Snapchat has introduced a new feature called Now Playing, allowing users to share the music they are listening to in real time through Snap Map by linking their music streaming accounts, starting with Spotify.
The feature enables users to display their current song on Snap Map while also discovering the tracks their friends are listening to, creating a more interactive and social music-sharing experience within the app.
Snapchat has also integrated Now Playing with Spotlight, its short-form video platform, allowing users to save songs featured in Spotlight videos directly to their Spotify library or open the track’s page for more information.
To protect user privacy, Snapchat gives users full control over who can view their listening activity. The feature only displays the song currently being played and does not reveal listening history or previously played tracks.
Music sharing remains active only if the user has opened Snapchat within the previous 24 hours. If the app is not used for more than a day, sharing automatically pauses and resumes only after the user opens Snapchat again.
Users can also temporarily disable the feature by pausing music sharing for three hours, 24 hours or indefinitely, providing greater flexibility over when their listening activity is visible.
The launch reflects a broader trend among social media platforms to make music discovery and sharing a core part of the user experience, as streaming and social networking continue to become more closely connected.
TikTok already allows users to share songs from music streaming services and save tracks they discover through viral videos, while Instagram lets users display the music they are currently listening to through its Notes feature in direct messages.
Spotify has also expanded its social features by enabling users to share their real-time listening activity with friends, highlighting the growing demand for collaborative music discovery across digital platforms.
“Music is one of the most personal ways people express themselves, and it becomes even more meaningful when it brings friends closer,” Manny Adler, Snapchat’s head of music, said in an emailed statement. “Now Playing adds a new layer of expression and discovery to Snap Map, helping Snapchatters share the soundtrack to their day and find new music through the people they already know.”
The integration adds another feature to Snap Map, which has more than 450 million monthly users. Launched in 2017, Snap Map was initially meant to be a way for users to see their friends’ locations and browse public Snaps from around the world. Over time, the feature has expanded to include local hotspots, activities, and now, music discovery.
