Early adopters report starting this week, Spotify users can finally explore their friends' music habits from their phones, thanks to a highly anticipated revamp of its mobile app. The social features are here, and they’re more interactive than ever.

For Spotify Premium subscribers seeking new ways to connect with friends while enjoying their favorite tunes, this update aims to enhance the experience. Spotify has rolled out two main features: Listening Activity and the ability to Jam with friends in real time. Let's break down the details to determine whether these additions live up to the hype.

What’s New in the Spotify App?

Spotify has introduced two significant features: Listening Activity and the Request to Jam. Listening Activity allows users to see what their friends are currently listening to, provided those friends have opted to share this information. The feature is conveniently displayed in the sidebar of the chat window alongside your conversations. If you find a song intriguing, you can add it to your library with just a tap.

How to Set It Up and Privacy Considerations

For Spotify Premium users, the Jam feature invites you to share a real-time listening experience with a friend. You can send a Jam request through chat, and if accepted, both of you can add songs to a shared queue that will play in unison, creating the feeling that you're listening together even when you're miles apart. Free users can join a Jam but cannot initiate one.

Potential Drawbacks and Who Should Skip

Setting up these features requires a bit of initial effort. You'll need to navigate to your privacy settings to enable Listening Activity. It's an opt-in system, which is beneficial for those who enjoy control over what they share. The app allows you to select which friends can see your listening habits, so you don’t have to worry about old college buddies discovering that you’re currently obsessed with that cheesy pop album. Just remember to adjust your settings if you prefer to keep things low-key before diving into the social aspect.

On the privacy front, both new features come with some nuances. By default, your activity isn’t exposed to everyone, but you’ll need to manage your settings actively. Although the app doesn’t market itself as purely a social platform, this update aims to keep users engaged within its ecosystem, raising a few eyebrows among privacy advocates.

Final Thoughts

Potential Drawbacks and Who Should Skip

If you’re primarily a solo listener or uninterested in sharing your music tastes, this update may not be for you. Currently, the app allows you to view only one friend’s Listening Activity at a time, as group chats are not yet supported for these features. If you were hoping for a lively experience with multiple friends jamming together, you might find yourself a bit disappointed.

Constraints and tradeoffs

• Must turn on Listening Activity in privacy settings

• Free users can't initiate Jams

• Limited to one-on-one chats only

Verdict

Upgrade if you're a social listener who enjoys sharing and discovering music; skip if you prefer solo listening.

Additionally, while the features seem fun, they could lead to distractions: a barrage of notifications from friends’ listening habits might become overwhelming, and the temptation to critique your friends’ choices could be incessant!