Music, podcasts, audiobooks…emergency notifications? Spotify’s latest test has the streaming app venturing into new territory with a test of an emergency notification system in its home market of Sweden. According to code references found in the Spotify app, the company is considering a system that would help distribute public announcements related to things like “accidents, serious incidents or major service interruptions.”
The company confirmed to TechCrunch that it is testing such a system, but did not explain why it would be interested in providing this kind of service to its users. There’s no Swedish law requiring the app to do so, and Spotify says it’s currently only investigating whether or not the app could support something like an emergency notification system.
The feature was first revealed by a technologist and reverse engineer Chris Messina, who thought an emergency notification service could prompt Spotify users to turn on their app’s notifications. Often, users turn off notifications from non-essential apps, such as those in the social networking or entertainment space, making it harder for the app to grab users’ attention and promote its new features.
But more generally, emergency notification support could also solidify Spotify’s position as a more essential app to have on hand. It also crosses into Meta territory, as the social network has offered ways for users to receive updates during major disasters for nearly a decade with its Safety Checkup feature. Google has also leveraged the popularity of its app to alert users of disasters, as with earthquake alerts on Android. In the US, lawmakers have previously weigh the idea of the requirement online video and streaming applications to support emergency notifications in addition to television and radio broadcasters and cable television systems.
Spotify’s app code references mention the feature in the following phrases:
- “Emergency Notifications in Sweden”
- “Get public emergency notifications”
- “Important public announcement, IPA, is the system used to notify the public in Sweden in the event of accidents, serious incidents or disruption of important services.”
- “Visit the Swedish Civil Security Agency’s website for more information.”
Reached for comment, a company spokesperson for Spotify confirmed the test in a statement, adding that it was currently only being tested in Sweden.
“At Spotify, we regularly run a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” they said. “Some of these tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience, while most just serve as an important learning.”
