Spotify is rolling out a new feature in Kenya called “Messages,” a simple in-app chat client for sharing music and podcasts. According to the company, this new function, available starting this week for both Free and Premium users, is designed to give recommendations “a home inside Spotify.”
It’s the latest move in Spotify’s long-running attempt to transform itself from a music app into an all-encompassing audio platform. The app is already a crowded house, juggling your music library, algorithm-heavy playlists, a massive podcast directory, audiobooks (in some markets – of course not ours), and video clips. Now, it’s also a DM client.
But as Spotify adds yet another feature to its “everything app,” it’s impossible to ignore the fact that weeks in after launching high-fidelity audio, the feature is yet to roll out in Kenya.
Still No Lossless for Kenya
Let’s be clear: Spotify is finally, agonizingly (after announcing it in 2021) rolling out its lossless, high-fidelity audio tier. After years of being lapped by Apple Music – which offers lossless at no extra charge – Spotify began its global deployment of the feature in September.
This Kenyan press release, however, makes no mention of it.
Instead of getting the single most-requested, core product upgrade – better-sounding music – Kenyan users are getting the chat update.
The App Is Full
Spotify’s core argument for “Messages” is that it makes sharing smoother. But it also highlights the app’s identity crisis.
The company is desperately trying to solve a problem that users have already fixed. Kenyans, as the press release notes, share Spotify content “millions of times each month.” They do this on WhatsApp. They do it on Instagram. They do it on TikTok. The social “word of mouth” that Spotify says it wants to capture is already happening, just on other platforms.
The “unique proposition” is supposedly “keeping the chat where listening happens.” In reality, this is Spotify trying to build a walled garden. It’s an attempt to trap user engagement, increase in-app metrics, and become a “social” app, rather than just a utility for playing audio.
The question is whether anyone actually wants another inbox to check. The app is already straining under the weight of its ambitions. Trying to find a specific podcast can feel like a hunt, the home screen is full of algorithmic suggestions that feel off, and now, a new “Messages” section on the side will compete for attention.
How It Works (and the Security Catch)
The mechanics are exactly what you’d expect.
- From the “Now Playing” screen, you tap the “Share” icon.
- Instead of just your phone’s share sheet, you’ll see a list of Spotify friends.
- You select a friend, send the track or podcast, and can add text or emoji reactions.
These new one-to-one conversations will live in an inbox you can find by tapping your profile photo in the top left corner. Spotify says it will suggest people to message based on who you’ve shared with before, or anyone you’ve joined a Jam or Blend with, or who shares your Family or Duo plan.
Crucially, the press release covers the safety features with a very specific, corporate phrase: “Conversations are protected with industry-standard encryption in transit and at rest.”
This is not end-to-end encryption (E2EE), the standard used by apps like WhatsApp.
The release continues: “Spotify uses proactive detection to identify certain unlawful or harmful content, and our moderators review reports.” In simple terms: Spotify can and will be scanning your messages for content it deems harmful. While users can block, report, or opt out of the feature entirely in Settings, this is not a private, E2EE-secured chat. It is a moderated, corporate-owned messaging service.
Just Another Feature
Spotify insists that “Messages” is designed to “complement” existing sharing on other apps, not replace it. But this admission just highlights the feature’s confusing purpose.
For artists and podcasters, Spotify claims this will lead to “more discovery.” But for users, it’s one more button in an app that’s overflowing with them.
In a quote, Spotify’s Head of Music Sub-Saharan Africa, Phiona Okumu, said, “In Kenya, recommendations are social currency.” That may be true, but Spotify seems to be ignoring the currency its most dedicated users have been asking for: better sound and better recommendations.
