Ever get that sudden, nagging curiosity about what your ex is blasting at 2 AM? Or maybe you just want to know if your best friend actually likes that obscure indie band they keep bragging about. We've all been there. Knowing how to see what friends are listening to on Spotify isn't just about being nosy; it’s about the social fabric of music discovery. Honestly, Spotify makes it weirdly difficult to find these settings sometimes, especially if you're jumping between a MacBook and an iPhone.
The Desktop app is where the magic happens, but mobile is a whole different beast. It's frustrating. You’d think a platform built on "wrapped" stats and social sharing would make it seamless. It doesn't.
The Desktop Friend Activity trick
If you're on a computer, you're in luck. This is the only place where you can see a live, scrolling ticker of your friends' questionable taste in 90s Eurodance. Look at the top right corner. See that little icon that looks like two people? Click it. That toggles the Friend Activity pane.
If it’s empty, don't panic. You probably haven't connected your Facebook account yet, or your friends have (rightfully) gone into witness protection mode by enabling Private Session.
To get the feed running, you usually need to head into Settings. Scroll down—way down—to the "Social" section. There’s a toggle there: "See what your friends are playing." Flip it on. If you still see nothing, it’s likely a syncing issue with your Facebook profile. Spotify’s integration with Meta has always been a bit buggy, and sometimes you have to disconnect and reconnect to jumpstart the feed. It's annoying, but it works.
Why mobile feels like a ghost town
Here is the truth: you cannot see a live "Friend Activity" feed on the Spotify mobile app. Not on iOS. Not on Android. It just doesn't exist.
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Spotify claims this is to keep the mobile interface "clean," but most users just find it limiting. If you want to know how to see what friends are listening to on Spotify while you're on the bus, you have to do some manual digging. You have to go to their specific profile.
Go to the "Home" tab, hit the magnifying glass, and type in your friend's name. Tap their profile. If they have "Recently Played Artists" toggled on, you’ll see a row of bands they’ve been spinning lately. It isn't live. It won't tell you they are currently three minutes into a Taylor Swift deep cut, but it gives you the gist of their current vibe.
The "Community" workaround for mobile
Some people try to use third-party sites like Receiptify or Stats.fm to track friends. While these are cool for seeing your own data, they only show your friends' data if those friends also use the app and have opted into public sharing. It's a lot of hoops to jump through. Honestly, if you're that desperate to see their live activity on mobile, your best bet is to open Spotify in a mobile browser and request the "Desktop Site" version. It’s clunky. The UI will be microscopic. But the Friend Activity sidebar will show up.
Privacy settings are the ultimate wall
We have to talk about the "Private Session." It is the bane of the music-snooper's existence.
When someone toggles on a Private Session, they vanish from the grid. Their current track won't show up in your sidebar, and it won't influence their personalized recommendations like "Discover Weekly." Most people use this when they’re listening to white noise for sleep or perhaps a guilty pleasure podcast they don't want the world to see.
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There is also a permanent setting. In the Social settings menu, there’s an option called "Share my listening activity on Spotify." If your friend has this turned off, you will never see what they are listening to. Period. No hack, no work-around, no special software can bypass Spotify’s end-to-end privacy toggle.
Finding new friends to follow
Sometimes the sidebar is empty because you simply don't follow anyone. If you aren't a Facebook user, finding people is a chore.
- Hit "Home."
- Tap the "Settings" gear.
- Tap "View Profile."
- Hit the three dots (...) and select "Find Friends."
This will pull from your phone contacts if you give it permission. It's much more reliable than the Facebook sync, which feels like a relic of 2012.
The psychology of the Sidebar
According to various user experience studies and forums like the Spotify Community, the "Friend Activity" feature is one of the most requested features for mobile, yet Spotify refuses to port it over. Why? Data suggests it’s about battery consumption and screen real estate. Constant polling of your friends' API data drains juice.
But for the user, it creates a sense of "ambient intimacy." You aren't talking to these people, but you know they're awake because you see them listening to lo-fi beats at 3 AM. It makes the world feel a little smaller.
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Getting your own activity to show up
If your friends are complaining that they can’t see you, you’ve likely accidentally locked your profile down. It happens. Go to Settings > Social and make sure "Share my listening activity on Spotify" is green.
Also, check your "Recently Played" list on your profile. Even if the live activity is off, this list acts as a historical record. If you want to hide a specific playlist from this view, you have to right-click the playlist (on desktop) and select "Make Secret."
Actionable steps for total visibility
To maximize your social experience on Spotify, do this right now:
- Switch to Desktop for the only true live-tracking experience.
- Check your Social settings to ensure "Friend Activity" is actually enabled; it often resets after app updates.
- Reconnect Facebook if the sidebar is blank but you know your friends are active.
- Follow people manually via their usernames or profile links rather than relying on the "Find Friends" algorithm, which is notoriously spotty.
- Respect the Private Session. If someone isn't showing up, they probably don't want to be perceived.
The reality of how to see what friends are listening to on Spotify is that it's a desktop-first world. Until Spotify decides to overhaul the mobile app architecture, you'll be stuck clicking through individual profiles on your phone. It’s a bit more work, but the payoff of finding a great new song—or catching a friend in a weird musical phase—is usually worth the three extra taps.