Starting with former First Lady Michelle Obama’s new podcast, Spotify is testing a quote-sharing feature that makes it easy to impart the lawyer and her guests’ pearls of wisdom without having to type them up yourself.
Simply launch The Michelle Obama Podcast on Spotify’s mobile app to summon what Engadget called “a carousel of available quotes.” The colorful slides include the speaker’s name and a timestamp signifying when the phrase was uttered. Tap the “Share” icon in the bottom right corner to post your favorite line to Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, or WhatsApp. As Gizmodo pointed out, this feature is currently limited to select users and a single podcast. It’s unclear what, if any, other programs may gain access in the future.
The streaming music platform did not immediately respond to PCMag’s request for comment, and danced around the question when posed by other news outlets. “At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” a spokesperson told Engadget. “Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience and others serve only as an important learning.”
Like most businesses, Spotify took a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, losing daily active users in the first quarter of the year. But, as folks return to some semblance of normal life, so has the Swedish company’s listening figures. According to its second-quarter earnings report, Spotify now boasts 299 million monthly active users and 138 million paying subscribers, and continues to grow in more than 90 global markets.
The firm never slowed down, though. In the last three months, it rolled out new features including an ad-free kids app, COVID-19 artist fundraiser, group sessions, couples-only subscription plan, and custom exercise playlists. Earlier this month, Spotify introduced a new video podcast feature that lets free and Premium subscribers listen and watch select series.
