Spotify Trials New Option to Turn Off Personalized Recommendations

[MacRumors]

Spotify is trialing a new ability for users to turn off their personalized recommendations, according to beta code unearthed by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

Depending on how it works, the new option could conceivably allow users to prevent songs played on their account on behalf of other listeners from affecting their personalized recommendations. Either way, it is likely to be welcomed by Spotify users who aren't entirely satisfied with the success rate of the service's algorithms in matching new songs to their listening tastes.

Spotify's recommendation system combines a number of machine learning and AI-driven methods. The service's algorithm analyzes listening history, favorite genres, and the time of day that users listen to music, and bases its personal recommendations on these parameters. This process is combined with content-based filtering, which analyzes the audio of a song that a user interacts with, and takes into account characteristics like time signature, key, and tempo to recommend new songs with similar characteristics.

Spotify's recommendations system also uses something called collaborative filtering. For example, if two users have similar music tastes, Spotify might recommend songs one user has listened to but the other hasn't. However, this can end up with Spotify recommending more popular items more often than lesser known songs, resulting in an "echo chamber" effect, and for new users with no listening history it is next to useless.

It's not clear when the new option to turn off personal recommendations will appear for Spotify users, or whether the trial is region-specific. Spotify simply says it is "evaluating the ability," and thanks users for trying it out to help make Spotify better.

• How to Stop Your Kids From Ruining Your Apple Music Recommendations

Apple is introducing a similar function for Apple Music subscribers in iOS 17.2, in the form of an additional Focus filter that can automatically turns off a user's ‌Apple Music‌ listening history. Apple's substantial software update is expected to land on iPhones in December.

Article Link: Spotify Trials New Option to Turn Off Personalized Recommendations

 

[Nothing Phone(2)]

Why do you use Spotify over Apple Music? Because of personal recommendation.

 

[toobravetosave]

Why do you use Spotify over Apple Music? Because of personal recommendation.

and turning them off when you want is just another way to customize your recommendations...

 

[Godspeed8230]

Why do you use Spotify over Apple Music? Because of personal recommendation.

Because of shared playlists from users

 

[antiprotest]

My Apple Music recommendations consist of songs I have tapped disliked + random songs dissimilar to those that I have liked or that are in my history.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Why do you use Spotify over Apple Music? Because of personal recommendation.

Also the UI is miles better and Spotifys Mac app actually works.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

Because of shared playlists from users

That's my primary reason.

 

[Wizard_of_Woz]

Thank goodness! I do not need personalized recommendations, nor do I want them.

 

[humblecoder]

About time! Few things worse than a paid service forcibly curating or "advertising" to you.

 

[immac]

Thank goodness! I do not need personalized recommendations nor do I want them.

Amen….And Apple TV is even WORSE if you can imagine that….Continual bombardment with crap I don’t want to look at …. Nor can I get rid of to reduce clutter…..Why not have a “swipe right” option…..🤔

 

[miric]

Uh, I thought Spotify finally tests lossless option.

 

[cocky jeremy]

Why do you use Spotify over Apple Music? Because of personal recommendation.

I don't. I prefer Amazon over anything, but their iOS app randomly decided to stop working, so Apple Music is the next best thing.

 

[missingar]

They're also trying this new thing where they don't pay artists with low stream counts and redistribute those royalties to artists with more streams. Spotify needs to die.

 

[Mother Nature]

Interesting, considering Apple is also working on something similar. I do not remember the name of that feauture but I think it's a filter mode, therefore, songs played while filter mode is enabled are not considered for the personalized recommendations.

Anyways, Spotify is cr@ppy. And will now make things hard for new artists.

 

[mikeyteh]

Why do I use Apple Music over Spotify? Because of Apple One

 

[GuruZac]

I use both Spotify and Apple Music. Each have pros and cons. I prefer Spotify playlists overall and I do like the personalized recommendations. I like in Apple Music I like where you have an option to tap in the artist and go to artist page, album that song was on, or playlist that song is on. I haven’t seen a similar option on Spotify.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Because of shared playlists from users

This. The playlists on Spotify are really good. Apple Music is also pretty good but as another poster said, the Spotify app especially on the Mac is just plain way better.

YouTube music has very hit or miss playlists. I’m sad and alarmed they aren’t better, you’d think they could be the best.

 

[Pirate!]

I’d like to be able to remove individual albums from recently played as well. Or not factor those into my recommendations. Like kids albums/songs I play in the car. I’m sure there’s a way to switch users, but thats not what I’m looking to do.

 

[ohthehorror]

This. The playlists on Spotify are really good. Apple Music is also pretty good but as another poster said, the Spotify app especially on the Mac is just plain way better.

YouTube music has very hit or miss playlists. I’m sad and alarmed they aren’t better, you’d think they could be the best.

You’re really sad over a first world luxury? Really?

 

[ios3]

For me, I prefer Spotify for one reason: when I listen to a song, I'm excited for what Spotify will recommend and play next. Their discovery and playlists are the best.

With Apple Music, I know the recommended songs won't be what I'm looking for, unfortunately.

 

[cgs1xx]

I think the problem isn’t that the recommendations are wrong, it’s that people don’t want recommendations
In fact, switch off everything curated everywhere please !

 

[CarAnalogy]

You’re really sad over a first world luxury? Really?

Can people on the internet stop taking everything so literally?

It’s on a curve. Like, I see how it is and I am disappointed that it’s not better and then I think about something else.

Don’t worry, I don’t have soul crushing depression over Google’s poor software.

 

[cgs1xx]

Why do I use Apple Music over Spotify? Because of Apple One

i wish Apple One was customisable, so you can pick and mix services and memberships.

 

[Deine Mudda]

Spotify is trialing a new ability for users to turn off their personalized recommendations, according to beta code unearthed by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris.

Depending on how it works, the new option could conceivably allow users to prevent songs played on their account on behalf of other listeners from affecting their personalized recommendations. Either way, it is likely to be welcomed by Spotify users who aren't entirely satisfied with the success rate of the service's algorithms in matching new songs to their listening tastes.

Spotify's recommendation system combines a number of machine learning and AI-driven methods. The service's algorithm analyzes listening history, favorite genres, and the time of day that users listen to music, and bases its personal recommendations on these parameters. This process is combined with content-based filtering, which analyzes the audio of a song that a user interacts with, and takes into account characteristics like time signature, key, and tempo to recommend new songs with similar characteristics.

Spotify's recommendations system also uses something called collaborative filtering. For example, if two users have similar music tastes, Spotify might recommend songs one user has listened to but the other hasn't. However, this can end up with Spotify recommending more popular items more often than lesser known songs, resulting in an "echo chamber" effect, and for new users with no listening history it is next to useless.

It's not clear when the new option to turn off personal recommendations will appear for Spotify users, or whether the trial is region-specific. Spotify simply says it is "evaluating the ability," and thanks users for trying it out to help make Spotify better.

• How to Stop Your Kids From Ruining Your Apple Music Recommendations

Apple is introducing a similar function for Apple Music subscribers in iOS 17.2, in the form of an additional Focus filter that can automatically turns off a user's ‌Apple Music‌ listening history. Apple's substantial software update is expected to land on iPhones in December.

Article Link: Spotify Trials New Option to Turn Off Personalized Recommendations

But why?
This is the best feature and I will never swap to Apple Music because it just sucks.
Tried it two times and Jesus, it’s so bad.
The interface, the recommendations and the playlists are all just bad.
I use nearly every single Apple service but Apple Music is unbelievably bad.
Classic is nice tho.

 

[Eorlas]

Also the UI is miles better and Spotifys Mac app actually works.

UI is indeed WAY better, and AM app for desktop is so unbelievably buggy it's a damn joke for a company with a multi trillion dollar valuation.

If no one has been hired at Apple capable of fixing up that code, then pay to outsource it to someone who can.

Spotify's shortcoming is how they drag their feet with lossless audio.