The leading music service Spotify has officially kicked off work on support for Apple’s upcoming SharePlay feature in its mobile app for iPhone and iPad.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Spotify’s iPhone app to bring support for Apple’s upcoming SharePlay feature
- Other major app developers are working on adding SharePlay support
- Apple will launch the delayed SharePlay feature via a software update
Spotify and SharePlay will soon work together
Evidence in form of early code strings and other findings that developer Steve Moser has managed to discover inside of Spotify’s iPhone app al suggest SharePlay support is coming.
Specifically, Moser has managed to spot a Spotify icon labeled “SharePlay”, which could easily indicate the early work on the feature. Moser shared his findings with reliable technology reporter Mark Gurman who in turn publicized them in his Power On newsletter on Bloomberg.
Spotify has complained numerous times about Apple’s policies, issues with its Apple Watch app and app rejections. But that’s not stopping the Sweden-based music service from gearing up for Apple’s latest features.
SharePlay requires all parties to have access to shared content. With SharePlay, Spotify fans will be able to organize listening parties via FaceTime as long as they’re subscribers.
Now, it’s unclear if Spotify will ultimately release the feature, but I’d be hard pressed to believe it wouldn’t. SharePlay would let two Spotify subscribers listen to the same song together over the SharePlay framework, which uses FaceTime.
SharePlay, one of the tentpole new features in iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15 and macOS 12 Monterey, has been delayed until Apple works out the kinks. The feature will be arriving in a future software update, possibly as early as iOS 15.1 later this fall.
What is Apple SharePlay and how does it work?
SharePlay lets you share specific experiences like listening to music or watching movies together on FaceTime. Here’s a SharePlay description from Apple Developer website:
SharePlay is a powerful way to reach people organically as users introduce your app to their friends at relevant moments. If someone in a FaceTime call initiates a group activity with an app that someone else on the call doesn’t have installed, SharePlay guides them to the App Store to download it. The Group Activities API gives you an opportunity to bring up onboarding flows for new users or special trial offers designed specifically for SharePlay users. It’s a quick and easy way to get people to try out your app experience alongside friends who already use your app.
SharePlay will launch with support for Apple’s stock apps, including Music and TV. The company also provides tools to developers like Spotify and others to implement SharePlay functionality in their own apps. SharePlay will be available across iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey and tvOS 15. Apple TV owners will be able to display SharePlay content wirelessly on a larger screen. Read: How to share music and videos on FaceTime