On Monday, Instagram announced it will finally add the ability to listen to previews of songs users have shared from Spotify to stories.
Instagram has long allowed users to share Spotify songs with stories, but they do so without sound, simply providing a link to songs on streaming platforms. Now, when users post songs to their stories, viewers can listen to previews of the songs on Instagram.
Small but notable changes make it easier to share and discover music on the platform without leaving the app.
The move comes just a few weeks after social networks roll out similar features in their Instagram notes. Users can now stream songs directly from Spotify to Instagram notes, allowing their followers to see and check what music they use in real time.
The new features will help position Instagram as a hub for music discovery, and as a result, it can encourage people to spend more time on the app. Additionally, building music features could make Instagram more competitive with Tiktok. This already dominates the space and has influenced music charts around the world.
Image credit: Instagram
Instagram also announced on Monday that it will be rolling out new fonts for stories and reels. First, the platform introduces a limited-time font inspired by the handwriting of singer and songwriter Rosalia.
Users can unlock secret symbols by Rosalía when entering characters such as “:-)”, ***”, “<3".