The simplest way to add a friend on Spotify
To add a friend on Spotify, open the app and tap the search icon at the bottom of the screen. Type your friend's username or full name in the search box. When their profile appears, tap it to open their profile page, then tap the "Follow" button (it looks like a person with a plus sign). That's it — you're now following them, and they'll see you as a follower on their profile.
Following someone on Spotify is different from adding them as a friend on social media. When you follow someone, you can see what they're listening to in real time (if they haven't turned off activity sharing), and you can see their public playlists. They don't have to approve the follow — it happens when ready. If your friend has made their profile private, you still follow them, but you won't see their activity or playlists.
The follow button is the only way to connect with someone directly through Spotify itself. The app doesn't have a traditional "friend request" system where someone has to accept before the connection works.
Key Takeaways
- Search for your friend by username or full name, open their profile, and tap the Follow button to connect with them on Spotify.
- Following someone happens when ready — they don't have to approve it, but they will see you as a follower on their profile.
- When you follow someone, you can see their listening activity and public playlists if they haven't turned off activity sharing.
- If your friend's profile is private, you can still follow them, but their activity and playlists will be hidden from you.
Finding your friend's username
If you don't know your friend's Spotify username, ask them directly — it's the easiest way. Your friend can find their username by opening Spotify, tapping their profile picture in the top right corner, and looking at the name displayed under their profile photo. Some people use their real name as their username, while others create custom usernames that look nothing like their actual name.
You can also search by your friend's full name if you don't have their username. Open the search tab, type their name, and look through the results. If they have a common name, you may see multiple profiles — look for a profile picture you recognize or ask your friend which one is theirs.
If your friend has a very private profile and doesn't want to share their username, you won't be able to find them through Spotify's search. In that case, they would need to adjust their privacy settings to make their profile searchable, or you can ask them to follow you instead.
What happens after you follow someone
Once you follow someone, their profile appears in your "Following" list. You can see this list by tapping your profile picture, then tapping "Following." From there, you can tap any person's name to visit their profile and see what they're listening to right now (if activity sharing is on) and browse their public playlists.
Your friend will also see you in their "Followers" list. They can tap on your name to see your activity and playlists the same way. If either of you turns off activity sharing in your privacy settings, the other person won't see what you're listening to in real time, but you can still follow each other and see public playlists.
You can unfollow someone at any time by opening their profile and tapping the "Following" button again — it will change back to "Follow." Unfollowing someone doesn't send them a notification, but they will notice you're no longer in their followers list if they check.
Turning activity sharing on or off
By default, Spotify shows your listening activity to people who follow you. If you don't want others to see what you're listening to, you can turn this off. On the mobile app, tap your profile picture, then tap "Settings." Scroll down to "Social" and toggle off "Share my listening activity." On the desktop app, go to Edit > Preferences, find the Social section, and uncheck "Share my listening activity."
When you turn off activity sharing, people who follow you can still see your public playlists and your profile, but they won't see songs you're playing in real time. You'll also stop seeing their activity in real time. This setting affects everyone — you can't turn activity sharing on for one person and off for another.
If you want to keep activity sharing on but hide it from specific people, Spotify doesn't offer that option. Your only choice is to turn it off completely or leave it on for everyone.
Making your profile private
If you want to limit who can see your profile and playlists, you can make your profile private. On mobile, tap your profile picture, go to "Settings," scroll to "Social," and toggle on "Private account." On desktop, go to Edit > Preferences, find Social, and check "Private account." When your profile is private, people can still follow you, but they won't see your activity or public playlists.
A private profile also means people can't find you by searching your name or username — they would need you to share a direct link to your profile to follow you. This is useful if you want to control who sees your listening habits, but it does make it harder for friends to discover you on the platform.
You can switch between private and public at any time. Changing your privacy setting doesn't affect people who already follow you — they just lose the ability to see your activity or playlists once you go private.
Connecting Spotify to other apps and services
Some apps and services let you connect your Spotify account to find and add friends more easily. For example, if you connect Spotify to Discord, your Discord friends can see what you're listening to, and you can find them on Spotify through Discord's integration. Similarly, some music discovery apps let you import your Spotify friends list or find friends who use the same app.
To connect Spotify to another app, open that app's settings and look for a "Connect to Spotify" or "Link Account" option. You'll be asked to log in with your Spotify account and give the app permission to access certain information. Read what permissions the app is asking for — most apps only need to see your profile and listening activity, but some ask for more.
Connecting Spotify to other services is optional and doesn't change how following works on Spotify itself. You can disconnect at any time by going to your Spotify account settings, finding "Apps and websites," and removing the connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add someone as a friend if they don't have a Spotify account yet?
No, you can only follow people who already have a Spotify account. Once your friend creates an account and sets up a username, you can search for them and follow them. You can share your Spotify profile link with them so they can find you once they're set up.
Will my friend know when I follow them?
Spotify doesn't send a notification when someone follows you, but your friend will see you in their followers list if they check their profile. Some third-party apps that track Spotify activity may notify them, but the official Spotify app does not.
What's the difference between following someone and adding them as a friend?
Spotify doesn't have a "friend" feature — following is the only way to connect with someone. When you follow someone, you can see their activity and playlists (if they haven't made their profile private). It's a one-way connection, meaning you can follow someone without them following you back.
Can I see what my friends are listening to right now?
Yes, if you follow them and they have activity sharing turned on. Open their profile and you'll see what they're currently playing. If they've turned off activity sharing or made their profile private, you won't see their real-time activity, but you can still see their public playlists.
How do I stop someone from seeing my listening activity?
Turn off activity sharing in your privacy settings. Go to your profile, tap Settings, find the Social section, and toggle off "Share my listening activity." This hides your activity from everyone who follows you, but they can still see your public playlists if your profile is public.