Spotify has officially launched a new feature called Group Session. A Spotify Group Session lets you listen to music with friends, with everyone able to control what's being played. Thus preventing one person from controlling all of the song choices.
As good as Spotify is, its usefulness has been limited when listening to music with friends. Like at a party, for example. One person is in charge, choosing what to play and when to play it. However, Group Session means that's no longer a problem.
How to Start a Spotify Group Session
A Group Session lets multiple people listen to music on Spotify together, with everyone involved in the session able to control what's being played and when. And to start a Spotify Group Session, all you need to do is share your unique Spotify code:
- Open Spotify and play a song.
- Tap the Devices Available icon in the bottom-left.
- Look for your code under "Start a Group Session".
To scan someone else's Spotify code:
- Open Spotify and tap the Search button.
- Tap the Camera icon in the top-right.
- Point your phone at a Spotify code.
Once either you have scanned someone else's code or someone else has scanned your code, you'll be connected together in a Group Session. Which means you can all now play, pause, and skip tracks, and add more tracks to the joint play queue.
Group Session has actually been in testing for some time, but is now being rolled out as a beta. Group Session is only available to Spotify Premium users, but that includes Family and Student users. If you can't start a Group Session, try updating Spotify.
Download: Spotify on Android | iOS
Other Ways to Listen to Music With Friends
Group Session is a great new feature for music lovers who live in the same house. However, the COVID-19 crisis means you may want to cast your net a little wider. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to listen to music with friends far away.