Spotify | The Verge

Verified by Spotify badge lets you know this artist isn’t AI

2026-04-30T09:08:23-04:00

Spotify is launching a new verification program to combat spam, fakes, and AI. Some artists will now have a "Verified by Spotify" badge and a green checkmark on their profile, indicating that the company has confirmed a real person is behind the music and the profile. At least at launch, Spotify says that AI personas or profiles that primarily upload AI-generated music are not eligible for the verification program. It did leave the door open to the possibility in the future, though, saying, "the concept of artist authenticity is complex and quickly evolving."

Not just anyone can be verified, however. Spotify says that there must be "consist …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify is partnering with Peloton for guided workouts

2026-04-27T07:18:12-04:00

Spotify has dabbled in customized running playlists, but now it's diving more firmly into the fitness space with curated playlists and content from creators like Yoga with Kassandra, Sweaty Studio, Chloe Ting, and Pilates Body by Raven. Not only that, but Premium subscribers will have access to over 1,400 classes from Peloton.

Spotify has already expanded well beyond its music roots, with audiobooks, podcasts, and video. So moving into fitness and wellness doesn't seem like a big stretch, especially since there are plenty of playlists out there built around exercise. But it does further crowd an already messy app.

Users will now have acces …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify just won $322 million from music pirates it can’t find

2026-04-16T07:45:19-04:00

Spotify and the three major labels have won a $322 million default judgement against Anna's Archive, the open-source library and pirate activist group that planned to publicly release millions of music files scraped from Spotify's platform.

The judgment comes after the unknown operator of Anna's Archive failed to respond to a lawsuit filed by Spotify, Universal Music Group (UMG), Warner Music Group (WMG) and Sony Music, which was made publicly available in January. The lawsuit was launched in response to Anna's Archive announcing in December that it had ripped 86 million songs from Spotify and intended to create a "preservation archive" fo …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify now sells printed books

2026-04-15T07:30:25-04:00

The Bookshop.org integration is now available for Spotify users on Android, with iOS support expected next week. | Image: Spotify

Spotify is rolling out some new updates for book lovers, expanding audiobook listening features and allowing users to buy physical publications through the platform. Readers in the US and UK can now purchase printed books via a new integration with Bookshop.org on the Android Spotify app, with support for iOS users expected to arrive next week.

The partnership was announced in February, with Bookshop.org founder and CEO Andy Hunter saying at the time that "Spotify is bringing in more readers, and I'm all for anything that grows the size of the pie." This, alongside other updates announced today, aim to make it easier to jump into your next …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify now lets you turn off all its videos

2026-04-09T06:33:09-04:00

The new controls apply to both individual and family accounts. | Image: Spotify

Spotify is adding new toggles to stop any and all video from playing inside the app, for both music and podcasts. The controls are rolling out worldwide, work across all platforms and devices, and can be used by managers of Family Plans to limit video content for every member on the subscription.

The new controls haven't arrived on my UK account or devices yet, but will appear under the "Content and display" settings on a phone, or the "Display" section on desktop. The existing toggle to disable Canvas clips - the short, looping, autoplay videos that Spotify added to the app in 2019 - is joined by a new toggle that disables access to music …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify’s Prompted Playlists can help you find new podcasts to listen to

2026-04-07T16:13:23-04:00

On Tuesday, Spotify expanded its Prompted Playlists feature to include podcasts, an update that could make it easier for Premium users to find new shows to listen to. Prompted Playlists were originally launched as a beta feature in December, but previously only worked for music. You can use the feature to effectively generate customized Discover Weekly playlists using text prompts to "steer the algorithm" toward specific genres or themes.

Tuesday's update allows you to do the same thing with playlists of podcast episodes. The feature is still in beta, though, and is currently only available in English for Premium users in the U.S., Canada …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify is letting artists manually approve releases to combat AI fakes

2026-03-26T06:03:49-04:00

Spotify is beta-testing a new feature called Artist Profile Protection that lets artists review releases before they go live. Sometimes songs end up on the wrong artist pages because of metadata mixups or shared names. But increasingly, artists have been targeted by impostors and AI-generated fakes. Profile Protection offers a buffer against bad actors.

Everyone from Drake and Beyoncé, to experimental composers like William Basinski, and indie rock acts like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, have had fake tracks appear under their names on streaming platforms, with some that were likely AI-generated. It's an issue that has stoked a lot of …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify adds ‘Exclusive Mode’ audiophile feature for Windows PCs

2026-03-25T16:58:35-04:00

Starting Tuesday, Spotify users will have access to "Exclusive Mode," a new feature in the streaming service's Windows app that can help maximize audio quality by giving the Spotify app full control over your device's audio processing. According to Spotify, "your computer may alter audio before it reaches your DAC by resampling it, mixing other system sounds in, and changing the volume." Turning on Exclusive Mode prevents this and disables audio from other apps, which Spotify says allows for "Bit Perfect playback."

Exclusive Mode is currently only available to Spotify Premium users on Windows, but Spotify says it will also be coming to the …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify tests letting users directly customize their Taste Profile

2026-03-13T17:44:23-04:00

Less slop please. | Image: Spotify

Spotify Premium users in New Zealand will be the first to experience the service's latest personalization feature. The company is letting users view and make changes to their Taste Profile directly. If your algorithm is serving up too much Bieber, you can politely tell the algorithm to ease up. Beta testers will be able to access the feature by tapping on their profile icon and then selecting Taste Profile from the sidebar menu.

The Taste Profile tells you not only what artists you frequently listen to, but also identifies trends in your listening habits. In a little demo clip, Spotify shows an example Taste Profile that includes the line, …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Spotify’s Smart Reorder treats your playlists like a DJ set

2026-02-25T11:16:11-05:00

Spotify's "Mix" feature now has an option called "Smart Reorder" that can automatically sort users' playlists based on beats per minute (BPM) and key, organizing songs for the best flow from one track to the next. It builds on the existing Mix feature in Spotify and, along with transitions between songs, which were introduced in August, users can now effectively have an automated DJ mix their Spotify playlists for them.

The "Smart Reorder" option, announced on Wednesday, is available now in the Spotify app for Premium subscribers. To try it out, open a playlist and tap the "Mix" button then "Edit." The "Smart Reorder" button should be at t …

Read the full story at The Verge.