How to Listen to Spotify With Friends

Give Spotify's Group Session feature a try

By
Nick Steinberg
Nick Steinberg
Nick Steinberg
Writer
  • Wilfrid Laurier University
Nick Steinberg has been writing about technology since 2014. His work has appeared in Goliath, Screen Rant, TechRadar, and many more publications.
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Updated on September 9, 2021
Reviewed by
Michael Barton Heine Jr
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Reviewed by Michael Barton Heine Jr
Michael Heine is a CompTIA-certified writer, editor, and Network Engineer with 25+ years' experience working in the television, defense, ISP, telecommunications, and education industries.
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What to Know

  • Open the Spotify app on your phone or tablet and select a song or podcast episode.
  • Tap the Connect icon in the lower-left corner to bring up the Group Session feature.

This article includes instructions for how to use Spotify Group Session so you can share a music jam session with your friends.

How to Make a Listening Party on Spotify

Once a Group Session is live, everyone will have the same playback controls. Anyone can play, pause, skip or add tracks in the queue at any time. There’s currently no way for a host to lock these controls, but since Group Session is still technically in beta, this is a feature that Spotify will likely implement at a later date.

  1. Open the Spotify app on your phone or tablet.

  2. Select a song or podcast episode.

    It’s a good idea to pick a song that’s part of a playlist so that you have many options to choose from. Otherwise, you may end up only being able to listen to one song and will have to set up a new Group Session.

  3. Tap the Connect icon in the bottom-left corner of your screen.

  4. Scroll down past your streamable devices and select Start Session under the Start a Group Session option.

    Selecting a song and starting a Group Session on Spotify for Android.

    If you’d like to join a session instead, select Scan to Join. This allows you to scan a QR code on a friend’s device to instantly join their Group Session.

  5. Click Invite Friends.

  6. Select your preferred invite method. You can send a link directly by selecting Copy Link, text, or a messaging app like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.

    Finding friends and sending Group Session invite link on Spotify for Android.

    Spotify lacks built-in chat functionality, so you’ll need to use a third-party app if you want to chat with friends during a Group Session.

  7. To end the Group Session, click the Left-Facing Arrow to return to the Connect screen.

  8. Click End Session.

    Ending a Group Session on Spotify for Android.

What Is Spotify Group Session?

If you’re not in the mood for watching a video streaming service virtually with friends, Spotify has you covered. The popular music streaming platform has a feature called Group Sessions that lets up to five Spotify Premium users attend a virtual listening party. Once connected, you and your friends can listen to any song or podcast on Spotify simultaneously. 

Spotify introduced the Group Session feature in May 2020. Only Premium users in the same location could listen together at launch, but Spotify later expanded it to allow worldwide connections.

Right now, Group Session is only available to Spotify Premium users and is limited to Spotify’s mobile app for phones and tablets. There is currently no option available on Spotify’s desktop apps.

FAQ
  • How do you change your username on Spotify?

    You can't change your Spotify username, but you can change your display name. On the mobile app, select Home > Settings > View Profile > tap your display name to change it. The display name shows up in your profile, in the app, and playlists.

  • How do you cancel Spotify Premium?

    Go to spotify.com/account and log in, then select Change Plan > Cancel Premium. Your Premium membership stays active until the next billing cycle, then it switches to free. You won't lose your playlists or saved music with the change.

  • How do you delete a Spotify account?

    To delete a free Spotify account, go to support.spotify.com/contact-spotify-support/ and select Account > I want to close my account > Close Account. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.

  • How do you connect Spotify to Discord?

    From the Discord app, open the menu and select Connections > Spotify. A separate web page opens asking you to log in to your Spotify account or sign up for a Spotify account if you don't already have one.

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