Spotify tries to fix shuffle with a special new mode
If you think shuffle is broken in Spotify, this is your lucky day
šµ Spotify knows its shuffle mode isnāt great for some users, and it wants to fix it
š To make things better, itās introducing a new āFewer Repeatsā mode
š The new feature will reduce the number of times certain songs are played while in shuffle mode
š§ Spotify says this will help ākeep your listening experience more varied and engagingā
š± The feature is rolling out now as the new default for all users
If youāre a regular Spotify user, you probably know that the shuffle button can straight-up suck sometimes. You often hear the same track rotation over and over again in your favorite playlist, which makes your music feel stale and kills your whole vibe. Luckily, Spotify is aware of this problem and is introducing a new feature thatāll hopefully fix it.
In a press release, Spotify announced that itās switching to a new mode for shuffle called Fewer Repeats. When enabled, the mode will look at your listening history and reduce the frequency a recently-played song is added to the mix. Your favorite songs will still be played, but itāll take longer for it to pop up.
Personally, I find this a welcome change. The shuffle button isnāt always reliable for me; sometimes, I hear the same sequence of songs that Iāve heard for days until I turn off shuffle and re-enable it. Even still, certain songs I tend to play frequently oftentimes start playing too soon in my rotation, which makes my favorite playlists feel stale.
Fewer Repeats is designed to keep your listening experience more varied and engaging,ā according to Spotify, so Iām excited to give it a shot.
Spotify says that the new mode is rolling out now as the new default shuffle mode for both free and premium users. If you get access to the feature and donāt like it, Spotify will let you switch back to Standard shuffle by going to Settings > Playback in the app.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
This Fewer Repeats mode sounds promising for addressing the stale shuffle experiance. The constant repetion of the same song sequences can definetly ruin a playist. Curious if it will actualy diversify my listens or just create diffrent patterns.