One of the best features Spotify offers is the ability to see what your friends are listening to at any moment of the day. But we all have playlists that aren’t meant to be shared with everyone (you know), and letting people glimpse into your “alone time” can get downright awkward. Thankfully, there's a feature you might not be aware of that allows you to hide your music from your followers in just a few simple steps. Here's everything you need to know about how to start a private session on Spotify so you can finally stream your guilty pleasure songs and sneaky link playlists with peace of mind.
If you didn't know, the Friends Activity section is a desktop, mobile, and tablet feature that lets you see what songs your friends are listening to and vice versa. It's a great way to stay connected with distant friends, but just like you control what your followers see on social media, you should be able to choose when your friends can see what you're listening to. That's where the Private Sessions feature comes in, which pauses your friends' activity and lets you stream without judgment. Yes, you can spin a sad girl playlist without worrying about getting a "How are you?" A text message from your bestie.
Once you understand what this feature is all about, you'll be able to toggle the private conversation tool on and off so quickly that your friends won't even notice you've gone offline.
What are private sessions on Spotify?
Private sessions disable your friend activity for a period of time so that your followers can't see what you're listening to. It's basically Spotify's version of web browser "incognito mode." Once you're in a private session, you can close it yourself, or it can end automatically when you restart Spotify or after a long period of inactivity.
According to the private listening page on Spotify's support site, your recommendations are not affected by private sessions, but the music you listen to in private sessions "may not affect your music recommendations, such as Discover Weekly."
How to start a private session on Spotify
Depending on the device you're using, the process for starting a Private Session may be different, so here's a quick look at how Spotify's Private Sessions feature works on mobile, desktop, and tablets when you just want to keep your playlists You and between your headphones.
How to start a private session on Spotify on desktop
Listen to your focus playlist while you work, or put on that podcast you and your roommates always listen to together? No matter what you're listening to, you can start a private session on your laptop with these simple steps:
- Open the Spotify desktop app.
- Click the down arrow next to your username in the upper right corner.
- Click "Private Meeting."
You can also access the feature by selecting "Settings" in the drop-down menu, scrolling down the "Social" section, and turning on the "Start a private session to listen anonymously" option.
Once turned on, a blue lock icon will appear at the top of the screen next to your username that says "Private Session." A checkmark will also appear next to the "Private Session" option in the drop-down menu.
When you're ready to get back online, all you have to do is click on the Private Sessions option or turn off the feature in Settings.
How to start a private session on Spotify on phones and tablets
If you don't want anyone to know how you feel while streaming on the go, here's what you need to do to enable private sessions:
- Open the Spotify app.
- Click on the house-shaped home icon.
- Click the settings gear icon.
- Select "Privacy & Social."
- Toggle "Private Meeting".
Once you do this, you'll see the words "Private Session" at the bottom of the screen.
You don't need an excuse to start a private session, but if you have a playlist you'd rather keep on the DL or you want to listen to that song that reminds you of your ex in private, that's okay too.
