A new connection is just a song away
A concept feature for Spotify that turns shared listening into a low-pressure way to meet people nearby. Streaming has made music discovery passive — TikTok picks the songs, and third places to meet strangers are disappearing. Nearby surfaces the person next to you who's playing the same track, and lets a shared taste in music open the door.
The Brief
Spotify already knows more about what people are listening to, right now, than almost any other platform. The brief was to explore what that data could unlock beyond the algorithm — real, in-person connection.
Market Analysis
Four shifts made the timing right for a feature like this — and exposed the gap Spotify is uniquely positioned to fill.
Target Audience
Alex is a new student starting a new adventure in a new city where he doesn't know anyone yet. He loves listening to music on Spotify and discovering new artists and playlists.
What We Built
Spotify Nearby — same song, same place, same moment. A free-to-premium feature that turns a shared soundtrack into a reason to say hi.
Concept Details
The flow moves from opt-in to notification to connection, with a privacy-first setup at every step.
Settings
Users first choose to enable the feature and customise their privacy settings — visibility, location scope, minimum taste-match, and chat expiry are all user-controlled.
Notified
Someone nearby is playing what you're playing — a lock-screen and in-app nudge lets you see who, or dismiss it.
Matched & Wave
Free users see how compatible they are and what they share. Premium unlocks the Wave — one tap to say hi.
Chat
A low-pressure conversation opens up — anchored in the track that brought two people together in the first place.
Monetization
Free users get the hint — proximity, compatibility, a profile to view. Premium is what turns that hint into an actual conversation, giving Spotify a genuinely social reason to upgrade.
Measurements
Success here isn't just engagement, it's whether the feature builds trust while it grows.
What's Next
Nearby was designed as a first step, with room to grow into physical spaces and partnerships.
Reflection
Designing a social feature inside a product people already trust meant privacy couldn't be an afterthought — it had to be the first decision users made, not the last.
Working across three of us pushed the concept further than any of us would have landed on alone, especially on where the line sits between "helpful nudge" and "surveillance."