July 3, 2024, 1:02 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Spotify recently made headlines due to a potential price increase and the removal of the lyrics display in its freemium subscription. Currently, however, the provider is working on a feature that is quite positive for users, though it has little to do with music.
Nowadays, many smartphone users not only carry their devices with them at all times, but they also check them regularly. Smartphones are therefore excellent for quickly reaching a large number of people. This is especially important in emergencies and disasters. This is exactly where Spotify is focusing with a current trial. In its home country of Sweden, the streaming provider is currently testing emergency alerts through its own Spotify app.
From Cell Broadcast to Disaster Warning Apps
In Germany, warnings about severe weather, floods, major fires, or other emergencies have been issued via Cell Broadcast since 2023. Almost every mobile phone user should be familiar with them, as the federal government has already tested them in several trials. In the event of a disaster, people in the affected region receive a push notification directly on their smartphones—regardless of their model or network provider. The Cell Broadcast warning system operates over the mobile network and is offered in countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, and Greece, in addition to Germany.
In contrast, cross-border solutions include special disaster warning apps like Katwarn or Nina. They also issue a push alert in an emergency—provided users have installed the respective app. The advantage of such apps: Users are not only warned if something happens at their current location. They can also mark other regions and receive alerts if an emergency occurs there.
Emergency Alerts via Spotify Could Reach Millions of Users
The downside of apps like Nina or Katwarn: They must be actively installed and set up on the smartphone. This is where Spotify comes in. The provider counted 602 million monthly active users worldwide in the first quarter of 2024 (via Statista), making it one of the major app providers and service providers. A large portion of these users likely have the Spotify app installed on their smartphones, making it an ideal candidate for pushing emergency alerts.
Currently, the music streaming provider is testing the new feature in its home market of Sweden. Spotify confirmed to colleagues at “t3n” that it is considering a system that could inform users about “accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services.” Developer Chris Messina, who has frequently discovered new features at Spotify, also found a reference to the current test in the app’s code. He suspects that Spotify wants to encourage users to activate the push notification necessary for an emergency alert within the app. Through this method, Spotify could also push additional notifications related to its own services and offerings.