Spotify Mobile App Gains Podcast Timestamp Sharing Feature

Spotify has announced the availability of podcast timestamp sharing, a new feature of its mobile app that lets users share podcasts beginning at a particular moment.

Previously, it was only possible to share a podcast link to an entire episode on Spotify. Timestamp sharing means the shared podcast will play for the recipient from the time that the sender chooses, allowing them to highlight specific content.

To share a timestamp, users can tap the Share button while listening to an episode, use the "switch to share" feature at the current playtime, and then select how they want to share the content. Tapping the shared link jumps to the chosen playtime.

In another development, Spotify is unveiling an updated sharing menu in its mobile app, including a way to preview what's being shared, and an improved destination list based on the social apps the user has installed. The changes are linked to Spotify's decision to bring its Canvas feature to Snapchat.

Previously limited to sharing on Instagram Stories, Canvas turns static song pages in Spotify into video-art showcases with the help of eight-second visual loops. By previewing a Canvas being shared on Instagram or Snapchat, users will be able to see ahead of time how it will look on their social channel.

Late last month, Spotify announced a new paid subscription platform for podcasts that allows podcasters to mark episodes as "subscriber only" without taking revenue from their paid-for content. Spotify unveiled the platform just a week after Apple announced its own upcoming podcast subscription service, for which Apple will collect 30% of podcast subscription fees that creators generate in their first year.