Spotify's new music player debuts in Facebook apps on iOS and Android

Last week, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed that the company was working with Spotify on new music features for users to listen to while using the social network's apps. Engadget sources later confirmed that a dedicated Spotify player would soon allow you to listen to music or podcasts shared in posts without having to leave Facebook. Today, Spotify announced the new miniplayer is now available for use in 27 countries.

The so-called Project Boombox initiative will let you listen to any music or podcast episode shared by a friend, family member, artist or creator directly from the News Feed. Spotify says the first time you click to listen, you'll encounter a consent dialog to connect the music and social apps. If you're already logged in to Spotify, the music or other audio will begin. If you're not signed in, you'll be asked to do so. Audio content will continue to play as you use the Facebook app, with a small player docked at the bottom of the interface above the navigation icons. Controls for pausing or closing the player will be just a tap away at all times. The audio feature will display album/show artwork alongside artist and title info. In fact, the player looks very similar to that you see in Spotify's mobile apps.

Spotify says Premium subscribers will have full functionality of the player while Free users can use shuffle mode. The latter group will also hear ads just like they do when using the streaming service's apps. If you don't have a Spotify account, you can listen to a 30-second preview of the song or episode.

The full list of countries where Spotify's new audio player is available inside Facebook apps includes Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Thailand, Uruguay and the US.

The team up with Spotify is one of several new audio projects Facebook is working on. The company announced details last week about its bid to take on Clubhouse with audio-only "rooms," a new podcasting feature and other items. While all of these are still a ways off, Facebook said its rooms tool should be available for use sometime this summer.