Spotify, known for streaming music, podcasts, and audiobooks, is now testing an emergency alerts system in its home market of Sweden. This new feature would help distribute public announcements regarding accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services, as hinted in code references within the Spotify app.
While Spotify confirmed the test of this system, the reason behind providing such a service remains unclear. Despite no legal requirement in Sweden for this feature, Spotify is exploring the possibility of integrating an emergency alerts system into its app.
The discovery of this potential feature was made by technologist Chris Messina, who suggested that an emergency alerts service could encourage users to enable app notifications. By supporting emergency alerts, Spotify could establish itself as a more essential app and potentially compete with Meta’s Safety Check feature for disaster updates.
Legislators in the U.S. have previously discussed the idea of requiring online streaming services, like Spotify, to support emergency alerts, similar to TV and radio broadcasters.
Spotify’s app code mentions phrases related to the feature, such as “Emergency alerts in Sweden” and “Receive public emergency alerts.” A company representative confirmed the test of the feature in Sweden only, emphasizing that it is part of ongoing efforts to enhance user experience through testing.