Spotify is giving listeners a more direct way to influence what its recommendation system thinks they want. Its new Taste Profile feature lets Premium users explain their current interests and use that input to reshape the Home feed.
The feature is rolling out in beta to Premium listeners aged 18 and older in the United States and New Zealand. It builds on Spotify’s growing effort to make personalization feel less like a hidden system and more like something users can actively steer.
Spotify’s algorithm can now take direction
Taste Profile gives users a short interpretation of how Spotify understands their preferences across music, podcasts, and audiobooks. They can then add notes under “Tell us more” to adjust those recommendations.
The instructions can be specific. A listener might ask for more 1990s alternative rock, explore a new genre, describe what suits their current routine, or request more podcasts about technology, history, or art. They can also tell Spotify what they want less of.
Changes typically appear within a few hours, and users can edit or delete their notes whenever their interests change. The feature is available through the Spotify mobile app by opening the profile picture menu and selecting Taste Profile.
The bigger shift is control, not customization
Recommendation systems usually work by observing behavior and quietly adjusting the feed. Spotify is now adding a conversational layer that lets people explain behavior the system may not understand on its own.
That matters because listening is often situational. Someone may be exploring a genre for a week, listening to calming audio during a stressful period, or using podcasts and audiobooks for a specific project. A static profile can mistake those temporary needs for permanent taste.
Taste Profile does not remove Spotify’s algorithmic judgment. It gives users another input into the system. That makes personalization feel more responsive, while also encouraging listeners to think about the relationship they have with the recommendation engine.
Spotify says the feature builds on tools including Exclude from Taste Profile, which lets users stop a track or playlist from influencing recommendations, and controls that prevent children’s and family music from shaping an adult listener’s algorithm. The strategic direction is clear: the best recommendation system may increasingly be the one that lets people correct it.