Top 10 Features of Spotify You Must Try in 2026 (Hidden Gems & New Tools)

Spotify keeps adding powerful features that most people never touch. The raw YouTube script you shared actually covered more than 10 tricks and tools—so in this blog, we’ll organize all of them into 10 must‑try Spotify features for 2026, without skipping any of the details.

You’ll discover:

• Smarter ways to search for music
• Tools to customize playlists and artwork
• Powerful AI features (DJ, Mix, AI playlists)
• Hidden settings that boost sound quality
• Shortcuts, privacy tools, and more

Smarter Search: Lyrics & Advanced Filters

Smarter Search: Lyrics & Advanced Filters makes it easy to find songs even when you only remember a few words, using intelligent lyric matching and refined search options.

Search by Lyrics

Spotify’s search feature is far more powerful than many users realize this feature is recognized as like most usefull features in spotify till now, especially when it comes to discovering songs through lyrics. There are moments when a song is stuck in your head, but you only remember a single line and not the song title or artist. In those situations, Spotify’s lyric-based search can be a real lifesaver.

Instead of guessing the song name, you can simply type at least three words from the lyrics into Spotify’s search bar. Spotify then scans its music library and tries to match those words with songs that contain similar lyrics. If the results aren’t accurate enough, adding a few more words from the song usually helps refine the search and brings up the exact track you’re looking for.

To get the best results from lyric search, keep these tips in mind:

• Enter clear and accurate words from the lyrics
• Add more lyric lines if the first search shows multiple results
• Avoid spelling mistakes for better matching
• Combine lyric search with artist or genre filters when possible

This feature is especially useful when apps like Shazam aren’t available, or when you hear a song in passing and only remember a short line. With Spotify’s smarter search, finding that forgotten song becomes quick, simple, and frustration-free.

Use Search Modifiers (Year, Genre, Label & More)

Spotify’s search engine supports modifiers to fine‑tune your results. Some examples:

• By year rangetextartist:Drake year:2015-2018→ Shows Drake songs from 2015 to 2018.
• By single yeartextartist:Adele year:2011→ Shows songs from 2011 only.
• By genre, album, label and more
  Examples:
  • genre:rock
  • album:"Random Access Memories"
  • label:Sony

You can mix and match these filters for extremely specific results.

For a full list of all modifiers, check Spotify’s official support or help articles—there are many more combinations possible.

Custom Playlist Cover Art on Mobile

Until recently, you could only customize playlist covers on desktop. Now you can do it directly on your phone.

How to Change Playlist Cover Art on Mobile in Spotify

Spotify allows you to personalize your playlists by changing their cover art directly from the mobile app. Keep in mind that this option is only available for playlists you’ve created yourself—Spotify’s official playlists cannot be edited.

To get started, open the playlist you want to customize and tap the three-dot menu (⋯). From there, select Create cover art or Edit / Change image (the exact wording may vary depending on your app version).

Once you’re inside the editor, Spotify gives you two simple customization options:

• Upload a photo from your phone’s gallery
• Use Spotify’s built-in cover art editor to design a custom look

This makes it easy to give your playlists a unique visual identity that matches your music vibe.

Built‑in Cover Art Editor Spotify Feature

Within Spotify’s mobile cover editor you can:

• Add custom text
• Use image maskings with shapes
• Choose colored backgrounds
• Add stickers and graphic elements

This lets you style playlists by mood, activity, or vibe (e.g., “Focus Work”, “Gym Bangers”, “Sunday Chill”).

Album Song Previews (TikTok‑Style Feed)

When a major album is released, going through every track one by one can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re short on time. To make discovery easier, Spotify offers a TikTok-style preview feature that lets you sample songs quickly before committing to a full listen.

To access this feature, simply open the album page and look for a small animated rectangular icon on the screen. Tapping this icon opens a scrollable, vertical feed where you can swipe through short previews of each song, similar to how content appears on TikTok.

This preview feed helps you:

• Rapidly swipe through short song previews
• Instantly decide which tracks match your taste
• Save, like, or skip songs without playing the full track
• Explore large albums efficiently

It’s especially useful for big album releases or for listeners with shorter attention spans who still want to discover the best tracks quickly.

Powerful Personalized Playlists & Taste Control

Spotify automatically builds a bunch of “Made for you” playlists based on your behavior. The original script mentioned several important ones.

a) On Repeat

• Shows the songs you’re currently obsessed with
• A snapshot of your present listening taste
• Great for seeing your top songs right now (without waiting for Spotify Wrapped)

b) Repeat Rewind

• Similar idea, but focused on the past
• Shows songs you used to listen to a lot
• Feels like a throwback playlist curated from your own history

c) Daylist

• Analyzes your listening patterns throughout the week
• Suggests tracks you might want “right now”, based on your habits
• It updates multiple times a day, roughly between sunrise and sunset

This is one of the most interesting playlists because it reacts to your time‑of‑day listening behavior.

d) Discover Weekly

• Updated every week
• Helps you find new music based on:
  • Your listening history
  • Similar users’ tastes
  • Related genres & artists

This is one of Spotify’s best tools for music discovery.

e) Daily Drive

• Combines music + news / talk content
• Ideal for commuting or driving
• Gives you a mix of:
  • Your favorite songs
  • Short news updates or podcasts

f) Where to Find These Playlists

• Go to the Search tab
• Look for a section called “Made for you”
• You’ll see:
  • On Repeat
  • Repeat Rewind
  • Daylist
  • Discover Weekly
  • Daily Drive
  • Other personalized mixes

g) Exclude Genres/Playlists From Your Taste Profile

If Spotify starts recommending genres you don’t like:

1. Open the playlist or mix that doesn’t reflect your taste.
2. Tap the three‑dot menu (⋯).
3. Choose Exclude from your taste profile.

This tells Spotify:

• “Don’t use this playlist/genre to shape my recommendations.”
• Over time, this steers your algorithm away from unwanted styles.

AI‑Powered Playlist Creation

Spotify now makes playlist building easier by offering an AI-powered option when you create a new playlist. Instead of adding songs manually from scratch, you can let Spotify’s AI generate a playlist based on your mood, activity, or listening preferences.

To use this feature, start by creating a new playlist and look for the option that allows AI to create a playlist for you. You’ll then be asked to describe what you want using simple prompts, such as:

• Music to help me focus
• Top hits from the artists I follow
• Chill lo-fi beats for studying

Once you submit your request, Spotify’s AI analyzes your listening history and preferences to automatically add songs that match your description. While the results aren’t always perfect and may occasionally miss the mark, the AI usually creates a strong starting playlist that you can easily fine-tune by adding or removing tracks.

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Audio Quality, Crossfade & Equalizer Settings

You can dramatically improve your Spotify experience by tweaking Media Quality and Playback settings.

a) Improve Streaming & Download Quality

1. Tap your profile icon.
2. Go to Settings and privacy.
3. Open Media quality.

Here you can:

• Set streaming quality for Wi‑Fi and mobile data (audio & video)
• If you’re a Premium user, you can also:
  • Increase quality of downloaded songs and videos

Note: Higher quality = more data usage and storage space.
If you bump up download quality, expect larger files on your device.

b) Customize Playback: Crossfade & EQ

From Settings and privacy:

1. Go back and open the Playback menu.

Two important options:

• Crossfade
  • Smoothly blends one track into the next
  • You can set how many seconds the overlap should be
  • Great for party playlists and uninterrupted listening
• Equalizer
  • Adjust bass, treble, and overall sound profile
  • Some presets focus on:
    • Bass boost
    • Vocal clarity
    • Acoustic, rock, etc.

Experiment here—small changes can make a big difference with good headphones or speakers.

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“What’s New” Feed & Listening History Feature

“What’s New” Feed & Listening History helps you stay updated with fresh releases from artists you follow while letting you quickly revisit and replay songs you’ve recently listened to.

a) “What’s New” – Stay Updated with Artists You Follow

To keep up with new releases:

1. Tap your profile icon.
2. Select What’s new.

This section shows:

• Fresh tracks from artists you follow
• Newly released albums, singles, and even podcasts from your followed creators

You no longer have to manually check each artist profile.

b) View Your Listening History

From the same slide‑out menu, you can access your listening history, including:

• Recently played songs
• Recently played podcasts

One limitation mentioned in the script:

• There’s currently no calendar view to jump to a specific date in your history.
• Adding that would make this feature even more powerful.

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Power Tools on Desktop Sppotify Feature

Power Tools on Desktop: Keyboard Shortcuts & Playlist Recovery give desktop users faster control with time-saving shortcuts and the ability to restore deleted playlists with ease.

a) Desktop Keyboard Shortcuts (Game‑Changers)

On the Spotify desktop app, keyboard shortcuts can speed everything up.

Some examples (Windows style):

• Skip to next track:
  Ctrl + Right Arrow
• Jump to search bar:
  Ctrl + L
• Go to Liked Songs:
  Alt + Shift + S
• View complete shortcut list:
  Press Shift + / (question mark)

Once you get used to these, you’ll navigate Spotify much faster.

b) Recover a Deleted Playlist (Within 90 Days)

Accidentally deleted a playlist? There’s a way to bring it back:

1. Open your browser and go to spotify.com.
2. Log into your Spotify account.
3. Click your profile icon → Account.
4. Look for Recover playlists.
5. You’ll see a list of playlists deleted within the last 90 days.
6. Click Restore on the one you want back.

The playlist reappears in your library, with all its songs.

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Social, TV & Movie Soundtracks, Private Sessions & App Integrations

Social, TV & Movie Soundtracks, Private Sessions & App Integrations enhance your Spotify experience by blending social sharing, media discovery, privacy control, and seamless connections with other apps.

a) Find Movie & TV Show Soundtracks

If you loved the soundtrack from a movie or TV show, there’s a good chance it’s on Spotify.

You can:

• Simply search the movie or show name, or
• Go to the Search tab and look for a category like “TV & Movies”

Here you’ll find:

• Official soundtracks
• Fan‑made playlists
• Collections from shows or films you may have forgotten you watched

b) Private Session (Hide Your Listening Activity)

By default, friends/followers can see what you’re listening to (on desktop’s friend feed or social integrations).

If you want to keep things private:

1. Go to Settings and privacy.
2. Open Privacy and social.
3. Enable Private session.

This will:

• Hide your listening activity for about 6 hours
• Prevent those songs from influencing your recommendations

Great for guilty pleasure sessions or when you’re playing music you don’t want shaping your algorithm.

c) Integrations with Instagram & TikTok

Spotify integrates nicely with popular social apps:

• If you see/hear a song in an Instagram Story or a TikTok video:
  • Tap on the music icon or song link.
  • Often, there’s an option to open in Spotify or add to your Spotify Library.

This makes it very easy to:

• Save songs you discover while scrolling
• Avoid having to Shazam everything you like

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Next‑Gen Listening: Spotify DJ & the New Mix Feature

The script described two major advanced features that are especially exciting in 2025/26:

• Spotify DJ (AI DJ)
• Spotify Mix (advanced auto‑mixing transitions for playlists)

Spotify Mix – DJ-Style Transitions Between Songs

Spotify recently introduced Mix, a feature designed to turn any playlist into a seamless, DJ-style continuous mix. With Mix, songs flow into each other with smooth transitions, giving your playlists a live-set feel—directly competing with Apple Music’s Automix feature.

Availability

• Only for Spotify Premium subscribers
• Gradually rolling out, so not everyone has it yet
• You’ll know you have it if you open a playlist and see a “Mix” button at the top toolbar

What Happens When You Tap “Mix”
Once you activate Mix, the interface slightly changes to display useful DJ-friendly details:

• BPM (beats per minute) for each song
• Key in the Camelot scale
• The play button takes on a style similar to a Pioneer CDJ/DDJ controller

Deep Control Over Transitions
Where Spotify Mix really stands out is in the level of control over song transitions. Unlike Apple’s “set and forget” Automix, Spotify lets you fine-tune each transition. Options include:

• Choosing how many bars the transition lasts
• Selecting different transition presets
• Using Custom mode to adjust:
  • Volume curves
  • EQ effects
  • Filters (like a low-pass filter) during transitions

You can even apply different transitions between songs—for example, Song A → B, Song B → C, Song C → D—and experiment with track order and effects. This level of control allows for a much more personalized mix experience.

Is This the End of DJs?
Not at all. While Mix handles transitions elegantly, DJing is more than just smooth fades. It involves:

• Track selection
• Reading the crowd
• Phrasing and layering
• Live creativity

Spotify Mix isn’t meant to replace DJs. Instead, it’s a powerful tool for:

• DJs wanting to test song transitions on the go
• Experimenting without opening software like Rekordbox or Serato
• Regular users turning gym playlists, party mixes, or rave playlists into flows that feel like a real DJ set

With Spotify Mix, playlists gain professional-sounding continuity while still giving users the flexibility to experiment and create unique listening experiences.

FAQs – Top Spotify Features & Tips for 2026

1. How do I search for a song on Spotify using lyrics?

Just type at least three words from the lyrics into the search bar (e.g., “dancing in the dark”).
Spotify will try to match songs by lyric content, and you can add more words for better accuracy.

2. What are Spotify’s search modifiers and how do I use them?

Spotify supports advanced filters, such as:

• artist:
• album:
• genre:
• year:YYYY or year:YYYY-YYYY
• label:

Example:

textartist:Drake year:2015-2018 genre:hip-hop

This narrows results to Drake songs from 2015–2018 in hip‑hop.
Check Spotify’s help center for the full list of supported modifiers.

3. How can I change my Spotify playlist cover on my phone?

1. Open your playlist (one you created).
2. Tap the three dots (⋯).
3. Choose Create cover art or Edit image.
4. Upload a photo or build a cover with:
   • Text
   • Shapes
   • Background colors
   • Stickers

Then save it. The new cover will show everywhere.

4. What is Spotify Daylist?

Daylist is a playlist that:

• Updates multiple times a day, between sunrise and sunset
• Analyzes your listening patterns by time of day
• Suggests tracks you’re likely to enjoy right now (e.g., mid‑morning vibe vs late‑night vibe)

Find it under Search → Made for you.

5. How do I stop certain genres or playlists from affecting my recommendations?

Use “Exclude from your taste profile”:

1. Open the playlist or mix you don’t want influencing your taste.
2. Tap the three dots (⋯).
3. Select Exclude from your taste profile.

Spotify will then avoid using that playlist/genre to shape future recommendations.

6. How do I improve audio quality on Spotify?

1. Go to Settings and privacy → Media quality.
2. Set higher quality for:
   • Wi‑Fi streaming
   • Mobile streaming
   • Downloads (Premium only)

Remember: higher quality = more data & storage.

Also, under Playback, enable and tweak:

• Crossfade for smoother transitions
• Equalizer to boost bass, treble, or use presets

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7. How can I see my recent listening history on Spotify?

• Tap your profile icon.
• Look for a section like Listening history (in the same menu as What’s new).

There you’ll see:

• Recently played songs
• Recently played podcasts

Currently, Spotify doesn’t offer a calendar‑based history, but you can still scroll back through recent activity.

8. How do I recover a deleted playlist on Spotify?

1. Open spotify.com in a browser.
2. Log in and click your profile icon → Account.
3. Find and click Recover playlists.
4. Restore any playlist deleted within the last 90 days.

It will reappear in your library with all its tracks.

9. What is Spotify DJ and how is it different from Spotify Mix?

• Spotify DJ:
  • An AI DJ that plays music tailored to you
  • Adds human‑sounding commentary
  • Picks tracks and changes genres/moods dynamically
• Spotify Mix:
  • A feature (for Premium) that lets you create DJ‑style transitions in playlists
  • Shows BPM & key, and lets you control how songs transition
  • More about seamless mixing, less about commentary

Both enhance your listening, but DJ focuses on selection + commentary, while Mix focuses on transitions.

10. How do I know if I have the new Spotify Mix feature?

You likely have Spotify Mix if:

• You’re a Premium subscriber
• You open a playlist and see a “Mix” button in the toolbar at the top

If you don’t see it yet, it may still be rolling out to your region or account.

11. How do I keep my listening activity private?

Enable Private session:

1. Open Settings and privacy.
2. Go to Privacy and social.
3. Turn on Private session.

This will:

• Hide your listening from friends/followers for about 6 hours
• Prevent those songs from affecting your recommendations

12. Can I add songs from Instagram or TikTok directly to Spotify?

Yes, in many cases:

• On Instagram Stories or TikTok:
  • Tap the music/song icon in the post
  • If supported, you’ll see an option to open in Spotify or save to Spotify

This lets you quickly add tracks to your library or playlists.