Snapchat is making music discovery more social with the launch of Now Playing, a new Snap Map feature that shows friends what you’re currently listening to on Spotify in real time.
Snap Map has evolved far beyond simple location sharing, with more than 450 million people using it every month. With Now Playing, Snapchat is adding another layer to the experience by letting users discover music through the people they already chat with every day.
How Now Playing Works
Once you link your Spotify account to Snapchat, the song you’re currently playing can appear on Snap Map for the friends you choose to share it with.
Friends can tap the track to:
- Open it in Spotify
- Save it to their Liked Songs
- Watch Spotlight videos using the same audio
The feature only shows what’s actively playing at that moment. It doesn’t share your listening history or previously played songs.
Snapchat has also built in a privacy safeguard. If you don’t open the app for 24 hours, your listening activity automatically stops being shared until you return.
You’re in Control of Who Sees It
Now Playing is entirely opt-in. After connecting Spotify, you can decide exactly who can view your listening activity.
Available sharing options include:
- Friends
- Friends on the Map
- Select Friends
- No one
You can also disconnect your Spotify account or change your sharing preferences whenever you want.
Available Now
Now Playing is available now everywhere both Snapchat and Spotify are supported, with Canada set to receive the feature soon.
Spotify is the first streaming service supported at launch, and Snap says more music services are planned for future updates.
For users who regularly share music with friends, Now Playing removes a few extra steps from the discovery process. Instead of sending songs manually through chat, your current track can become part of your Snap Map presence, making it easier for friends to find new music with a single tap.
