How to permanently turn off smart shuffle?

[AzogBladyOrk123]

Plan

Premium

Country

Poland

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

I just noticed that a new "smart shuffle mode" putting unwanted "smart recommendations" in my queue was added to my desktop app. How to turn it off permanently or at least make this "smart shuffle mode" not default? The perfect scenario would be not seeing this option at all but having it not turned on by default when I choose shuffle mode, without a need to additionally turn it off each time would be enough.

Please help, this feature is really driving me insane and I absolutely HATE IT. If currently there is no option to permanently turn it off (globally or for chosen playlists), is adding it planned? When?

[dinomight · Accepted solution]

Hey @AzogBladyOrk123, welcome to the community, and thanks for your post! Unfortunately, there is not currently a way to prevent smart shuffle from being one of the options that is cycled through by default. The setting you choose, whether shuffle, smart shuffle, or no shuffle, should be remembered by individual playlists if you choose the setting at the top of the playlist (see below screenshot).

That said, if you want to turn shuffle off and re-enable it at a future point in time, you'll still have to cycle through the three settings.

While I'm not aware of any potential future changes to the app, there is an active idea posted here which has received a large number of votes and has had its status updated to "good suggestion," which is an important step in an idea's progress from being initially posted to actually reaching and being discussed by the Spotify team for consideration. I would highly recommend voting and commenting on that idea, and hopefully the team will eventually consider implementing an alternate way to work with smart shuffle.

[JohnnyRocker]

This is nothing more than a money grab by Spotify and the more I explore forums and content online I see that many, like you and I, are tired of having "smart" choices thrown down our throats. I know what I want to listen to and more importantly I know what I DON'T want to listen to.

It's apparent to a lot of us that Spotify is somehow being financially incentivized to introduce, sorry, FORCE music from other artists down our throats.

Anyway, I wasn't born yesterday and understand that my complaining on a Spotify based forum will not do a thing.

That being said, I have a background in community organizing and I'll be hitting the web with clear cut examples of how alternate music providers differ from Spotify and more importantly, how we can get special inducements to switch along with instructions how best to go about it.

Let's see what my minions are able to accomplish..

Movements start from the smallest kernel.........

[Iz66]

I have found a way to disable smart shuffle. You need to play a playlist and put smart shuffle on, you then play the songs and when one comes up that’s not on your playlist press on it and then press the shuffle button on the song and smart shuffle is disabled.

[JohnnyRocker]

no doubt..but it's kind of silly that we have to play games with the
platform. Also, I've experienced that smart shuffle eventually returns to
your player..it's like Covid..can't be killed.

Besides, why should we have to double click to get rid of that annoying
intrusion...so ridiculous

[m1n3_43v3r]

It definitely does NOT remember the setting for my playlists... it defaults to smart shuffle every time I change music or close the app... or even seemingly randomly? I'll literally have smart shuffle off, get on my motorcycle and halfway through my ride I get a song that destroys the vibe. Almost every time I use the app now.

[gpinkham]

What's worse is I was on the desktop player.    pressed shuffle and see the normal shuffle icon. but checking the queue I see stuff from smart shuffle.  WTH.    I opened the playlist on the iOS app and bingo smart shuffle was showing.  had to click thru to normal shuffle and then looked at the queue on the desktop and bingo. no more dumb shuffle.        I wouldn't mind if it had any smarts what so ever.  its obviously just inserting songs they are being asked to promote.    yeah Billie Eilish is totally the right thing for a Yacht Rock playlist.     #smh.  

[sitcom987]

Yes!!! We need a setting to turn smart shuffle off permanently. It's super annoying and I regularly find unwanted tracks on my playlists

[Dynamoon]

Good to see there is already chatter going on about the topic. I don't mind smart shuffle being a feature, but I have two big problems with it:

1. My playlists (on mobile) do not remember the setting. They will periodically default back to shuffle, and to get back to no-shuffle, I must cycle through the smart shuffle to get there. This is a big problem because...
2. Cycling from smart shuffle to regular, local tracks on downloaded playlists become unplayable until I re-download the playlist while being on the same wifi as my computer where those tracks are physically. This is to say, when the shuffle reset hits whilst on the road, goodbye local tracks until I get home again. As such, the smart shuffle is hurting otherwise supported and pretty basic functionality.

So with that said, rather than nuking smart shuffle, which seems rather unlikely to happen, these two issues should be addressed. Hopefully soon 🙂

[SmartShuffleIsCancer]

You added a feature nobody asked for, and made it impossible to turn off. 

Recommendations come standard with free accounts. I got premium to avoid it, and now it's a feature. SMD.

Why cant any of these tech bro companies just do one thing and do it well. Why does everyone have to have a growth for the sake of growth mindset?

The only organism on planet Earth that grows for the sake of growth is Cancer. 

[googoodoll1965]

I am a paying spotify member.  WHY am I forced to this smart shuffle **bleep**?  About to cancel my paying membership because of this BS!

[foo_bar_in_a_ca]

Ive almost crashed my car twice now turning smart shuffle off when i never turned it on.

Why is spotify causing near road accidents, in the name of saving streaming royalties by forcing on smart shuffle when low and behold cheaper less popular music plays.

[foo_bar_in_a_ca]

Plan

Free/Premium

Country

Device

(iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy 9, Macbook Pro late 2016)

Operating System

(iOS 10, Android Oreo, Windows 10,etc.)

My Question or Issue

Allowing the app to behave contrary to a users intentions WHILE DRIVING is an insane abuse of your customers.

I narrowly missed a kangaroo the other day while undoing your unapproved change to my selected music.

Theatening the lives of your customers to save money on streaming royalties is deplorable. You are literally evil scum. 

I guarantee you someone has already died, turning off smart shuffle while driving. Well done!

[New user]

I want to shuffle just the songs in my specific playlist. I don't want other suggestions based on what I am listening to.

[timothymartin73]

i too have almost driven off the road because of this complete shite feature. wth, Spotify? you're blowing it hard!  knock it off and give us our freedom back! Total violation.

[SimplyJason]

I agree, timothymartin73. I had my SPOTIFY playlist running in the background while working on my desktop, and suddenly, I felt frustrated and completely lost focus. When I snapped out of my work mode, I realized I was surrounded by music I would never choose to play. Instead of the soothing playlist I spent time selecting for my liking and setting. This is a total violation, especially for a paid service.   BOO Spotify!!

[Mariedavies]

I am a premium Spotify customer who pays for a family subscription however on my playlist I have standard shuffle on not smart shuffle and I’m still getting songs that’s not on my album playing please get rid of this I’ve turned off all playback settings and I’m still getting it. I am now cancelling my subscription until this is changed