Spotify Introduces New Shuffle Option that Repeats Fewer Suggested Songs

A New and Improved Way to Listen to Your Music on Spotify

Music streaming giant Spotify has recently announced a new shuffle option that will repeat fewer suggested songs, where previously new songs were added to a playlist’s queue based on past songs that were played. This was a feature from Smart Shuffle for paid users that was released in 2023, an option that could not be disabled before.

Now, Spotify is updating shuffle with fewer repeats. Users are enabled to listen to newer suggested songs rather than songs consistently played repetitively. However, there is still an option to switch back to the standard shuffle by going to the settings, then playback, and choose the “standard” option in the shuffle mode section. Both free and premium users can tap any song to play next while shuffling without mixing up the queue.

The shuffle on Spotify is generated by randomness, says Lauren Saunders, the Product Director for Personalization at Spotify. Meaning that there would be a higher probability of listening to the same songs again. “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 or album closer than your brain expects,” Saunders explained. “The math is right, but the feeling is wrong.”

Saunders adds on the new shuffle feature, “Instead of giving you one random order and calling it a day, we now generate hundreds of truly random versions of your playlist. Then we score each one for freshness, looking at how recently you’ve played certain songs, how much variety is packed into the opening stretch, and whether you’re getting repeats too soon.”