Fix Spotify Not Showing Friend Activity

If Spotify isn’t showing friend activity, it’s usually because the friend activity feed is hidden in your settings, you’re using a private session, or the friend you’re looking for has disabled their own activity sharing. You can fix it by checking your Spotify settings, turning off Private Session, and making sure you follow the friend you want to see. Below is a step-by-step guide to get the friend activity feed back on desktop and mobile.

What Is the Friend Activity Feed?

The Friend Activity feed is a sidebar on Spotify’s desktop app that shows what your friends are listening to in real time. It appears on the right side of the app, under a “Friend Activity” heading. On mobile, the feed is less prominent; you can see it by tapping the “Listen Now” icon (a person silhouette) in the top-right corner of the Home tab. The feed only shows activity from people you follow, and it respects each user’s privacy settings. If you don’t see it, it’s not a glitch—it’s likely a setting or a privacy choice.

Why Is Friend Activity Missing?

There are several common reasons why the feed disappears or shows nothing:

Private Session is on. When you start a Private Session, your listening activity is hidden from friends. If you don’t see anyone, it could be that you’re in a Private Session, or your friends are.
The feed is hidden in settings. Spotify has a toggle for “See what your friends are playing” that can be turned off. If it’s off, the feed won’t appear at all.
You’re not following anyone. The feed only shows people you follow. If you follow no one, it will be empty.
Your friends have disabled sharing. Each user can turn off “Listening Activity” in their own settings. If a friend has this off, you won’t see them regardless of your settings.
You’re using a free account. In some regions, the friend activity feed is only available to Premium subscribers. Free users may not see it at all.

How to Turn On Friend Activity (Desktop)

For the desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux), follow these steps:

Open Spotify and log in.
Click the down arrow next to your profile picture in the top-right corner.
Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
Scroll down to the Social section.
Toggle on See what your friends are playing. If it’s already on, toggle it off and on again to refresh.
Look for the Friend Activity sidebar on the right. If it’s not visible, click the Friend Activity icon in the bottom-right corner of the app (a person with a music note).

If the sidebar still doesn’t appear, check that you’re not in a Private Session: click the clock with a lock icon in the bottom-right corner of the app and select Private Session to toggle it off.

How to Turn On Friend Activity (Mobile)

On the Spotify mobile app (iOS and Android), the friend activity feed is not as prominent, but you can still see it:

Tap the Home tab at the bottom.
Tap the Listen Now icon (a person silhouette) in the top-right corner. This shows a list of friends who are currently listening.
If you don’t see anyone, tap the gear icon (Settings) from the Home screen.
Scroll to Social and toggle on See what your friends are playing.
Also check that Private Session is off: go to Settings > Playback and look for Private Session. Toggle it off if it’s on.

Note: On mobile, the feed only shows friends who are currently listening, not a continuous list like on desktop.

Why You Can’t See a Specific Friend

Even with everything enabled, you might not see a particular friend. Here’s why:

They haven’t followed you back. On Spotify, you can follow someone without them following you, but the friend activity feed only shows people you follow, regardless of whether they follow you back. However, if they have their activity hidden, you won’t see them.
They’re in a Private Session. If your friend has Private Session on, their activity is hidden from everyone.
They’ve disabled listening activity. In their settings, under Social, they may have turned off Share my listening activity on Spotify. This is a per-user setting that you can’t override.
They’re listening on a device that doesn’t report activity. Some third-party devices or web players might not send activity data.

If you’ve checked all these and still can’t see them, ask your friend to check their own settings. It’s likely on their end.

Common Misconceptions

One common misconception is that the friend activity feed shows everyone you follow. In reality, it only shows people who have explicitly allowed their activity to be shared. Another misconception is that the feed is broken when it’s empty—but it’s often just a privacy setting. Also, note that the friend activity feed is not available on the web player (play.spotify.com) at all; you must use the desktop app or mobile app. If you’re using a free account, the feed may also be missing entirely, as it’s a Premium feature in many regions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my friend activity not showing on Spotify desktop?

Go to Settings > Social and make sure “See what your friends are playing” is toggled on. Also check that you’re not in a Private Session (look for the lock icon in the bottom-right corner). If the sidebar still doesn’t appear, try logging out and back in, or restarting the app.

Can I see friend activity on Spotify mobile?

Yes, but it’s limited. Tap the “Listen Now” icon on the Home tab to see friends currently listening. You can also enable the same social setting in the mobile app’s settings. The mobile feed doesn’t show a continuous list like desktop—only who’s listening right now.

Why can’t I see my friend’s activity even though we follow each other?

Your friend may have turned off “Share my listening activity on Spotify” in their settings, or they may be in a Private Session. Ask them to check their Social settings. Also, ensure you’re following them (not just they follow you).

Does the friend activity feed work on free Spotify accounts?

In many regions, the friend activity feed is a Premium-only feature. If you’re on a free account, you may not see the feed at all. Check your settings; if the toggle is missing, it’s likely because of your account type.

How do I hide my own friend activity on Spotify?

To hide your activity, go to Settings > Social and toggle off “Share my listening activity on Spotify.” You can also start a Private Session by clicking the lock icon in the bottom-right corner of the desktop app or via Settings > Playback on mobile. This hides your activity temporarily.

Why is the friend activity feed empty even though I have friends?

This usually means none of your friends are currently listening with their activity visible. The feed only shows real-time activity, so if your friends aren’t using Spotify at that moment, it will appear empty. Also, if they have their activity hidden, they won’t show up.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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