Spotify started rolling out a music and podcast streaming option on the iOS and Android apps of Facebook, as the Sweden-based company looks to offset losses in 2020 by beefing up user engagement through broader content discovery features.

In a statement, Spotify said from today (26 April) users in 27 markets across Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania will be able to listen to music and podcasts via a miniplayer directly within the Facebook app.

The feature will cover audio available on Spotify which was shared to a user’s Facebook News Feed by a contact or profiles they follow, including licensed music featured in videos uploaded on the social media platform.

Content being played won’t be interrupted if a user is scrolling through their Facebook main page, and there will be an option to pause or stop the miniplayer.

The audio streaming service company described social media as “an incredibly important way to connect with friends and loved ones”, stating audio brings people together even during physical distancing related to Covid-19 (coronavirus).

Spotify reported a net loss of €581 million in 2020 compared with a €186 million loss the previous year and, in its Q4 2020 results, CEO Daniel Ek cautioned of uncertainty and potential headwinds in 2021 due to the pandemic.

In the end of 2020, Spotify introduced a direct streaming option to Apple Watch users.