Campaign Middle East rounds up the latest platform updates on social media and content and streaming platforms from September. Here are the key highlights:
Spotify:
Spotify is rolling out updates to its free experience globally, giving listeners more freedom to play, explore, and share the music and podcasts they love.
With these enhancements, free users now have more control over their listening journeys, whether they’re discovering new tracks, diving into editorial playlists curated by Spotify’s global experts, or connecting with friends through shared music moments.
Here’s what’s new on Spotify’s Free Experience:
- Pick & Play: Got a nagging earworm? Hit play in the Spotify app, and you can pick and play any song you want.
- Search & Play: Type in your favorite track and start listening instantly.
- Share & Play: Love sharing your favorite tracks with friends? Has an artist shared a new track on social that you want to hear? Tap to listen right away.
Snapchat:
Ahead of the public launch of Snapchat Spectacles, which is currently scheduled for 2026, Snap has introduced Snap OS 2.0 to the market – a software that will bring Spectacles to life by enabling real-time, AI-powered experiences that will allow people to interact naturally with the world around them using their hands and voice.
Snap OS 2.0 will offer a new interface that will allow Lenses to bring utilities – such as content, browsing and staying in touch to – Spectacles.
YouTube:
YouTube announced a range of new features to enhance brand-creator collaborations as part of its flagship Made on YouTube event. This includes new tools to streamline brand deals, such as the ability to add direct brand website links in Shorts and dynamically insert brand segments into long-form videos, making partnerships more seamless and measurable.
Other platform updates include, the roll out of YouTube’s largest-ever upgrade to Live content, opening up new avenues for real-time audience engagement and interactivity. Coupled with new AI-powered creation tools for Shorts, these updates provide brands with more diverse and creative opportunities to partner with creators and connect authentically with highly engaged communities across the region.
LinkedIn:
This month, LinkedIn has teamed up with Duolingo, the world’s leading language-learning platform, enabling members to showcase their Duolingo Score directly under the languages section of their LinkedIn Profile. This new feature provides professionals with a meaningful way to highlight verified language skills alongside their experience, accomplishments, and other key qualifications.
By linking skill validation with career opportunities, this partnership highlights language proficiency as a credible, measurable, and valuable component of any professional profile.
Meta:
Instagram has recently launched a global iPad app (coming soon to Android tablets) with a Reels-first experience. Users land straight into Reels – the fastest-growing format, making up ~50 per cent of time on Instagram and reshared over 4.5 billion times daily. With Stories, messaging, and a new Following tab, the larger screen offers a lean-back experience for watching, creating, and sharing.
Meta has launched Vibes, a new feature in the Meta AI app and on meta.ai that brings a dedicated feed of AI-generated short-form videos. With Vibes, you can create, edit, and remix videos in real time – add music, switch styles, or build on others’ ideas to make every video unique. Import media from your phone or AI glasses and share seamlessly across Meta AI, Instagram, Facebook Stories, and Reels. Vibes marks the next step in AI-powered creativity.
