- Spotify is developing an emergency alert system in Sweden, testing public announcements for accidents and disruptions.
- The feature could increase user engagement and solidify Spotify’s essential app status.
- Spotify’s test aligns with similar services from Meta and Google for disaster updates.
Spotify, known for music, podcasts, and audiobooks, is now testing a new feature: emergency alerts. The popular streaming app explores this system in its home market of Sweden.
This test aims to help distribute crucial public announcements related to accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services.
This move marks a significant expansion into a new territory for Spotify, potentially making the app more essential for everyday use.
What’s Happening?
Technologist and reverse engineer Chris Messina first uncovered the potential new feature. By digging into the code of the Spotify app, Messina found references to an emergency alert system.
These references included phrases like “Emergency alerts in Sweden,” “Receive public emergency alerts,” and “Important public announcement, IPA, is the system used to alert the public in Sweden in the case of accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services.”
This system would direct users to the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency for more information.
Spotify confirmed this test to TechCrunch but did not provide detailed reasons behind their interest in offering such a service.
Notably, there is no Swedish law mandating Spotify to implement this feature. The company stated they are only exploring whether the app could support an emergency alert system.
Why is Spotify Interested?
There are a few potential reasons behind Spotify’s interest in this system. One theory is that such a service could encourage users to enable app notifications.
Many users typically disable notifications from non-essential apps, which can hinder the app’s ability to catch users’ attention and promote new features.
An emergency alerts system, however, could make users more likely to keep their notifications turned on, ensuring they receive critical updates.
Additionally, this feature could further solidify Spotify’s role as an essential app. By providing important public announcements, Spotify can position itself as more than just an entertainment platform.
This move puts Spotify in competition with other tech giants like Meta and Google, both of which offer similar services.
Meta’s Safety Check feature allows users to get updates during major disasters, and Google’s Android earthquake alerts notify users of impending quakes.
Implications and Future Possibilities
In the U.S., there have been discussions among lawmakers about requiring online video and streaming apps to support emergency alerts, similar to how TV, radio broadcasters, and cable TV systems are required.
Spotify’s test in Sweden could be a step towards aligning with these potential future regulations.
For now, Spotify emphasizes that this test is only being conducted in Sweden. A company representative stated, “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience.
Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience while most serve only as an important learning.”
The introduction of emergency alerts could significantly enhance Spotify’s value to its users, offering them vital information during critical times.
As the company continues to experiment with this feature, it will be interesting to see if and how it exp
