Spotify Unveils App Update to Enhance User Control

Spotify announced Wednesday a significant app update aimed at giving users greater control over their listening experience and music recommendations. 

The revamped app, rolling out gradually to all users and Premium subscribers, introduces features to manage queues, playlists, and recommendations, shifting the balance from algorithm-driven suggestions to user-driven curation.

For Premium users, the Queue interface has been overhauled with streamlined access to controls like Shuffle, Smart Shuffle, Repeat, and Sleep Timer. 

Users can now fully disable Smart Shuffle and Autoplay in Settings and preview Spotify’s recommended tracks post-queue, allowing them to curate what plays next. A new Hide button, more intuitively placed, lets users remove unwanted tracks from playlists across devices, with a forthcoming 30-day Snooze feature to temporarily exclude tracks from recommendations.

Playlist management on mobile is also improved, with new Add, Edit, and Sort buttons at the top of playlists for adding tracks, updating titles or cover art, and rearranging song order. Users can create playlists from their Liked Songs by filtering by genre and selecting a “turn into a playlist” option. 

The Create button, now at the bottom right of the mobile app, centralizes tools for playlist creation, collaborative playlists, Blend (merging two users’ tastes), and Premium-exclusive features like AI Playlist and Jam for real-time shared listening.

The update repositions the Your Library tab as the third option at the bottom of the mobile app to accommodate the new layout. Spotify’s changes reflect a focus on empowering users to shape their listening experience while maintaining seamless integration of its AI-driven and social features.