Spotify has rolled out a new updated beta version of its ‘group sessions’, announcing a new feature that will let premium members stream music or podcasts together at the same time, even if they aren’t together.
“So no matter the distance—whether six feet apart or a thousand miles away—you and the members of your squad can now each listen to the same content at the same time on your own devices,” Spotify said in the blog post announcing the feature.
To use this feature, any person with a premium membership can start a group session by going to the ‘connect menu’ and sharing the link to the people that they want in the group. Any member can then play, pause, skip, or select tracks from the playlist. However, it is important to note that only up to 5 members can be in one group session. Spotify has said that this update is still in the beta version and that it may still evolve and change.
Spotify launched its group sessions for the first time back in May 2020. These group sessions were, however, only for people who were in each others’ immediate proximity. It was developed so that music in parties could be controlled by the host as well as the guests. Another difference, between these two versions, is that the earlier one had no limit on the number of people who could join in one session but this one does.
While the new addition to the feature allows for remote group session, it puts a cap on the maximum number of people that can be added.
In the blog post, Spotify gave a few examples of how the feature could be used. “Hosting a virtual Country Cookout with your mom in Chicago and your brother in San Antonio. Jam out in real-time from each of your backyards while cooking up a storm. And if Mom’s getting carried away with the oldies, you can always change the track.” was one of them.
