Spotify

If you were hoping for Spotify to finally release its long-rumored HiFi lossless streaming, I have some bad news for you. However, if you were hoping to get another inbox to receive DMs into, you’ll be really happy with the streaming service’s latest announcement.

Spotify is adding a direct messaging feature, which will allow users to share music, podcasts, and audiobooks without leaving the app. Messages will roll out in “select markets” this week, according to a press release by the company, and it’ll be available on mobile devices for users aged 16 years and older.

Sharing audio through messages on Spotify will be accessible through the share menu in the Now Playing view. Users will be able to start texting and sharing only with people they share a plan with, or have interacted with through Spotify before. That includes people you had Jams, Blends, or Collaborative Playlists with.

You can decline message requests you don’t want to answer to | Image credit — Spotify

Everything shared through Spotify DMs will be saved inside a Messages inbox, which will be accessible under the profile picture in the upper left corner of the app. The messages will support emoji reactions and text conversations, and you’ll be able to accept or decline message requests. It is unlikely that messages will be end-to-end encrypted. Spotify says “conversations are protected with industry-standard encryption,” but that it’ll also “scan messages for certain unlawful and harmful content”.

Spotify’s goal is to provide what it says users have long asked for.

Spotify users have told us they want a dedicated space within the app to share songs, podcasts, or audiobooks they’re excited about with friends and family, and an easy way to keep track of recommendations.

Spotify, August 2026

Long-time Spotify users may actually remember that the streaming service used to have this feature before. The so-called Spotify Inbox was deprecated in 2017 because it wasn’t all that popular. The company then explained that its “extensive data analysis has shown that this feature has very low engagement”. Apparently, times have changed.

Also in 2017, the first rumors about Spotify’s HiFi tier started popping up. Eight years later, Spotify still doesn’t offer lossless streaming despite the company continuously raising its prices.

I love sharing music with my friends, but I feel like Spotify is losing the plot lately. Between its horrible AI-powered playlists and the low-quality streaming, it feels less and less like the best place to listen to music. And don’t even get me started on artist compensation.

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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.

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Spotify is adding another absurd feature instead of launching its HiFi streaming

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