different. With a massive global user base of over 600 million monthly active users, Spotify has evolved beyond a streaming service to a cultural hub. The company’s target to have one billion users in the long run calls for a plan that is not just limited to music.
Tech companies have found social features to be an effective and powerful tool for growth and user engagement, and Spotify, too, is willing to take advantage of that.
The popularity of features like collaborative playlists, Jams, and Blends has been a major reason behind the company’s decision to adopt the new messaging function, as it is the next natural step in furthering the social aspect of Spotify’s platform and thereby creating a more seamless user experience.
How the New Messages Feature Works
The “Messages” feature allows single-user communication between friends and, apart from text, emojis, and, most importantly, sharing of Spotify content directly, which can easily be done by tapping the share icon from the “Now Playing” view and then selecting a contact. In order to share a song, podcast, or audiobook, users just have to tap the sharing icon on the “Now Playing” screen and pick a contact.
The idea is to link users who already have some kind of a relationship on the platform, e.g., those who have collaborated on a playlist, joined a listening session, or are part of the same Family or Duo plan.
Such a step ensures that the initial dialogues will be with contacts from the address book, thus avoiding potential dilemmas about spam and unsolicited mail. A user is empowered to accept or reject a message request when it is received by them.
After a chat has been made, the history of the conversation becomes a summarized archive of the shared content, which can be referred to whenever one likes without having to look for it in other places.
A Strategic Bet on User Engagement
On the flip side, the decision to add in-app messaging is a disruptive move, but it is definitely one with big returns if it pays off. The goal with this feature is to create a more seamless sharing experience in Spotify; thus, the users’ turning to other apps to share is inhibited, and they end up spending even more time on Spotify. The reasons for it being very important are the following:
- Internally Using Sharing Methods: For the most part, users have been sharing Spotify URLs on external platforms like Instagram, WhatsApp, and TikTok. With this feature, the platform is bringing in the previously external sharing to its own field, so now, unlike before, instead of merely directing users to the Spotify app, they are actually engaging them in the app.
Data-Driven Discovery:
It is not only the tracks and conversations shared that generate data valuable for Spotify, but also the user activities around these shared tracks and conversations. This data can be exploited to improve Spotify’s efficient recommendation algorithms, delivering more personalized and situational suggestions.
For example, if a user often shares indie rock with their friends, then their algorithm can be adjusted to bring to the fore more similar types of music; thus, a new cycle of discovery and participation is gotten.
- Monetization and Value: When it comes to free users, a higher engagement level leads to more ad impressions being served. For Premium subscribers, the increase in the social aspect of the platform is worth the subscription fee, as it results in higher user retention and lower churn.
- Besides, the feature is a fantastic new weapon for musicians and creators since word-of-mouth directly from friends is one of the easiest ways to bring new listeners and gain a fanbase.
User Reception and Future Outlook
The first user reviews of the newly added feature have been truly ambiguous. Although in general, the users might be glad to see new easy-to-use features, some might also feel the app is becoming too complex and that they miss Spotify with its core as a very simple audio player. A few individuals in the community of Reddit got a bit irritated with the constant flood of feature post and the fact the developers reckon it’s what users want…
The problem is, when Spotify comes up with a new feature, it expects the complaints. The feature is optional, and users can turn it off in the privacy setting. There are also many security measures—the user can report a message or block an account, and there is an automated check for dangerous content. The messages are encrypted when sent and stored, but not end-to-end like some other chat apps.
In the end, this feature will help Spotify not just to stand up against Apple Music or YouTube Music but even against entire social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, etc. As they are mixing streaming with social, they are trying to take the crown for the most audio-interactive platform anywhere, be it listening to a new song or discussing it with a friend. The “Messages” feature will be the first step along the company’s path to a “much more interactive” world.