Spotify is adding an in-app messaging feature to allow users to slide into DMs with their music or podcast recommendations.
The feature will start rolling out this week to free and premium users age 16 and over in “select markets,” Spotify announced on Tuesday.
Spotify said direct messages weren’t intended to stop people sharing its content off-platform, such as through TikTok or Instagram.
“Messages on Spotify are designed to complement these integrations, not replace them,” Spotify said in its announcement.
To start a direct message, users will click the “share” button on Spotify content and then select a user they’ve interacted with before.
The recipient will first have to accept an incoming message request, similar to settings on other social media platforms, and will also be able to react with emojis within the DM.
The rollout is coming to mobile devices, and in select markets, Spotify added.
Messages will be encrypted when they’re stored and when moving between devices.
Adding messaging could help keep Spotify users on the app for longer.
Any boosts in user engagement and retention could help its advertising business, which Business Insider reported last week had been struggling.
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