How to Start a Jam on Spotify (Phone & Desktop)

Starting a Jam on Spotify lets you and your friends listen to the same playlist together in real time, with each person able to add songs from their own libraries. You need a Spotify Premium account to create a Jam, and everyone joining needs their own Spotify account (a free account is fine for joining). This guide covers the exact steps on both the mobile app and the desktop app.

What You’ll Need

• A Spotify Premium subscription (required to start a Jam)
• The Spotify app installed on your phone (iOS or Android) or the desktop app for Windows/Mac
• Friends who have the Spotify app (free accounts can join)
• Both you and your friends need to be online (Wi-Fi or cellular data)

Step-by-Step

On iPhone or Android (Mobile App)

1. Open Spotify and play a song, playlist, or album you want to share. It can be anything from your library or a search result.
2. Tap the Now Playing bar at the bottom of the screen to expand the full player view.
3. Look for the speaker icon in the bottom-left corner of the Now Playing screen (it’s next to the song progress bar). Tap it.
4. Select “Start a Jam� from the menu that appears. It will be near the top of the list, above “Connect to a device.�
5. Wait a moment while Spotify prepares the session. You’ll see a screen with a preview of the queue and a large “Invite friends� button.
6. Tap “Invite friends� to share the Jam link. You can send it via text message, WhatsApp, Messenger, email, or copy the link and paste it anywhere. You can also tap the “Share� icon to bring up your phone’s share sheet.
7. Send the link to whoever you want to join. They just tap the link, and Spotify will open and add them to the Jam.
8. Check the participant list by tapping the person icon at the top of the Jam screen. You’ll see everyone who has joined.

On Desktop (Windows or Mac)

1. Open the Spotify desktop app and play a song, playlist, or album.
2. Click the speaker icon in the bottom-right corner of the Now Playing bar (next to the volume slider).
3. Click “Start a Jam� from the pop-up menu.
4. Click “Invite friends� to generate a shareable link. The link appears in a small window.
5. Copy the link and send it to your friends through any messaging app. They can open it on their phone or desktop.
6. Monitor the Jam from the same speaker icon menu. You’ll see who’s joined and the current queue.

How Friends Join

1. Your friend taps or clicks the link you sent.
2. Spotify opens (or prompts them to open the app) and shows a “Join Jam� screen.
3. They tap “Join� and are immediately added to the session.
4. They can now add songs to the queue by tapping the “Add to Jam� button (a plus icon) on any song, playlist, or album.

Common Mistakes

• Using a free account to start a Jam: Only Premium users can create a Jam. Free users can only join. If you don’t see “Start a Jam,â€� check your subscription status.
• Not playing anything first: You must have a song or playlist actively playing (or at least selected) before the speaker icon shows the “Start a Jamâ€� option. If nothing is in the queue, the option may be greyed out.
• Sending the link to someone without Spotify: The link only works if the recipient has the Spotify app installed. If they don’t, they’ll be taken to a download page first.
• Forgetting to keep the app open: If you close Spotify completely, the Jam ends for everyone. It’s fine to switch to other apps, but don’t force-quit Spotify.
• Confusing Jam with Group Session: The older “Group Sessionâ€� feature is being phased out. If you don’t see it, use Jam instead. The steps are slightly different, so don’t look for the old “Start Group Sessionâ€� button.

Tips

• Set a vibe with a playlist first: Start a Jam from a playlist you’ve already curated. That way, the initial queue is solid, and friends can add on top of it.
• Use the “Add to Jamâ€� button everywhere: Friends don’t have to be in the Jam screen to add songs. They can browse their own library, search, or open any playlist and hit the plus icon to contribute.
• Control who can add songs: As the host, you can tap your profile picture in the Jam screen and toggle “Only I can add songsâ€� if the queue gets chaotic.
• Rename the Jam: On mobile, tap the three dots in the Jam screen and select “Edit Jamâ€� to give it a fun name like “Road Trip Mixâ€� or “Friday Night.â€�
• Everyone controls playback: Any participant can pause, skip, or rewind, and it affects everyone. If you want to keep control, ask friends to only add songs, not control playback.
• Use it for parties, not just long-distance: Jam works great even when everyone is in the same room. It syncs perfectly, so you don’t need a speaker cable.

Troubleshooting

“Start a Jam� isn’t showing up. First, make sure your Spotify app is updated to the latest version. If it is, check that you have an active Premium subscription (go to Settings → Account). If you’re on a family or student plan, that still counts. Finally, try playing a different song and tapping the speaker icon again. If it still doesn’t appear, restart the app.

Friends can’t join the link. Ask them to make sure they have the Spotify app installed and are logged in. If they tap the link and nothing happens, try copying the link and sending it again. Sometimes the preview in messaging apps doesn’t load; the raw link still works. If they’re on a computer, they need the desktop app or they can open it in a web browser (but the web player has limited Jam support).

The Jam keeps disconnecting or songs stutter. This is usually a network issue. Make sure both you and your friends have a stable internet connection. If you’re on cellular data, try switching to Wi-Fi. Also, check that no one in the Jam is using a VPN, which can interfere with the connection.

Someone got kicked out and can’t rejoin. The host can see the participant list and tap the “X� next to a name to remove them. If it happened accidentally, just send them the link again. If the host left the Jam, the Jam ends for everyone; there’s no way to transfer host status.

Songs added by friends aren’t playing. This can happen if the host has “Only I can add songs� enabled. Check that setting. Also, if a friend adds a song that’s not available in your region, it will be greyed out and skipped. Finally, if the queue is very long, the added song will play later; you can see the full queue by tapping the queue icon.

The Jam screen says “No one is listening.� This usually means the link was never sent or everyone left. Send the invite link again. If you’re trying to join your own Jam from another device, that’s not possible—you can only be in one session at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I start a Jam with a free Spotify account? No. Only Spotify Premium subscribers can create a Jam. Free accounts can join a Jam that someone else started.

How many people can join a Jam? Spotify doesn’t publish a hard limit, but in practice Jams work well with up to around 20 participants. Very large groups may experience lag or connection issues.

Can I use Jam on a smart speaker or TV? Jam works with Spotify Connect. You can start a Jam on your phone and then cast the playback to a speaker or TV using the devices icon. Everyone in the Jam will still control the same queue.

Does everyone need to be in the same country? No, but songs may be unavailable in some regions. If a friend adds a song that’s blocked in your country, it will be skipped and a message will appear in the queue.

Can I end a Jam early? Yes, as the host, just close the Spotify app entirely or tap “End� in the Jam screen (usually found in the three-dot menu). Ending the Jam stops the shared session for everyone.

What’s the difference between Jam and the old Group Session? Jam is the newer feature that replaces Group Session. Jam works on more devices and has an easier invite system. If you see “Group Session� in your app, it’s an older version; use Jam instead.

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