Spotify Adds In App Messaging but Artists Still Out of Reach

Spotify has officially launched a direct messaging feature, but fans hoping to slide into their favorite artist’s inbox will have to wait. The new in app tool, simply called Messages, is rolling out to select users around the world and allows listeners to privately share songs, podcasts and audiobooks with their friends, family or playlist collaborators. It is designed to keep music discovery social without forcing users to leave the platform.

Listeners can access the feature by tapping the share icon from the Now Playing screen and selecting a contact from recent interactions. These might include Duo plan members or friends from Blend or Jam playlists. Messages can include emojis, brief text replies and reactions. Spotify says the messages are encrypted and stored securely, but they are not end to end encrypted like some third party chat apps. Users have control over who can reach them, with options to block contacts, report messages or disable messaging entirely.

Even with this update, Spotify is not offering direct messaging between fans and artists. The new feature is strictly listener to listener. Some early coverage mistakenly suggested that fans would be able to connect with musicians, but Spotify has clarified that artist messaging is not part of this rollout. The company continues to focus on private sharing as a way to boost engagement and discovery among its user base.

This move follows Spotify’s recent decision to allow comments on podcast episodes, further expanding its push toward more interactive features. Although artist profiles remain one sided in terms of communication, the platform seems to be building toward a more connected ecosystem. For now, fans can share their favorite tracks in private threads, but they will need to look elsewhere if they want to talk directly to the artists behind the music.