Retirement of our Running Feature

[meahtenoha]

Hey everyone, the Spotify Community team here.

We’re here to let you know we will be retiring our Running feature on 26 February 2018.

We always take retiring features in Spotify very seriously. We’re pouring our energy into new ways of creating the best experience for our users.

Of course, you can still workout with Spotify as your Running companion. You can find Running playlists in the Workout section of Browse section.

You can also connect your Spotify running music with an exercise app. Check out our support articles on Nike+ Run Club and Runkeeper for more information.

If you’re interested to learn more about how the app evolves, check out our article about testing and why features change.

Please post here with any questions or feedback you might have. We’ll be sure it reaches the right teams.

Thanks!

[interstate1027]

You just killed an amazing function of Spotify for some stupid **bleep** like Black History Month. Sometimes I wonder if most of your employees at Spotify are racists who eagerly promote stupid ideas.

[interstate1027]

I’ve just tried the Nike integration, it works but it’s simply not as good as Spotify Running Mode

[drob727]

TERRIBLE DECISION. Bring it back!

I have been listening to "Blissed Out" as my running background since I started my fitness efforts 2-3 years ago.. on EVERY SINGLE RUN.

It seems like this is the final straw for my decision to drop Spotify and just go over to Apple Music.  The running feature was the only thing that kept us 100% tied to Spotify in this home.

ALternatively, is there some way we could get access to these custom running songs, even without the BPM feature?

[Jhoppe]

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@martin_bayard wrote:

For those who are interested, I used this website to create my own playlist based on BPM. The site is far from beeing perfect, but it can be seen as an alternative to this wonderful feature that was removed ...

http://sortyourmusic.playlistmachinery.com/index.html

If the link is blocked by the community, just type "sortyourmusic" in Google 🙂

Hope it helps !

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VERY helpful. Thank you!!

[Balajs]

Is this a joke?? Big mistake!

[Starbass13]

This is super disappointing. No other app that I have tried is as accurate as this feature was and I loved that I could use my own playlists. 

If I find one, I’ll have a new music app to use and I would leave Spotify. 

[jorfice]

Just wanted to re-voice my displeasure with this decision. I cancelled my Premium subscription yesterday, citing this as the reason. Really disappointing all around.

Since then, I tried Fit Radio, which was okay, and RockMyRun, which is functionally way better than the Spotify running feature, because it constantly evaluates your steps per minute and proactively changes tempo- really cool! I am training for a half marathon using a run/walk training regiment and it was nice to have a pace counter, even for my walk cycles. At $36/yr, it is a third the price of a Spotify monthly subscription for a year.

Going to miss listening to random/new music whenever I want, but there just isn't enough reason to stay with Spotify without this feature. I might as well get a Google Play Music subscription to replace the regular Spotify music: At least then I get YouTube Red out of the deal.

I'm honestly not sure if I would come back to Spotify, even if they did reinstate the running feature.

[iwisekal]

I am not a "newbie," but a subscriber of some years. Looks like this forum has its own issues!

Like many of the other users here, I started using Spotify for its running feature, and it's improved my running enjoyment and performance greatly in the years that I've been using it. 
I noticed a long time ago (a year or more?) that the Running playlists had stopped being updated, and I was worried that that portended the end of the feature. Unfortunately, it looks like I was right, and that's very disappointing.
Unless this feature comes back, I'll be cancelling my subscription and going instead with the services from Apple or Google.

[lanc68]

Thank you, I was looking for a way to shave off the few pounds (£) here and there. You just gave me a reason to save the 14.99 pm for family subs..... remarkable you must have telepathy for having suggested a reason for cancelling, thank you again & goodbye o7

[user-removed]

I'm really going to miss this. This has been a crucial part of my marathon training for April. I hope it comes back before race day.

[ToTTi1]

Ob  sich das Spotify-Management fuer die Meinung oder Reaktion einer doch so kleinen Gruppe der Kunden interessiert? Schwer vorstellbar. Aber es ist interessant zu beobachten, wie Spotify die versprochenen freien Resourcen jetzt nutzen wird. 

[Jamesch]

I also just used this manually most times

Either way it's a dumb and arrogant move especially towards long term paying customers

I really wonder why they did it,  I think maybe some kind of deal with Runtastic and/or Nike to get people to use their apps.  Which I will not do,  as I've been using Endomondo for years

BTW Spotify has a "support" account onFacebook where real people are responding maybe,  it's called SpotifyCares (sure they do)  everyone go there and annoy them with complaints,  if nothing else they'll be frustrated too 😉

[jacoswart]

Spotify seems to be in absolute denial about this. At first, they roll out Meredith to drop this bomb shell, and then they go into hiding, laughing at the responses they get. 451 comments (in just one week) and not one single response from Spotify to either acknowledge something is being done, or they are not simply just not bothered.

If anyone here has the faintest hope of getting a response from Spotify, just go and have a look at https://community.spotify.com/t5/Live-Ideas/Explicit-button/idi-p/3869. It is the top voted Live Idea on the “Ideas board”. It has been there since February 2012, has had over 11500 votes and is yet to be actioned.

Spotify simply do not care. The ideas and community boards are purely there to appease us while they play table tennis or foosball in their swanky offices we pay for.

[matsskog]

This is the best feature in Spotify for me.. please bring it back, please. 

[Austin30]

Agreed with the last 46 pages. This is one of my most used features of Spotify, which I use more than anything else. Would really be great to have it back, or at least the higher BPM playlists.

Unlike one of the previous posters, I wouldnt pay an extra fee for this. To me it’s a core offering. Running and music are like Oreos and Milk.

[Cangoou]

The link is: https://www.facebook.com/SpotifyCares/

In German it's https://www.facebook.com/SpotifyHilft/

Voice your opinion there as well.

[smaniac]

This feature is 99% of what I use(d) Spotify for. It set Spotify apart from competitors. I liked being able to set my own tempo based on my mood and the intensity of my run. With this feature removed and no suitable replacement proposed, I will be cancelling my subscription.  

[Xakkd]

 Myself and my family use Spotify Premium. We won't unsubscribe as a result of this change but we are severely dissapointed. I can't understand why a feature like this would be retired. I sincerely hope that this feature or one very similar returns in the future. 

[balberry]

Really disappointed to see this go. What is the alternative? I like being able to easily have music I actually listen to without having to go through the trouble of creating my own playlist.

[Edflanagan]

This is disappointing. The running feature was the draw to using your app while exercising. “Seasons” was a great mix.