NEAR, FAR

Your Squad Can Now Stream Simultaneously Using Spotify’s Group Session Beta

July 28, 2020

There’s nothing like enjoying your favorite playlist or podcast with friends and loved ones. That’s why Spotify launched the first beta version of Group Session back in May. At launch, this evolving feature allowed groups of Premium users to share control of their listening sessions with others in real time. It even offered shared opportunities for collaboration among all the listeners. And we didn’t stop there.

In our latest innovation, we’re taking Group Session one step further with brand-new functionality that allows Spotify Premium users around the world to tune into the same playlist or podcast simultaneously. So no matter the distance—whether six feet apart or a thousand miles away—you and the members of your squad can now each listen to the same content at the same time on your own devices (as well as control playback). Groups of two to five people can use this feature at once by sharing a “join” link via messaging apps or social media with each other.

Need some inspiration for your remote listening party? Try . . .

  • Hosting a virtual Country Cookout with your mom in Chicago and your brother in San Antonio. Jam out in real time from each of your backyards while cooking up a storm. And if Mom’s getting carried away with the oldies, you can always change the track.
  • Setting up a Wind of Change podcast date for you and your long-distance boo. Nothing says romance like some light international espionage.
  • Coordinating a morning-noon-night group jog with friends in LA, New York, and London, and keeping the same pace across time zones with a Power Run playlist.

Ready to get started? Click or tap the Connect menu in the bottom-left corner of the play screen and scroll down to “Start a group session.” Then, share the invite link with your guests or have them scan the Spotify code to join the session.

From there, both host and guests can pause, play, skip, and select tracks on the queue as well as add in choices of their own using the standard controls. If one person makes a change, it will immediately be reflected on all participant devices. Talk about squad goals.

Since Group Session is currently still in beta, you can expect the experience to continue to evolve over time. For now, get started with your first Group Session.