Why Spotify Restricts SharePlay Integration – For Now

The core reason SharePlay functionality is limited on Spotify is music licensing restrictions. SharePlay‘s ability to sync playback on multiple devices at once goes beyond what Spotify‘s legal licensing agreements allow in many situations.

What is SharePlay and Why It‘s a Big Deal

SharePlay launched in October 2021 as part of iOS 15.1, ushering in a major upgrade for real-time shared experiences over FaceTime. Over 10 million users have already embraced SharePlay for everything from dance parties to remote movie nights.

So how does it work? SharePlay syncs playback and display of audio, video, and even app screens between multiple devices simultaneously. Special integration with system-level audio and video modules helps keep everything in perfect sync.

Dozens of top apps have already integrated SharePlay support, including Apple Music, Disney+, Paramount+, NBA, Twitch, TikTok, MasterClass, and many more.

But notably absent from that list: Spotify.

Why Spotify Drags Its Feet on Full SharePlay Integration

Despite high demand from users, Spotify has been very cautious about adopting SharePlay. While you can share music via SharePlay in Spotify iOS, it comes with all kinds of clumsy restrictions:

• Playback cuts out after one hour
• Podcast playback is not synced
• New album releases won‘t play the first two weeks
• Spotify Free users can‘t participate

These limitations arise from music licensing restrictions on syncing playback between devices simultaneously. Rights holders want to ensure artists are paid properly and limit ways people can avoid paying for additional streams.

The technology is also complex, requiring tight integration with Apple‘s system frameworks for proper syncing. This development lift has likely slowed Spotify‘s enthusiasm about dedicating engineering resources to the task.

Finally, SharePlay threatens Spotify‘s aspirations about social listening under their own brand. They would prefer users embrace Spotify‘s proprietary "Group Session" feature rather than SharePlay, so they can retain more control over the user experience.

SharePlay Support Comparison: Apple Music Dominates

So Apple Music has a clear competitive advantage by being early to adopt SharePlay with no restrictions. This dates back to their early involvement design stages with Apple.

What Spotify Says About SharePlay Plans

In an October 2022 interview, Spotify‘s Chief R&D Officer Gustav Söderström stated:

"We’re continuing to try and make [SharePlay] work as best we can on our service. It’s a bit trickier on our side, but we’re doing what we can."

Reading between the lines, this implies:

1. Licensing remains the key obstacle.
2. Engineers are investgingating workarounds.
3. It‘s non-trivial effort for marginal gains.

My prediction is we‘ll see moderate SharePlay improvements over 2023, but limitations will remain unless external pressure builds substantially.

How to Troubleshoot SharePlay Issues on Spotify

If you‘ve run into frustrating issues trying to use SharePlay with Spotify, here are some things to try:

And if issues persist, keep reporting them directly to Spotify customer support. The more visibility problems get, the more incentive Spotify has to dedicate resources toward a proper fix!

Time To Speak Up!

SharePlay represents an exciting new frontier for shared listening. Products like Spotify‘s Group Session pale in comparison to the tight synchronization and platform integration SharePlay enables.

As a passionate fan advocating for the best social music experience possible, I encourage all of you to keep pushing Spotify to tear down their SharePlay restrictions. Their lackluster adoption leaves Apple Music poised to dominate the world of shared listening parties. But with enough voices speaking out, we can nudge Spotify to step up and deliver the SharePlay support users deserve!

What do you think? Are you satisfied with Spotify‘s current limits around SharePlay, or are you hungry for more? Share your thoughts in the comments!