Discover the Magic of Spotify with These Tips

How do you feel about your Spotify Wrapped?

If you're not satisfied with what your Spotify Wrapped reveals, it's time to take charge of your listening habits right now. By the end of 2025, you'll be glad you did. There are numerous ways to use the streaming music service to uncover new songs and find your next favorite artist or genre.

Spotify places a significant emphasis on discovery, but the app itself can sometimes be overwhelming. That's why we'll walk you through a few simple methods to expand your music library. This guide focuses on the mobile app, but the same functionality is available on the desktop app as well.

Spotify's Scrollable Feeds: A TikTok-like Experience

Spotify's scrollable feeds allow you to swipe through songs just like on TikTok. On playlists that include them, you'll see a small, animated preview pane in the shape of a phone. Tap it and then swipe up through each song for a quick snippet. Or, on the main Home page within the Spotify app, scroll down to the animated cards, unmute, and tap the arrows to preview each song. This gives you a taste of different songs and helps you discover new ones.

It's a fun and easy way to explore new music without having to search for it directly. You might stumble upon a song that becomes your new favorite without even realizing it.

Spotify DJ: Let AI Do the Work

Radio listening is a tried and true discovery method, but listening to FM radio can be a disappointment. Spotify introduced an artificial intelligence DJ last year that offers up new and favorite tunes without any effort on your part. The results are personalized, and the voice and complete throwback experience to terrestrial radio is oddly satisfying.

Just look for the glowing green circle on a blue background on your Home screen and press play, or search "DJ." In 2024, there are new stats about how long you spent listening to the DJ and the types of music you explored. It's a great way to discover new music while sitting back and relaxing.

Smart Shuffle: Mix New Songs Into Your Playlists

Too timid about trying new music? Spotify's Smart Shuffle is the perfect solution. It allows you to add new tracks to existing playlists with just a tap of a button, bringing new music into your life seamlessly. Smart Shuffle tries to match the style of the songs in your playlist, so the new jams aren't too jarring.

To engage Smart Shuffle, open a playlist in your library and tap the Shuffle icon twice. It'll turn green and add sparkle icons. Press play, and new songs will be mixed in. Tap it again to remove. It's a simple yet effective way to expand your playlist and discover new music.

Release Radar: Check Out Spotify's Recommendations

If you'd like to start in familiar territory, check out the automatically generated Release Radar playlist. It's made up of artists already in your Spotify library and is updated each Friday. As you add more music to your library, the number of songs in Release Radar expands as well.

Find your Release Radar playlist on the Home tab of the app, under the Made For [your name] section. It should move closer to the top each week, but you can also favorite it so it shows up under Library as well. It's a great way to discover new music based on what you already like.

Made for You: Listen to Old Favorites and Similar Music

For new music based on your listening history, navigate to Search > Made for You. This features customized mixes based on genre, artists, decades, mood, and more. It's a great way to discover new music that suits your taste.

To revisit old favorites, look for Uniquely Yours, which features playlists like Your Summer Rewind and Time Capsule. The latter surfaces tunes that were probably on repeat in your boom box, CD player, or iPod decades ago. There is also an interesting playlist called Daily Drive, which blends newscasts and music for daily commuters.

Discover Weekly: An Easy Way to Find New Music

One thing to keep in mind is that Spotify is constantly experimenting with how it shows content. That means your Home screen will shift around depending on the time of day or whatever is currently being featured. However, Discover Weekly has been one of Spotify's more popular features and does a good job surfacing new songs.

This playlist is refreshed each Monday and uses your listening habits to build a collection you should love, filled with music you probably haven't heard before. It's a great way to discover new music without having to search for it.

Spotify Radio: Turn a Song into a Radio Station

Loving a particular song and want more of the same? Open that song, tap the three-dot menu next to the track, and select to Go to radio. Spotify will create a stream of songs based on your favorite tune. Tap the plus icon to save it to your library. It's a simple way to create a personalized radio station based on your music preferences.

Unique Categories: Browse Songs From Netflix, Disney Favorites

When looking for music on Spotify, you don't necessarily need to know what you're looking for. From the Search section of the app, there are lots of unique categories to explore. Spotify has curated sections for Disney and Netflix, for example.

The Netflix area features soundtracks, podcasts, and playlists. If you liked the songs that were playing during Nobody Wants This, you can find them all right there. It's a great way to discover new music from different sources and expand your musical horizons.