Microsoft is planning to integrate Spotify into a new Windows 11 feature. Panos Panay, Microsoft’s head of Windows and devices, teased the Focus Sessions Windows 11 feature on Twitter this week, and it appears to be a new way to focus on tasks and work. Focus Sessions includes Spotify integration, allowing you to create a focus timer to work through tasks while listening to playlist of music from Spotify.
Microsoft hasn’t started testing Focus Sessions in its public builds of Windows 11 yet, but from the video Panay teased it appears to be built into the operating system’s Clock app. It looks like it’s following the Pomodoro Technique, a method of managing time by breaking down work into smaller chunks with short breaks.
There are already a variety of Pomodoro apps and websites that let you set aside time to focus on a list of tasks. Microsoft’s Spotify integration could be the company’s way of standing out from the crowd.
It’s also the first time we’ve seen some significant Spotify integration in Windows since Microsoft retired its Groove Music service in 2017. At the time, Microsoft partnered with Spotify to move Groove Music subscribers and their playlists over to the rival music streaming service. Microsoft and Spotify have also previously worked together on a Windows 10 app and a separate app for Xbox consoles.