Music streaming services let you share tracks, playlists, and now playing with friends. You can share what you’re listening to privately or publicly on social media. Most services, especially those that involve media have a robust sharing system in place. Spotify is no different. You can share the current song you’re listening to on social media or share a link to it via any messaging app. The only problem with this sharing method is that it forces you to use an intermediary app to share songs. You have to leave the Spotify app. Spotify has fixed that little problem. Spotify now has QR codes for sharing the current song and/or radio or playlist. You can share and scan Spotify QR codes from inside the app. Here’s how.
Share A QR Code
Make sure the Spotify app is up to date. Open the app and play a song, or a radio station. Tap the overflow button to go to the track’s options. You will see the usual ‘Save’ and ‘Add to playlist’ options. The QR code is incorporated in the bar under the album art for the track. You basically have to show this screen to a fellow Spotify user so they can scan it.
For a radio station, tap the radio station so that you’re on its home screen. Tap the overflow button at the top right. Again, the QR code is in the bar under the album art for the radio station. Show it to your friend so they can scan it.
You can get a QR code for all playlists in much the same way. QR codes aren’t limited to the playlists that Spotify generates. You can get a QR code for a custom playlist.
Scan Spotify QR Codes
Open the Spotify app and go to the Search tab. At the top, next to the search bar, is a camera button. Tap it to launch the app’s built-in QR code scanner. The app will need permission to access your camera. Point the camera towards a QR code and it will scan it. You will be taken to the track or radio station where you can play it.
When you scan Spotify QR codes, you have the option to save the song or playlist it points to, or play it right away. The song or the radio doesn’t start to play right away. If you scan the QR code for a song, Spotify will show you the entire album the song is from and give you the option to download it.
