Spotify today announced that its paying users can now simultaneously stream music or podcasts to up to five people even if they live far away.
The new feature is dubbed Group Session and requires Spotify Premium. The first beta version of Group Session appeared back in May, but now is way more developed than before. Through its beta feature called Group Session, any premium user can generate a shareable link with up to five friends, who also have Spotify Premium, that’ll allow them to simultaneously stream content.
Any person in the streaming party can pause, play, skip, or select tracks in the queue, and they can add their own choices, too. There’s no chat feature, which means listeners will have to rely on a third-party app to discuss the podcast or music with their friends. To host a session, premium users can select the Connect menu in the bottom left-hand corner of their play screen and scroll down to “Start a group session.” Once tapped, they’ll receive a shareable link they can send over social media or messaging. The feature is still in beta, Spotify notes, but the company says it plans to “evolve” it over time.
Group Sessions first launched in May as a tool for hosting in-person parties. Hosts can share a Spotify Code that their guests scan to join the party. The company has been building its premium user features for years in an attempt to encourage them to subscribe. It allows them to hide songs from playlists and has previously offered Hulu and a Google Home to subscribers. This is just one more to add to the list with likely more to come.
