Spotify finally brings sound to Instagram Stories

In a long-awaited update, Instagram users can now share Spotify tracks to their Stories with a 15-second audio preview, marking a notable upgrade in music sharing across platforms. For years, sharing songs from Spotify to Instagram meant settling for a silent sticker and a clickable link—far from the rich, seamless experience users had been hoping for. Workarounds included layering music manually via Instagram’s music sticker, or, in more extreme cases, screen-recording tracks directly from Spotify to upload them as video Stories.

With the latest integration, that era of silence is officially over. Instagram Stories will now include an actual audio snippet from Spotify, allowing followers to listen instantly without needing to leave the app. The 15-second preview plays automatically within the Story, streamlining music discovery and sharing for artists and fans alike.

This move gives Spotify a slight edge over some of its competitors in the streaming space. YouTube Music, for example, introduced a similar feature in 2022 after experimenting with it back in 2020. However, as of early 2025, users continue to express frustration over the absence of sound when sharing tracks via YouTube Music to platforms like Instagram or Snapchat. Spotify’s solution appears more polished, helping bridge that user experience gap and reinforcing its reputation as a more socially connected streaming service.

In addition to this music-sharing upgrade, Instagram is rolling out new features to enhance the creative experience on Stories and Reels. Among the latest is a fresh collection of fonts, debuting with a limited-time typeface inspired by singer Rosalia’s handwriting. Users who select the Rosalia font will also unlock unique symbols she personally designed, which appear when typing specific phrases. The partnership adds a personal and artistic layer to Instagram content, tapping into the growing demand for custom and expressive design options.

Meanwhile, back on Spotify’s own platform, the company is walking back a controversial change to its podcast display system. Earlier this year, Spotify began showing exact play counts on all podcast episodes, a move that was met with considerable backlash from the creator community. While transparency was the stated goal, many smaller, independent podcasters felt the change painted them in an unfair light—especially when their modest play counts were placed side-by-side with shows produced by major networks.

The response from creators was swift and critical. Many voiced concerns that displaying precise play counts discouraged new listeners and damaged discoverability for less-established voices. In response to the uproar, Spotify revised the feature: now, podcast episodes will only display public play counts once they surpass 50,000 streams. Even then, listeners will see only rounded milestones, such as "50K" or "100K", rather than an exact number. The adjustment aims to protect smaller creators from being overshadowed while still offering a sense of scale for episodes that gain traction.

Together, these developments highlight Spotify’s ongoing efforts to balance platform transparency with user experience and creator fairness. By enhancing how content is shared and displayed—whether through Stories on Instagram or podcast metrics within the app—Spotify seems intent on maintaining its leadership in digital media engagement.

As both Meta and Spotify continue to deepen the integration between their platforms, the lines between social networking and media streaming are becoming increasingly blurred. Features like in-app music previews and customizable visuals reflect a broader trend: content is no longer just about consumption—it’s about sharing, discovery, and expression. For everyday users, creators, and artists alike, that means a more dynamic and connected way to interact with the content they love.