Spotify’s DMs Are Open

Spotify is giving its driving-age users a new way to slide into people’s DMs with a new feature called Messages, part of the audio streamer’s push to give users more ways to share and discuss content with friends and family.

Launching this week in select Latin American markets for free and premium users aged 16 and up, Messages enables one-on-one chats using text and emojis with people you’ve previously connected with through Jams, Blends, collaborative playlists or shared family plans. Expansion to the U.S., Canada, Brazil, EU, UK, Australia and New Zealand is coming soon.

Playback functionality will remain unchanged for users using the chat box — shared Spotify content will begin playing instantly, even before a message is accepted. Video content will still auto-expand to full view, and users can tap shared cards to navigate directly to full entities like playlists, albums or show pages. Users can share directly from the Now Playing view.

Spotify said the feature is designed to streamline the whole sharing process by giving users a dedicated inbox to track and discuss songs, podcasts and books, and emphasized that Messages is meant to complement —  not replace — existing share-heavy platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp.

“For artists and creators, easier sharing means more word-of-mouth recommendations and helps create new fans,” the company said.

At launch, Messages is primarily designed for sharing between users. Billboard understands that simply following an artist won’t make them a suggested contact, as artists and creators can only receive messages from approved users and cannot initiate or participate in mass messaging within the feature.

A Spotify spokesperson outlined some of the privacy and safety measure that will be in place. Messages are encrypted both in transit and at rest, and Spotify uses proactive detection technology to scan for harmful content. Users can accept or reject message requests, report inappropriate messages, block accounts, or opt out of Messages entirely via settings.