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Can You Finally Disable Spotify’s Annoying Smart Shuffle? Discover the Powerful New Setting!
For years, Spotify users have expressed frustration over the Smart Shuffle feature. Instead of simply shuffling your playlist, Smart Shuffle injects Spotify’s music recommendations into your queue, often disrupting the listening experience for those who prefer their own curated selections. Many found the feature confusing to control, as a single tap on the shuffle button could activate Smart Shuffle, while a longer or double tap could cycle through various shuffle modes.
Why Was Smart Shuffle So Annoying?
- Unwanted Recommendations: Smart Shuffle adds songs outside your playlist, often repeating popular tracks you may not want to hear.
- Difficult to Control: Users had to cycle through shuffle modes, leading to accidental activation and slow, laggy transitions.
- Persistent Activation: Even after turning it off, Smart Shuffle could re-enable itself after a few songs or app restarts, causing ongoing frustration.
- Disrupted Playlists: Carefully curated playlists were interrupted by algorithmic suggestions, undermining the user’s control over their music.
- Inconsistent UI: The shuffle button’s behavior varied between devices and app versions, causing confusion and inconsistent experiences.
How to Disable Smart Shuffle (Finally!)
After months of user complaints across forums and social media, Spotify has begun rolling out a toggle to disable Smart Shuffle entirely. Here’s how you can regain control:
- Go to your Spotify app’s settings menu.
- Look for the ‘Playback’ section.
- The Smart Shuffle option may appear as “Enable all play modes” or simply “Smart Shuffle,” depending on your device and app version.
- Switch the feature off to prevent Smart Shuffle from activating.
Important notes
The rollout is phased-not all users will see the option immediately, and availability may differ between Android and iOS. As of now, this setting is only available on mobile apps, not desktop.
Some users report the toggle may not persist after app restarts or updates, so check your settings if Smart Shuffle reappears.
The addition of the disable option has been met with overwhelming relief and positivity from users who felt their listening experience was being hijacked by unwanted recommendations. Many describe the change as “a huge relief” and a long-overdue fix that restores control to the listener.
“It’s a pain when you’re driving and it would flip flop when you press the shuffle button too long.” – Reddit user CrossFire43
“Smart shuffle isn’t that smart, they just recommend the same songs… Now, they just recommend popular songs that I don’t want to hear over and over again.” – Reddit user Mooncakepink07