Spotify has announced a new shuffle experience designed to cut down on repeat tracks and bring more variety to users’ listening sessions.
The platform first introduced Smart Shuffle for Premium users in 2023, a feature that automatically added recommended songs to a playlist based on a listener’s history and preferences. Until now, this mode couldn’t be turned off.
With the latest update, Spotify is making a “less repetitive” shuffle the default for paying subscribers. This update ensures listeners hear fewer tracks from their recent history and enjoy a wider mix of new music.
Users who prefer the original Smart Shuffle can still enable it by heading to Settings > Playback and selecting “Standard” under the Shuffle Mode options.
Spotify also noted that both free and Premium users can now tap any track to play next during shuffle without altering the rest of the queue.
Lauren Saunders, Spotify’s product director for personalization, explained that true randomness can sometimes feel repetitive.
“That’s the thing about real randomness: It can be clumpy. Just like you can roll three sixes in a row, a purely random shuffle might never seem to play the song you’re hoping for, or it might stack the same artist or album closer together than your brain expects. The math is right, but the feeling is wrong,” Saunders said
