How to Stop Spotify Playing Suggested Songs in 10 Ways

Part 1. Why Does Spotify Play Suggested Songs

Why does Spotify keep playing suggested songs? Actually, the core reason lies in Spotify's mission: to help users discover music they might enjoy. Spotify's recommendation system is designed to introduce you to new tracks that align with your listening habits, keeping you engaged and encouraging deeper exploration of its music catalog.

When Spotify successfully recommends songs you like, you are more likely to spend time on the platform. This benefits both you and Spotify: you enjoy more music tailored to your taste, and Spotify gains a more active user base, allowing it to continually refine its recommendation algorithms.

Moreover, Spotify profits from its recommendation system in two key ways. First, some users who pursue niche music genres may subscribe to Premium subscription to get more Spotify recommendations based on their tastes. Besides, the artist and labels may pay to promote their songs within Spotify's ecosystem, increasing their visibility through recommendations.

To support this system, Spotify has built multiple features that will automatically trigger song recommendations. These include Autoplay, Spotify Enhance/Smart Shuffle, Discovery mode, and recommendation sections on the home page. What's less obvious is that Spotify will add songs to your playlist if your playlist is too short or under other subtle conditions that aren't clearly disclosed.

If you find these recommendations disruptive, don't worry - we've outlined several methods below to help you turn off Spotify recommendations and regain control of your listening experience.

Part 2. How to Stop Spotify from Playing Suggested Songs

Want to figure out how to turn off recommended songs on Spotify? Below are nine methods to help Spotify free and premium users to make it.

Method 1. Turn Off Spotify Autoplay

Autoplay is a good function for discovering new Spotify songs that match your tastes. However, if you don't want recommendations, you can simply turn this function off.

On Mobile:

Step 1. Launch the Spotify app on your Android or iOS mobile device.

Step 2. Tap Home at the bottom left.

Step 3. Tap the Settings icon at the top right to open the Settings.

Step 4. Scroll down to navigate and enter the  Playback section. Then, turn the Autoplay button off to stop Spotify from playing suggested songs.

On Desktop:

Step 1. Open the Spotify app on your Windows or Mac desktop.

Step 2. Click your profile at the top right and select Settings.

Step 3. Find the Autoplay section on Settings screen and turn it off.

View also: How to Turn Off and Turn on Autoplay on Spotify

Method 2. Disable Enhance or Smart Shuffle [Premium]

Spotify Enhance is a feature that adds recommended songs to your playlists based on your music listening preferences and habits. Spotify Smart Shuffle is a similar function that will play one suggested song for every three songs in your playlist, blending your music with new recommendations.

If you find some songs are not added by you to the playlist, it is likely that Spotify Enhance or Smart Shuffle is enabled. You can follow the steps below to turn them off and take full control of your curated playlists.

View also: How to Use Spotify Enhance

Note: In the latest version of Spotify, Spotify Enhance has been replaced by Smart Shuffle. So, if you find either the Enhance or Shuffle button, they now serve the same purpose.

Disable Enhance/Smart Shuffle on Mobile

Step 1. Open the Spotify app on your phone.

Step 2. Tap to open the playlist you want to turn off song suggestions.

Step 3. Tap the twisted arrows icon next to the green Play button.

Disable Enhance/Smart Shuffle on Desktop

Step 1. Open your Spotify app on Desktop.

Step 2. Enter the playlist you want to stop recommendations.

Step 3. Navigate to the twisted arrows icon and click it. You can find it next to the big green Play button at the top or at the left of the Previous button at the bottom.

Notice: If your Smart Shuffle mode is open, the green icon has a star on it. Once you click it, the star will disappear, and you will be in the simple shuffle mode. If you click it again, it will become gray, which means you have turned off the shuffle mode.

View also: How to Turn Off Smart Shuffle on Spotify

Method 3. Play Spotify Songs in Offline Mode [For Premium Users]

Another way to stop Spotify recommendations is by using Offline Mode. However, this method is only available to Premium members. To use it effectively, you'll need to download all the songs you want to listen to on your device in advance. Once in Offline Mode, Spotify will only play your downloaded tracks, with no additional recommendations.

Play Offline Mode on Mobile

Step 1. Open the Spotify app on your phone.

Step 2. Open the Settings at Spotify home screen.

Step 3. Navigate and open the Playback section.

Step 4. Tap the Offline option to activate this mode.

Play Offline Mode on Desktop

Step 1. Open the Spotify app on your PC or Mac.

Step 2. PC users can click the three dots at the top left and select File > Offline Mode. Mac users can navigate to the menu bar at the top of your screen and click Spotify > Offline Mode.

View also: How to Use Spotify Offline Mode

Method 4. Create Your Own Playlist With Over 15 Songs [For Free Users]

For Spotify Free users, if you don't want to play Spotify suggestions, you can collect songs matched with your taste into playlists. However, you'd better add at least 15 songs to each playlist since Spotify will still recommend songs for small playlists. By building fuller playlists, you can reduce the chances of unwanted suggestions interrupting your listening experience.

View also: How to Create Spotify Playlist

Method 5. Remove Spotify Recommendations Manually

If you don't like certain songs that Spotify has suggested, you can manually remove them from your playlist. This is not the direct way to stop Spotify recommendations, but it does help train the algorithm by signaling your preferences, leading to more accurate suggestions over time.

On Mobile:

Step 1. Open your Spotify app on your phone.

Step 2. Tap to enter the playlist you want to edit.

Step 3. Click the three horizontal lines at the bottom right.

Step 4. Select the songs you want to remove from the Play Queue and tap Remove to delete them.

View also: How to Clear Spotify Queue

On Desktop:

Step 1. Open the Spotify app on your desktop.

Step 2. Open the playlist you want to edit.

Step 3. Right-click the song you want to remove and choose Remove from this playlist.

Method 6. Turn On Private Session

Enabling a Spotify Private Session will restrict the data Spotify collects about your listening habits, which can stop Spotify recommendations.

Note: While in Private Session, Spotify will not record your listening history. However, this mode is temporary and will automatically end after 6 hours, or sooner if you close and reopen the app.

Turn on Private Session on Mobile

Step 1. Open your Spotify app on your phone.

Step 2. Tap the profile picture on the Spotify home screen.

Step 3. Open Settings and open the Privacy & Social section.

Step 4. Turn on Private session.

Turn on Private Session on Desktop

Step 1. Open your Spotify app on your desktop.

Step 2. Click your profile picture and select Private session.

View also: How to Start Spotify Private Session

Method 7. Block Disliked Artist/Song

"I don't like all the songs by a certain artist. How to get Spotify to stop recommending them?" If you have had the same question, you can just block the artist to stop Spotify from recommending or adding their songs to your playlists. You can easily block the artist on mobile/desktop.

Step 1. Open your Spotify app on your phone or desktop device.

Step 2. Tap into the artist profile you don't like.

Step 3. Tap the three vertical dots at the top right.

Step 4. Choose Don't play this artist.

View also: How to Dislike Songs on Spotify

Method 8. Use the Repeat Feature on Spotify [For Premium Users]

You can also use the Repeat feature on Spotify to stop Spotify from playing suggested songs. With this feature on, you can enjoy your current playlist or album on repeat to prevent Spotify from recommending songs. Here is how to do that.

Step 1. Start to play a playlist or album you want on Spotify.

Step 2. Navigate to the Now Playing screen.

Step 3. Press the 'Repeat' icon till the symbol is highlighted.

Step 4. After that, you can listen to music you like repeatedly without any interruptions from Spotify recommendations.

Method 9. Upgrade from Free Plan to Premium Plan

If you are a free user looking to avoid Spotify's recommendations, upgrading to Spotify Premium gives you access to more functions to turn off recommendations, like the Offline mode. However, even with Premium, there is no guaranteed way to completely stop Spotify from playing recommended songs.

The good news? There are alternative ways to download Spotify music without Premium, giving you more control over your listening experience without needing to upgrade.

Method 10. Play Songs in Other Players [Best for Spotify Free/Premium Users]

Overall, the best way to enjoy your own playlist without interruption of Spotify suggested songs is to download them to play offline and play on other apps or devices. All you need is the AudFree Spotify Music Converter, which can convert DRM-protected Spotify music into MP3 and other plain formats with customized output quality. Therefore, you can play Spotify music on your local player or MP3 players and other similar devices without limitation.

How to download Spotify songs via the AudFree Spotify Music Downloader? Install it first and follow the steps below to start your first trial.

Step 1. Add Spotify Songs/Playlists to AudFree Spotify Music Converter

Install and open AudFree Spotify Music Converter. Then log in to your Spotify free or premium account in the built-in Spotify web player. After that, browse music you want to download. Then drag a single Spotify song or a whole playlist to the AudFree Spotify Music Converter '+' section at the right on the screen. Then click the Add to list button in the new window to import songs to the converter.

Step 2. Select Output Format and Quality

You can customize output format and quality by clicking the Menu icon at the top right and selecting "Preferences > Conversion > Format /Channel /Sample Rate /Bit Rate".

View also:

How to Convert Spotify to AIFF

How to Convert Spotify to MP3

How to Convert Spotify to WAV

By the way, click the three dots icon next to the Output Directory section in the same window. Then it will open the local storage folder and you can select one folder to place your converted audio locally. After that, press OK to apply.

Step 3. Click to Download Spotify Songs

Click the "Convert" button at the bottom right in the Converting list window, and your imported songs will start to download. After that, you will get local Spotify audio files and you can play them on any device or platform you like. In this case, you learn how to stop Spotify from playing recommended songs.

Part 3. FAQs on Turn Off Spotify Recommendations

Q1: What Is Spotify Play Suggested Songs?

A1: Spotify algorithms will detect and analyze your playing preferences, tastes, and behaviors to recommend similar songs that you may like. These recommendations may appear in various sections such as Recommended Stations, Recommended for Today, Made For You, and a more special section. Besides, Spotify may insert recommended songs randomly even when you're playing a curated playlist.

This approach helps Spotify connect users with new or matched artists, genres, or songs to increase the time users play music with Spotify players. For more details, you can click here to read the official introduction to Spotify recommendations.

Q2: Why Is Spotify Playing Recommended Songs Instead Of My Playlist?

A2: If you find Spotify playing songs excluded from your playlist, it is likely that you had turned on the Autoplay mode or Spotify Enhance/Smart Shuffle feature. To stop this, simply follow our steps above to turn them off.

Q3: How to Stop Spotify from Playing Suggested Songs Without Premium?

A3: For Spotify Free users, you can create a playlist to play songs without Spotify recommendations. However, this method isn't always reliable, as Spotify may still insert suggested tracks.

A more effective solution is to download Spotify songs for offline playing using a tool like AudFree Spotify Music Downloader. Once you download the songs, you can use any music player that supports free shuffle play to listen to your songs without interruptions or recommendations from Spotify.

View also: How to Put Spotify on MP3 Player

Q4: Why Does Spotify Play Suggested Songs After Turning Off Autoplay?

A4: Spotify has many functions and settings for song recommendations, and Autoplay is only one of them. If you do not want any suggested songs when playing your curated playlists, you need to turn off all recommendation-related settings like Spotify Enhance, Smart Shuffle and Autoplay - and, if possible, listen in Offline Mode to prevent any automatic additions.

Q5: Why Does Spotify Recommend Same Songs in My Playlist?

A5: If you keep seeing the same suggested songs in your playlist many times, there are usually two possible reasons.

Reason 1. The artist has sponsored the song, and Spotify is promoting it to users whose listening habits match the song's profile.

Reason 2. This song is totally matched with your taste, based on Spotify's algorithmic analysis of your listening behavior.

To stop these songs from appearing, you can hide or remove songs and give Spotify feedback that you don't like. This helps the algorithm better understand your preferences and reduces similar recommendations in the future.

Part 4. Conclusion

We hope this guide has helped you understand how to stop Spotify from playing suggested songs. If you want to enjoy your curated playlists without any Spotify recommendations interrupted, a great solution is to use AudFree Spotify Music Converter. This tool allows you to download your playlists even with a Spotify Free plan, so you can play them offline using other music players - completely free from unwanted suggestions.