Spotify announced the launch of its integrated mini-player in India on Tuesday. Earlier this year, the audio streaming platform collaborated with Facebook to launch a new integrated feature on both apps via a mini-player experience.
Listeners can now listen to Spotify audio directly within Facebook, without having to switch between apps. The mini-player, which is available on both iOS and Android devices, allows users to listen to songs and episodes with full playback directly from Spotify within the Facebook app. Users in India can now access this feature. The feature is also available to free users, who will be accompanied by Spotify advertisements. "The breadth of Facebook's reach in India, combined with the depth of content on Spotify, will enable millions of listeners to discover new music and voices," Spotify said in a statement.
"Over the years, social media has undeniably emerged as the primary way we connect with each other, and it's also where we discover pop culture and content," said Akshat Harbola, Head of Market Operations at Spotify India.Spotify and Facebook's new mini player experience is yet another way for us to provide a way for listeners to share their moods and moments throughout the day with family and friends, as well as a sample of what others are listening to.""Everything we do around music on Facebook is focused on building community and connections for artists and fans," said Paras Sharma, Director, Media Partnerships, Facebook India.
We are thrilled to be collaborating with Spotify on this launch, and we will continue to collaborate with the music community to create unique social experiences for our users." Users can access the mini-player by tapping the "Play" button on audio that has been shared from Spotify to their Facebook newsfeed. The first time a user uses the mini-player, a consent dialogue will appear.
They can proceed by clicking "Connect." If they're logged in to Spotify, the apps will switch automatically, and playback will begin from within the Spotify app. Spotify will continue to play even if a user scrolls down their newsfeed, but they will have control over playback options, allowing them to pause or dismiss the mini player. The company also recently updated the Wear OS app, allowing Premium subscribers with Wear OS 2.0 or higher smartwatches to download and play media offline directly from their wearables. Free users can also stream music and podcasts to their wearables.