Introduced in 2023, Spotify Smart Shuffle is an interesting feature. It’s not a plain old shuffle that randomizes a list of songs; no, it uses advanced algorithms to add new tracks to your playlists based on your listening habits.
Sounds pretty cool but what if you don’t want it? What if you want that plain shuffle?
Don’t worry, it’s done in a click. We’ll dive right into it – this is how to turn off Smart Shuffle Spotify feature.
- Fastest Answer
- What Is Smart Shuffle Spotify?
- How to Turn Off Spotify Smart Shuffle on Mobile
- How to Disable Smart Shuffle Spotify on Desktop
- How to Turn Off Smart Shuffle Spotify Permanently?
- How to See Recommended Smart Shuffle Spotify Songs
- How to Remove Spotify Smart Shuffle Recommended Songs
- How to Save Spotify Smart Shuffle Songs
- How to Share Spotify Smart Shuffle Recommended Songs
- Spotify Smart Shuffle Not Working: Troubleshooting
- Which Playlists Is Spotify Smart Shuffle Available For?
- Summary
How to Turn Off Smart Shuffle Spotify: Fastest Answer
The fastest way to turn off Smart Shuffle Spotify is to open the Spotify playlist where the Smart Shuffle is activated and click the Smart Shuffle button next to the Play button.
The first time you click the button, you will move from Smart Shuffle to regular Spotify Shuffle, while the second click will deactivate Spotify Shuffle altogether.
What Is Smart Shuffle Spotify?
Spotify Smart Shuffle is a song-shuffling feature that adds random songs to your Spotify shuffle order based on preferences and listening behavior. It’s enabled individually for each playlist, and is not a feature that applies to all your Spotify playlists.
A major difference when comparing the regular Spotify Shuffle vs Smart Shuffle is that Smart Shuffle includes songs that are not on the playlist your are listening to. The regular Shuffle, on the other hand, just randomizes the song order in your existing Spotify playlist.
Under the hood, Spotify Smart Shuffle uses algorithms and machine learning to analyze your listening habits. This includes the songs and genres you frequently play, your liked tracks, and other behavior patterns.
Then, it taps into Spotify’s music library, identifies tracks that match your preferences, and dynamically inserts them into your existing playlist. Spotify Smart Shuffle continually adapts based on real-time data to keep the recommendations relevant and engaging.
If you still want to still want to turn off Spotify Smart Stuffle now that you know how it works, read on.
Related content: How to Clear Spotify Queue
How to Turn Off Spotify Smart Shuffle on Mobile
If you’re looking to turn off Spotify Smart Shuffle on your mobile device, whether that’s a smartphone or a tablet, these are the steps to follow.
- 1. Open your Spotify mobile app.
- 2. Open the playlist that has Smart Shuffle enabled by searching it or finding it in Your Library.
- 3. With the playlist opened, tap the Smart Shuffle button next to the play button.
- 4. You will see a message that says, “Smart Shuffle recommendations removed”. Note that regular Shuffle will still be on. To turn the regular Shuffle off as well, tap the Shuffle button once again.
Again, Spotify Smart Shuffle is activated individually for each playlist. So turning it off on one playlist doesn’t automatically deactivate Smart Shuffle on every playlist on your Spotify profile.
How to Disable Smart Shuffle Spotify on Desktop
First things first: Spotify Smart Shuffle is not available in the Spotify Web Player, as verified by Spotify Support. You can activate Smart Shuffle on a desktop or laptop device, but only through the desktop app.
That said, if you’re wondering how to turn off Smart Shuffle on Spotify using the desktop app, the steps are identical to mobile deactivation. Here goes.
- 1. Open your Spotify desktop app.
- 2. Find the playlist where you want to deactivate Smart Shuffle (you can search it or go to Your Library if you saved it).
- 3. Click the Smart Shuffle button (it’s next to the Play button).
- 4. A message saying “Smart Shuffle recommendations removed” will pop up. To turn the Shuffle off completely (not just Smart Shuffle but any shuffling altogether), tap the Shuffle button once again.
This has turned Spotify Smart Shuffle just on the playlist you selected. If there’s another playlist with Smart Shuffle on and you wish to turn it off, open that playlist and apply the same steps.
How to Turn Off Smart Shuffle Spotify Permanently?
It is not possible to turn off the Smart Shuffle Spotify feature permanently. As verified by one of Spotify’s support reps, there is a Live Idea to add a toggle for Smart Shuffle in the Spotify Settings menu, but it was never executed.
Right now, Spotify Smart Shuffle is individually turned off for each playlist and can be turned back on with a simple click.
How to See Recommended Smart Shuffle Spotify Songs
If you want to see which songs in your Spotify Queue are Smart Shuffle Recommended, this is what you do.
- 1. Open the Spotify playlist that has Smart Shuffle on.
- 2. Click the Now Playing screen (the name of the song that’s playing).
- 3. Hit the Queue icon.
- 4. The Spotfy Smart Shuffle recommendations will have the Sparkle icon next to them.
How to Remove Spotify Smart Shuffle Recommended Songs
The steps to remove Spotify Smart Shuffle recommended songs is identical to removing any other playlist from your queue. You’ll need to follow the steps we covered in the previous section and then take extra action. This is how it’s done.
- 1. Open the target playlist.
- 2. Click the song that’s playing right now.
- 3. Click the Queue icon.
- 4. Select the Smart Shuffle recommended songs and click Remove.
Read more: How to Recover Deleted Spotify Playlist
How to Save Spotify Smart Shuffle Songs
If you enjoyed the Spotify Smart Shuffle recommended songs, this is how to save them to your Liked Songs or a dedicated playlist.
- 1. Open your playlist.
- 2. Open the song that’s playing.
- 3. Open the Queue section.
- 4. Click the three dots next to the song name and select either “Add to Liked Songs” or “Add to playlist.”
How to Share Spotify Smart Shuffle Recommended Songs
Now, if you saved your Spotify Smart Shuffle recommendations and want to share that playlist with your friends, you can use the Tune My Music Share feature to share the tracks with any streaming service. This is how to do it.
- 1. Go to the Tune My Music Share page.
- 2. Select Spotify as the source.
- 3. Load the playlist from your Spotify profile or via the playlist URL.
- 4. Select the playlist and click “Share”.
- 5. Click “Save & Share”.
- 6. Copy the link and share it around!
Spotify Smart Shuffle Not Working: Troubleshooting
If your Spotify Smart Shuffle is not working, it can mean that it’s not available, which happens if you use Spotify through your web browser and not via desktop or mobile app.
Another issue Spotify users reported on Reddit includes Spotify Smart Shuffle not having enough variety and constantly adding the same tracks as suggestions. If you’re dealing with a similar issue, we recommend contacting the Spotify Support Team and voicing your opinion.
Which Playlists Is Spotify Smart Shuffle Available For?
Spotify Smart Shuffle can be activated on regular playlists, on your Liked Songs, on Spotify Collaborative Playlists, and even for Spotify Free users.
As per Spotify.com, collaborative Playlists were combined with Smart Shuffle Spotify in early 2024, while Free users were added into the mix in May 2024.
Smart Shuffle was made the default play mode for Free users in about a dozen countries worldwide, including Brazil and Canada.
Spotify Turn Off Smart Shuffle: Summary
That’s a wrap on how to turn off Smart Shuffle on Spotify, guys! Again, it’s easy: to turn off Spotify Smart Shuffle, just open the playlist where Smart Shuffle is activated and click the Smart Shuffle button next to the play button. That’s it!
Also, just a bit of a clarification at the end. If you’re wondering how to turn on Smart Shuffle Spotify, you need to press the same button as the one that turns the feature on. Easy, right?
If you enjoyed this one, head over to our How To Articles and keep learning useful stuff about streaming services. Have a good one!
