Spotify is reintroducing messaging to boost engagement and compete with music streaming rivals.
Spotify Technology said Tuesday it will introduce a messaging feature for both free and premium users as part of efforts to expand its audience and counter rivals. The feature will allow users to chat and share music with people they have interacted with on the platform, the Swedish company said. It will begin rolling out this week on mobile devices for users aged 16 and above in select markets.
Spotify had previously offered a similar feature but discontinued it in 2017 due to low engagement. The company is betting on its growing subscriber base—696 million monthly active users in the second quarter—to give the feature more traction this time.
The move comes as Spotify seeks to balance user growth with profitability, introducing price hikes while adding new services. It is also expanding video content and offering monetization opportunities for podcast creators as it targets 1 billion users.