Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
The streaming giant reintroduces in-app chat for music sharing while user demands for higher sound quality remain unmet.
Streaming giant Spotify announced today (Tuesday) the launch of an in-app chat feature that allows users to share songs, podcasts, and audiobooks directly with their contacts.
The new feature is available starting this week for mobile users aged 16 and above, both on the free and premium versions, in select countries, with plans for wider rollout.
The Swedish company is aiming to attract new users and strengthen its position against rivals such as Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music.
The chat feature is designed to simplify the sharing of audio content.
This is not Spotify’s first attempt at chat functionality: a similar feature was introduced previously but discontinued in 2017 due to low engagement.
This time, the company is betting on its significant subscriber growth to drive adoption.
According to its latest reports, Spotify had 696 million monthly active users in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 11% from the previous year.
Paying subscribers rose to 276 million, up 12%.
These figures, exceeding forecasts, highlight Spotify’s strong lead in the global streaming market.
However, despite this growth, the company reported a net loss of 86 million euros for the quarter, compared with a profit in the same period last year.
The loss was attributed to high operating costs, including expenses for salaries, services, and marketing.
Alongside the new feature, Spotify continues to expand its content library, offering podcast creators monetization opportunities through its partnership program.
These initiatives aim to strengthen the platform’s ecosystem and boost user engagement, supporting recent price increases intended to improve profit margins.
Nevertheless, many users are still waiting for the long-promised high-quality streaming option.
Sound quality remains a recognized weakness compared to competitors like Tidal, which have used it as a selling point.
Spotify also continues to operate with an interface that has changed little since launch, and its music recommendation algorithm is often criticized as less effective than those of Apple Music or YouTube.
The new feature is available starting this week for mobile users aged 16 and above, both on the free and premium versions, in select countries, with plans for wider rollout.
The Swedish company is aiming to attract new users and strengthen its position against rivals such as Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music.
The chat feature is designed to simplify the sharing of audio content.
This is not Spotify’s first attempt at chat functionality: a similar feature was introduced previously but discontinued in 2017 due to low engagement.
This time, the company is betting on its significant subscriber growth to drive adoption.
According to its latest reports, Spotify had 696 million monthly active users in the second quarter of 2025, an increase of 11% from the previous year.
Paying subscribers rose to 276 million, up 12%.
These figures, exceeding forecasts, highlight Spotify’s strong lead in the global streaming market.
However, despite this growth, the company reported a net loss of 86 million euros for the quarter, compared with a profit in the same period last year.
The loss was attributed to high operating costs, including expenses for salaries, services, and marketing.
Alongside the new feature, Spotify continues to expand its content library, offering podcast creators monetization opportunities through its partnership program.
These initiatives aim to strengthen the platform’s ecosystem and boost user engagement, supporting recent price increases intended to improve profit margins.
Nevertheless, many users are still waiting for the long-promised high-quality streaming option.
Sound quality remains a recognized weakness compared to competitors like Tidal, which have used it as a selling point.
Spotify also continues to operate with an interface that has changed little since launch, and its music recommendation algorithm is often criticized as less effective than those of Apple Music or YouTube.
