Following its soft beta launch in 2020, Spotify launched a group music listening feature for premium users – Spotify Group Sessions. It allows you to stream music simultaneously with your squad regardless of their location. You can customize the queue, add tracks to the playlist, and do much more collaboratively.
Spotify is leaving no stone unturned to make its app a one-stop destination for music lovers. The announcement comes shortly after its oddly named ‘Spotify Car Thing,’ company’s first hardware product.
Let me explain in detail what Spotify Group Session is, what features are available in it, and how it works.
- Spotify Group Session: Things to know
- How to start a group session on Spotify Premium
- How do Spotify Group Sessions work?
- Leave or end a Spotify Group Session
- Does a Group Session with Spotify support chats?
Spotify Group Session: Things to know
- Spotify Group Sessions allow users to listen to songs together.
- It generates a unique link and QR code to invite people.
- The Spotify Group Session feature is only available for Premium users.
- All the group members must have a paid Spotify account to access this feature.
- You can invite up to 5 people to a group session.
- Everyone in the session can play/pause and manage the playlist.
- The feature is currently available in Beta, so some hiccups are expected.
- Open the Spotify app on your device.
- Play any music.
- Now, tap the Device icon in the playing screen’s lower right-hand corner.
A window with your Bluetooth, Chromecast, and AirPlay devices will pop up. - Scroll down to the START SESSION button.
- Tap the Invite Friends button. From here you’ll see two ways of inviting your friends.
- Share a link: You can invite your friends from social media platforms or instant messaging services like WhatsApp.
- Spotify Code: The user needs to scan the code via the Group Session window.
Spotify Group Session is not restricted by operating systems. You can create a group session from Spotify’s Mac app, and others can join via Spotify for Android and iPhone.
How do Spotify Group Sessions work?
Invited listeners who join a Group Session can listen to songs together on their devices. You can even cast a Spotify Group Session to supported Bluetooth, Chromecast, and AirPlay devices. Songs sync up and play at the same time. Though, depending upon your internet connection, the quality of the song might vary.
All the members of a Spotify Group Session can play, pause, skip and re-order songs of the ongoing playlist. However, a Premium user needs to start a group session, and then other paid subscribers can control the music. Besides music, you can also listen to podcasts in a group session.
Leave or end a Spotify Group Session
- Open the Spotify app.
- Tap the Devices icon in the Now Playing bar.
- Now, tap Leave Session.
If you started a session, tap End Session.
Does a Group Session with Spotify support chats?
Unfortunately, there’s no chat option in Spotify Group Session. You’ll need to use third-party messaging services for chatting. Spotify might add this functionality in a future update, but there’s no official word if the feature would happen or not.
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