When it comes to streaming services, not many do it like Spotify. With tons of features to personalize your listening, it’s hard to know if you’re truly getting the most out of your Spotify experience.

Here are my five favorite Spotify tips and tricks that took my music experience to the next level.

1. Smart Shuffle – Fresh Music Without Ruining Your Playlist

Smart Shuffle has become an absolute staple in my life.

If you’re anything like me, you create a great playlist… then rinse and repeat it until you get sick of it. Integrating fresh tracks becomes hard.

Smart Shuffle fixes this.
It blends new, similar, never-heard-before songs into your existing playlist — giving you the best of both worlds.

• You’ll hear a new track around every 3–4 songs
• Keeps favorites while adding fresh recommendations
• You can dislike a song using the minus button so it won’t recommend similar tracks again

How to enable Smart Shuffle:
Tap the shuffle button on the Now Playing screen until you see the Smart Shuffle icon — that’s it.

I’ve discovered tons of new tracks this way, and you absolutely should try it.

2. Daily Drive – The Perfect Mix for Commuters

Daily Drive has been around for a while, but I use it every single day.

If you commute or travel often, this playlist is perfect. It combines:

• Songs you listen to a lot
• News updates
• Podcast snippets (Sports, Tech, World events & more)

It refreshes daily, keeping things fresh.

How to find Daily Drive:
Search “Daily Drive” or check the Made For You section on your home screen.

Your drives will instantly get better — trust me.

3. Audio Settings – Unlock Spotify’s Hidden Sound Power

You’d be surprised how many users never touch Spotify’s audio settings.
But if you haven’t tweaked them… you’re missing out big time.

How to access:
Go to Settings (cog icon) → Playback

Here’s what you can modify:

✔ Equalizer (EQ)

Choose presets for:

• Bass boost
• Pop
• Hip-hop
• Rock
• Custom settings

✔ Volume Level

Increase or decrease loudness depending on your environment.

✔ Gapless Playback & Crossfade

One of my favorites.

• Removes awkward gaps between songs
• Lets them blend into each other smoothly
• Feels like a DJ-mixed playlist

✔ Audio Quality

Under Audio Quality, you can change streaming quality:

• Higher quality = More data
• If you’re on unlimited mobile data → Set everything to Very High

Note: Some features vary depending on free vs premium membership.

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4. AI DJ (Beta) – Spotify’s Futuristic Personalized DJ

This one is new for many users, especially in the UK.

Spotify’s AI DJ feature is in beta and premium-only, but it’s a glimpse into the future of music streaming.

Once you update Spotify, head to the Music tab and tap AI DJ.

You’re greeted by:

• A shockingly realistic AI voice
• Based on Spotify’s Head of Cultural Partnerships, Xavier “X” Jernigan

Expo (the DJ) analyzes:

• Your listening history
• Your preferences
• Your old favorites
• New releases you’d like

You get:

• Personalized mixes
• Classics
• New recommendations
• Fun commentary & facts from the DJ

Sometimes a few odd tracks appear — but you can skip them instantly.

This feels like having your own personalized radio station, and it’s only the beginning.

5. Spotify Blend – Create Group Playlists With Friends

Spotify Blend has been around, but many still don’t use it — and it’s a huge hidden gem.

You can create a Blend playlist with up to 10 friends, and Spotify merges:

• Your favorite songs
• Their favorite songs
• Personalized recommendations for the group

How to use Blend:

Search “Blend” →
You’ll see:

• A “Create a Blend” option
• Pre-made niche mixes (yes, even the funny ones like Goblincore Mix)

I mainly create Blends with specific friends who share music taste. For example, I have a Blend with Louis — lots of house music, Marvin Gaye, and some bangers I had never heard before.

Blend shows:

• Your taste matching percentage
• Your combined music history
• A joint playlist you can explore

Spotify even recommended a Blend between me and Lizzo recently — surprisingly, we matched more than I expected.

It’s fun, surprising, and a brilliant way to find new music.

Final Thoughts

These were my 5 MUST-KNOW Spotify tips — but I know there are hidden features out there that even I might’ve missed.