Using shuffle while listening to music on Spotify can be a great way of getting some variety with your playlists or discover new music. You can also use shuffle if you want to listen to your favourite albums but you don’t want to follow the order.
However there are some moments when shuffle could ruin the experience if you want to get the right order of an album, for example concept albums that follow a specific order, which is something that happens quite a bit with Progressive Rock albums.
If you want to learn how to turn shuffle mode on or off, then this article is for you, and while it will be brief, you will learn everything there is to learn about shuffle mode on Spotify.
Before we get to the main question, there is an important detail you need to keep in mind when it comes to using Spotify.
Spotify has a free version that anyone can use without purchasing a subscription, but there are a few restrictions, one of them is that you can only listen to music on shuffle mode, in that case there is no way to deactivate it unless you pay for a subscription, you listen to specific playlists under the “made for you” section, or use the desktop version.
If you do have a Spotify subscription and you want to know how to turn shuffle mode on then we have all the answers to your questions.
Spotify lets you activate or deactivate shuffle mode whenever you want, this will let you listen to music without a specific order. This applies to playlists and albums and it’s a perfect way to listen to music when you want to discover something new or just want to have some variety while you do something else like driving, a house party or working.
If you want to turn on shuffle mode, here’s how you do it:
Android and iOS
- Open the Spotify app.
- Select a playlist, a song or an album that you want to play.
- You’ll be able to see a shuffle icon at the bottom of the screen near the playback bar on the left.
- Once you tap it you’ll be able to turn on shuffle.
Desktop
Using Spotify on desktop has an interesting advantage, you can turn shuffle mode on or off whenever you want, even if you don’t have a subscription, which is not stated officially on Spotify’s website.
Using Spotify on your PC is very easy, if you don’t want to commit to downloading the app you can just search “Spotify” on your browser and you’ll be able to use the web player.
If you want to download the app you can do that as well and you’ll have more options in the settings menuas well as a few other benefits
If you want to turn on shuffle on Spotify from your desktop, follow these few steps:
- Open your Spotify app on the desktop or the web player.
- You’ll see the shuffle icon at the bottom near the playback bar at the left.
- When you click it you’ll be able to listen to music however you want.
Sometimes you might run into some issues when trying to turn shuffle on or off, if you do then try these solutions in order to continue listening to Spotify!
- If you select a playlist on Spotify, the app will automatically be on shuffle, so if you want to play in order, just double tap the first song and you’re good to go.
- Try to turn off shuffle play from other playlists.
- Clear Spotify’s cache.
- Uninstall and reinstall the app.
If you don’t have a subscription for Spotify, you won’t have access to shuffle, however there is an exception that will allow you to turn it off or on whenever you want.
If you go to the playlists in the “Made for you” category, you will find some playlists where you can access shuffle functions.
Keep in mind that not all the playlists will allow you to do this as a free user, just the ones under “Daily Mixes” and “Soundtrack of your day”, which might be enough for you if you just use Spotify occasionally.
You know what shuffle does, but how does it work? Well it basically runs on an algorithm that plays a song, each with an equal chance of coming next which gives the impression of being random.
You could say that shuffle does mean “random” to some degree, however they have made sure that listeners don’t get the same song to play over and over again, which could happen if it really was random.
This type of shuffle was implemented to the app back in 2014, and what it did is that if you use this function, then there is almost no chance you will get the same song again in a playlist.
So while it does gives the ilusion of being random, it’s not, and that’s for the better because a lot of the time, the idea of turning shuffle on is to keep the player’s hands away from the app, and let it do its job after selecting a playlist with a specific mood.
Imagine being on a house party and having to stop a conversation because a song is playing for the fourth time and you have to skip it, not really a fun moment is it?
If you are a free user on Spotify then you will find a few restrictions when it comes to shuffle that will take away some of the enjoyment from the experience, so if you want to listen to music but you are not interested in paying for a subscription, then you could consider using Youtube Music or Deezer.
If you love Spotify and you have a subscription, using shuffle mode is very easy and it’s a great idea if someone shares a playlist with you or if you want to switch things up a bit with your favourite albums.
Whether you want to turn it on or off, shuffle is a great option to have when using Spotify, and now you know everything there is to know about it, from making the most out of shuffle for the free version, to understanding how it works and when to use it, so go make a playlist and enjoy yourself with shuffle mode!
