Even if it’s still in beta, Spotify’s Group Session is one way to still be connected with your friends even if you can’t be physically together right now. The music streaming giant is now expanding the capabilities of this feature as you can now stream together your favorite music and podcasts together even if you’re across an ocean or just across the city. Two to five people will now be able to enjoy Group Session which also includes controlling the playback.
Setting up a Group Session on Spotify or joining one is pretty easy. Go to the Connect menu on the bottom left corner of the play screen and then find the “Start a group session” option. You will then be able to share that invite link to whomever you want to join the session. Just paste it on any messaging app or even post it on your social media. You can also get them to scan the Spotify code. Just remember, you can only have 2-5 people in a session.
Once you’ve completed your listening group, all those in the session will be able to control what you’re listening to. You can pause, play, skip, and choose tracks on the queue. You can even add some tracks as well. Once someone makes a change, all participants’ devices will see, or rather hear, the change immediately. Hopefully, they bring other features to it later on, like an in-app chat feature since right now you still have to use other apps to discuss what you’re listening to.
Why would you want to have a group session anyway? Well if you’re staying at home but want to listen to the new Taylor Swift album together or there’s a podcast that you need to listen to and discuss with teammates or you just want to have a party even when you’re apart, this is one of the best ways to do so.
The Spotify Group Session feature is still in beta mode but you can try it out and experience for yourself, or rather, experience it with other people. Spotify says it will “continue to evolve over time” before it gets to the stable version.
