Spotify is stepping into new territory by testing emergency alerts, TechCrunch reports.
Initially uncovered by technologist Chris Messina, the feature is being considered as a way to make Spotify a more essential app to its users. The tech, which reportedly includes a feature to disseminate public announcements about local accidents and serious events, is currently being tested in the company’s home market in Sweden.
Messina believes that the streaming giant will encourage users to enable push notifications for their app, making it more of a necessity. According to TechCrunch, users often disable alerts on “non-essential” apps, making it harder for them to capture users’ attention when marketing new features.
“At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” a Spotify representative told TechCrunch. “Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience while most serve only as an important learning.”
Whether the emergency alert feature will ultimately roll out to Spotify’s global user base remains to be seen. The company has not yet formally revealed the feature at the time of this writing.
