Overview

• The feature is launching this week for Free and Premium users aged 16+ in select Latin and South American markets, with expansion to the U.S., Canada, Brazil, the EU, the U.K., Australia and New Zealand in the coming weeks.
• Users can start a chat from the Now Playing share icon to send songs, podcasts or audiobooks, with conversations stored in a new Messages inbox accessed from the profile icon.
• At launch, chats are one-on-one and limited to people you’ve previously connected with via Jams, Blends, Collaborative Playlists or Family/Duo plans, and recipients must approve message requests.
• Spotify says messages are encrypted in transit and at rest but not end-to-end, and the company will use proactive detection plus human moderation; users can report content, block senders or opt out entirely.
• The move revives a messaging feature removed in 2017 and is framed as complementing external sharing, with early public reaction described as mixed.