Smart Shuffle keeps turning itself on

[Vasil]

Hey folks!

Some of you have reported that Smart Shuffle is automatically turning itself on again after being switched off. This is now being looked into.

Note: The Smart Shuffle feature works on a playlist-by-playlist basis. If you turn it off on one playlist, it doesn't mean that it is turned off for all playlists.

We'll keep you posted 🙂

[Vasil]

Hey folks!

Thank you for the patience while we're trying to identify the root cause for this issue. It does not occur for everyone so it takes a bit longer to fix.

We'd like to ask you these two follow-up questions in case you're still experiencing the issue:

• Is this behaviour only observable with larger playlists?
• Does it happen when using a Connect device or when the playback is playing normally via your main device?

Much appreciated! We'll be on the lookout for your replies and we'll keep you posted when there's an update 🙂

[Vasil]

Hey folks,

Just a heads-up that you can now toggle whether Smart Shuffle is available on your mobile apps from the app settings!

1. Tap your profile picture at the top.
2. Tap Settings and privacy.
3. Select Playback.
4. Switch Enable all play modes off and you're good to go!

Stay tuned for updates in regard to the other platforms 🙂

As for this Ongoing Issue thread, our tech folks are doing their best to figure out the root cause of the issue itself.
We'll keep you posted!

[yanakertova]

Update 2: Issue persists. I am stuck with Smart Shuffle forever 💔

UPDATE: Issue fixed after "Repair" app from windows settings and logging out and again logging in the app. 

HI, 

Contributing here, if helpful. 

Experiencing issue only on my desktop version, only in my Liked Songs playlist. Smart shuffle entirely "resists' to turn itself off. It's on 24/7 from a few days now. When I click it the message "Smart Shuffle turned off" pops up, however it is not actually turned off. 

Spotify for Windows (64 bit)
1.2.65.255.g85e641b4

Best regards, 

Yana

[rainedoescode]

Smart Shuffle turning on automatically from both shuffle and non-shuffle modes. Most recent app version, android, Samsung galaxy s10e, connected to car multimedia via Bluetooth. Screen recording of this occurring attached

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/qqpnlt2475301xn1x5skr/Screen_Recording_20250616_112506_Spotify.mp4?rl... 

[donkerrigan]

 

I am still seeing this issue. I am able to turn off smart shuffle when on my own device but when I cast to a Google Home or Chromecast Audio I am unable to turn off the smart shuffle and the queued songs don’t update. This seems to only be an issue for me on longer playlist. I tested on a playlist with 21 songs and it works as expected, but I have a playlist for 6,441 songs that it refuses to turn off on. 

I'm on an iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 18.5 with the latest version of the Spotify app (9.0.50, although the issue is present when viewing the queued songs and trying to change the shuffle state from the desktop app as well). 
the Chromecast Audio device is running Cast Firmware 1.56.467166.

[1149324923]

I have a very similar experience when i connect to my Sonos speakers from my iOS device and i am just playing my playlist in normal playback mode, shuffle ánd smart shuffle turn themselves on. Sometimes it goes straight to smart shuffle, other times it goes to shuffle and then to smart shuffle, or stays in shuffle mode. Basically not allowing me to stay in normal playback mode.

[robreuss]

This is incredible to me.  Coming up on a year since this was reported and no solution whatsoever for me given that the instructions to disable the function do not relate at all to my iOS devices - there is no "Playback" menu item, there is no "Settings and privacy" option on iOS.  You must have meant Android, which is just awful in two ways - first, because your instructions don't say so (rookie), and second because evidently you don't care about iOS users at all.  Then again, clearly you don't care about any of us given it's been a year.  How about spending some of that $1B in profit on engineering and quality assurance.  It's a stupid function anyway - right up there with the ridiculous claim that "DJ X" has anything at all to do with AI.  What a joke.

[mmortal03]

I believe this bug is also impacting playlists containing only podcasts on mobile, where there's not even an option to select the shuffle options in this case, but it's still somehow enabling shuffling behind the scenes. Only by going to the desktop app and browsing to that playlist will you find that shuffling has been enabled on it, even though you did not turn it on. Then you struggle to toggle it off there, as per the other reports in this thread. Finally, in the near future, on mobile, you find that the same playlist has, yet again, decided to start shuffling itself all by itself again, and you have to repeat these steps.

[robreuss]

A work-around occurred to me last night.  The Sonos app (if you have a Sonos speaker system) does not support smart shuffle and it seems to hold the setting.  I'm not a complex Spotify user so it's easy enough switch over to playing music that way, at least for home use - still the problem of mobile.  

[1149324923]

It does support smart shuffle, as it always puts it on automatically when i
connect my spotify -while it’s playing- on iPhone to my Sonos wifi
speakers. In fact, i can’t play my playlist in the normal playing mode as
when i select the normal play mode, after a few seconds it goes back to
either shuffle or smart shuffle. My workaround is to stop the song playing,
quit Spotify, reopen it, choose the playlist and then restart the song fom
the list.
But that’s such a hassle.

[nrmcore]

When a user presses Play on their Liked Songs collection, Spotify turns Shuffle on by default. Each time the app is reopened or playback is restarted, the user must manually disable Shuffle to hear tracks in the order they were saved. This repetitive step breaks listening flow and creates friction—especially for listeners who curate their Liked Songs chronologically to match mood, memories, or discovery timeline. Community threads continue to report this issue in 2024-25, showing it affects a wide audience. 

Requested Solution

1. Persistent Preference: Remember the last playback mode (Sequential or Shuffle) a listener chose for Liked Songs and restore it automatically on the next session.

2. Explicit Toggle: Add a setting under Settings → Playback labeled “Default playback mode for Liked Songs” with two radio options:

   • Play in saved order

   • Shuffle

3. Non-Disruptive Rollout: Default to the current behavior for existing users but surface an in-app prompt (or changelog note) so they know the preference can be changed.

User & Business Benefits

• Reduced Friction: Eliminates a manual step that must currently be repeated on every app launch.

• Greater Control: Aligns with Spotify’s goal of personalizing listening experiences by respecting an individual’s chosen order.

• Retention & Satisfaction: Small quality-of-life improvements drive positive word-of-mouth and reduce the risk of users migrating to competing services for simpler playback control.

Thank you for considering this enhancement to improve the everyday listening experience for millions of Spotify Premium and Free users.

[CWilsonLPC]

@nrmcore I love the idea, my addition is that it should also apply to playlists too to be sure it doesn't mix up a persons flow if its a workout playlist or somethin similar