Spotify to add group messaging support to its Messaging service

In a bid to transition from a dedicated music-streaming service into a social media platform, Spotify is about to add group messaging support to enhance its in-app messaging feature.

The update comes a year after Spotify released individual messaging. With the conference messaging feature, Spotify users can now connect more easily with friends and fellow music enthusiasts.

It must be noted that these advancements don't set aside the hassle of finding people on Spotify. That's still a cumbersome thing to do.

The biggest barrier for users to find others on Spotify is that they cannot search for others by unique usernames, and searching by display name often gives unsatisfactory results, as many users can share the same name.

As of now, messaging on Spotify is limited to users with whom you’ve previously interacted through Spotify’s social features, making it difficult to initiate conversations with new users without using invite links.

Evidence from version 9.1.20.1132 of Spotify’s Android app suggests that the company might soon address this limitation by allowing users to edit their usernames.

The addition of group chat to Spotify nevertheless comes as a huge upgrade, as it frames usernames as social handles, a term typically associated with social media platforms.

The platform has been relying on usernames since its inception, but they're actually auto-generated alphanumeric strings since 2018, hence they're not user-friendly.

Editable usernames could simplify user interactions on the platform, making it easier to connect without relying on links or previous interactions.

While the release timeline for this commendable feature is uncertain, it marks a significant step in Spotify's ongoing transformation into a social media hub.