Spotify Update Now Let’s You ‘Jam’ With Your Friends, Family

Key Highlights:

• Spotify is rolling out Listening Activity and Request to Jam features to its Messages tab, bringing real-time social listening tools to mobile.
• The updates allow users to see what friends are listening to and start shared listening sessions from chats.
• The changes signal Spotify’s broader push to make music discovery more social; additional features like group chats may follow.

Spotify’s New “Messages” Features Are Here

It’s been about a year since Spotify introduced its “Messages” feature, and the numbers are in: people love talking about music. According to Spotify’s official website, nearly 40 million users have already exchanged more than 340 million messages inside the app.

Spotify says the updates are designed to make listening more social, though similar features have existed on desktop for years. Following an announcement on Spotify’s website, the platform is rolling out two new features- Listening Activity and Request to Jam, which will bridge the gap between solo listening and a shared party.

Here is how these updates are going to change the way you use the app.

1. “Listening Activity”: See What Your Friends are Playing (In Real-Time)

If you’ve ever used Spotify on a computer, you probably remember the “Friend Activity” bar on the right side of the screen. Until now, this visibility was largely limited to desktops.

Spotify is now extending it to mobile through the Messages tab.

• The “Live” Feed: If enabled, the feature displays real-time listening activity at the top of a chat. When a contact is not actively listening, the app shows the most recent track they played.
• Interactive Discovery: Users can tap on a friend’s listening activity to save the track, start playback, or react with an emoji directly from the chat.
• Privacy First: The feature is opt-in and must be enabled manually through the app’s Privacy and Social settings. The listening activity is only visible to contacts a user has previously messaged, limiting its exposure to a defined group rather than a wider follower base.

2. “Request to Jam”: One Tap to Start a Virtual Party

We already know about Spotify Jams, the feature that lets a group of people add songs to a shared queue. Until now, starting a Jam typically required sharing a link or scanning a QR code.

With the new Request to Jam option, this functionality is being integrated directly into message threads.

How it works: If you’re a Premium user and you see a friend is online, you can hit the “Jam” button in the top right of your chat.

• The Shared Experience: Once they accept, they become the host, and your music is instantly synced. You can both add songs and, coolest of all, you can message in sync while the music plays. This means you can discuss the lyrics or “boo” a bad song choice without switching apps.
• Free vs. Premium: While you need a Premium account to start the request, Spotify is keeping it inclusive. Free users can join the Jam if a Premium friend invites them.

Why This is a Big Deal for 2026

From a broader AI and product perspective, the update reflects Spotify’s effort to make greater use of its existing listening data. By bringing social features into the foreground, the platform can surface shared recommendations during Jams based on overlapping listening preferences, rather than treating music discovery as an individual activity.

According to reporting by TechRadar, this may be part of a wider shift. The publication notes that Spotify is also exploring features such as group chats, which could further expand the app’s role from a streaming service into a more social, conversation-driven music platform.

When Can You Get It?

The rollout has already started for Android and iOS users. While some of you might see it today, Spotify says these features will be broadly available by early February 2026. To check if you have it, tap your profile picture, head to the “Messages” tab, and look for the new activity bar at the top.

The new updates point towards Spotify’s effort to position listening as a shared, social experience rather than a solo activity.