Emergency alerts, podcasts, audiobooks, and music? The streaming application Spotify has recently conducted a test in its native market of Sweden, where it is experimenting with an emergency alerts system. Code references within the Spotify app indicate that the company is contemplating the implementation of a system to facilitate the dissemination of public announcements concerning “accidents, serious events, or disruptions of critical services.”
The company confirmed to Eltrys that it is currently testing a system of this nature. However, it did not explain why it would offer this service to its customers. Spotify is considering adding an emergency notification system to the app since there is no Swedish law requiring it.
Chris Messina, a technologist and reverse engineer, was the first to discover the feature. Messina hypothesised that an emergency alert service could encourage Spotify users to enable their app notifications. In many cases, users disable alerts from non-essential applications, such as those in the social networking or entertainment sectors, which complicates the app’s ability to attract users’ attention and promote its new features. 
However, its support for emergency alerts could further solidify Spotify’s status as a more indispensable application. It also enters Meta’s domain, as the social network has provided users with updates during significant disasters through its Safety Check feature for nearly a decade. Google also used its app’s prominence to notify users of disasters, such as earthquake alerts on Android. In the United States, legislators have previously considered the possibility of mandating that online video and streaming applications, in addition to TV and radio broadcasters and cable TV systems, provide emergency notifications.
The following phrases refer to the feature in Spotify’s app:
“Emergency alerts in Sweden”
“Receive public emergency alerts.”
In Sweden, the Important Public Announcement (IPA) system alerts the public to accidents, serious events, or disruptions of important services.
“Visit the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency site for more information.”
Reached for comment, a company rep for Spotify confirmed the test in a statement, adding it was only being tested in Sweden for the time being.
“At Spotify, we routinely conduct a number of tests in an effort to improve our user experience,” they said. “Some of those tests end up paving the way for our broader user experience, while most serve only as an important learning experience.”
