Have you ever wondered what your friends are listening to on Spotify? Want to discover new music through your friends’ activity? Spotify allows you to see what your Facebook friends are playing in real-time.
Whether you use Spotify’s mobile app or desktop program, it’s easy to spy on your friends’ listening habits. In this guide, we’ll walk through how to see your friends’ activity on Spotify across platforms.
Spotify, now with over 100 million paying subscribers, has transformed how we listen to music. The streaming service delivers unlimited on-demand tunes to suit any taste.
One of Spotify’s standout features is the ability to view friends’ activity in real-time. This offers a voyeuristic glimpse at what your friends are rocking out to at any given moment.
Spotify pulls friends from your Facebook friend list. Once connected, you can spy on friends’ recent plays, star their playlists, discover new artists, and explore music through a social lens.
Why See Your Friends’ Activity on Spotify?
Here are some top reasons for peeking at your friends’ Spotify activity:
- Discover new music: Check out the playlists and stations your friends are listening to in order to discover new artists and songs you’ll like.
- Bond over music: See what music you have in common with friends. Discuss new releases and share tracks. Music is social!
- Get inspired: Your friends’ activity can inspire you to revisit old favorites or motivate you to try something new.
- Stay in the loop: Want to know the latest hot tracks or which throwback jam is trending? Your friends are a taste-making source.
- Feel connected: There’s something comforting about seeing friends tuning into Spotify at the same time, even from afar.
Next, let’s cover how you can start viewing your friends’ listening activity on Spotify.
Requirements to View Friends’ Activity
To see your friends’ activity on Spotify:
- You must have a Spotify and Facebook account
- You must connect your Spotify account to Facebook in Settings
- Your Facebook friends must also have Spotify and be connected to Facebook
- Your friends must enable “Share my listening activity on Spotify” under Settings
If these requirements are met, you’re ready to start snooping on friends!
How to See Friends’ Activity on Mobile
The Spotify mobile app makes it easy to discover what friends are playing in real-time.
To view friends’ activity on iOS or Android:
- Open the Spotify app.
- Tap “Home” on the bottom nav bar.
- Scroll down to the Friends section.
- Here you’ll see “Friends are listening to…” followed by recent activity.
- Tap “More” to expand the view and scroll through more friend activity.
From here, you can like friends’ playlists, tap to view full profiles, and start listening to the same music. Give it a try now to see friends’ latest activity!
How to See Friends’ Activity on Desktop
You can also scope out your friends’ listens on the Spotify desktop app. Here’s how:
- Open the Spotify desktop app.
- Click “Home” on the left sidebar.
- Scroll down to see the Friends section.
- Click “More” to expand the view.
- Scroll to see recent friend activity and what they’re rocking out to.
The desktop view also lets you like and comment on friends’ activity. Share the music love!
What Friends’ Activity is Visible?
When looking at friends’ activity, here’s exactly what you can view:
- Recently played artists
- Album names
- Song titles
- Playlist names
- Radio stations or other content types
You can see this activity in real-time, so you know exactly what friends are listening to at any given moment. It’s like glancing at a friend’s car radio!
Importantly, Spotify does not show exactly how much time your friends spend listening to certain tracks or artists. It simply shares the names of recent content.
Also keep in mind you can only see activity from friends who have connected Facebook and enabled sharing. If you don’t see certain friends, encourage them to update these settings.
Privacy Settings for Friend Activity
Want to adjust who can view your own Spotify activity? You have full control over your privacy settings.
To edit which friends can see your listening activity:
- Tap “Settings” in the Spotify app.
- Select “Social.”
- Under “Share my listening activity on Spotify,” toggle sharing on or off.
You can also select “Share my activity with specific friends.” This lets you hand-pick who gets access to your listening data.
These settings can also be adjusted under Preferences > Social in the desktop app. Tweak them to your comfort level.
Recommendations Based on Friends
Beyond seeing friends’ activity, Spotify also uses this data to improve recommendations.
The more you and your friends listen to the same music, the more Spotify will suggest content you’ll like. You may see:
- “Because you and Friend both listened to Artist…”
- Playlists like “Songs your friends love”
- “Made for [Friend]” playlists
So spying on friends’ activity doesn’t just satisfy curiosity. It also helps Spotify tailor music to your tastes!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
How do I connect Spotify with Facebook?
In Spotify, go to Settings > Facebook and log in to connect your Spotify and Facebook accounts. This syncs your Facebook friends to Spotify.
Why can’t I see all my Facebook friends in Spotify?
Only friends who also have Spotify connected to their Facebook accounts will appear as friends in Spotify. Encourage friends to link accounts to see their activity.
Can I hide my listening activity from certain friends?
Yes! Go to Settings > Social and toggle sharing off for certain friends in “Share my listening activity with specific friends.”
How much of my Spotify data do friends see?
Friends can only see your recently played artists, songs, albums, playlists, etc. They can’t see details like how many hours you listen.
How do I ensure my activity is private?
Go to Settings > Social and turn off “Share my listening activity on Spotify.” This prevents any friends from seeing what you play.
How often does friend activity update?
Friend listening activity updates in real-time, so you can view what friends are playing at any given moment.
Conclusion
Spotify offers a fun, voyeuristic glimpse into friends’ listening habits. Take advantage of the social features by:
- Checking “Friend Activity” on mobile and desktop
- Discovering new artists and playlists
- Bonding with friends over music
- Letting friends’ tastes influence your own
Music is better with friends! Use Spotify social features to stay connected through song.
What music have you discovered through friend activity lately? Share your own Spotify social tips below!