Spotify’s new ‘Prompted Playlists’ feature lets you describe exactly what you want to hear

Spotify

Spotify is giving its music recommendations a major upgrade with a new beta feature called Prompted Playlists. The tool, announced on Wednesday, is rolling out first to Premium users in New Zealand, and while it’s English-only for now, it offers a glimpse of how personalised music streaming is about to get smarter.

At its heart, Prompted Playlists lets you tell Spotify what kind of playlist you want in your own words. If the older AI playlist tools felt a little limited, this one is meant to feel more like giving directions to a very attentive friend. Spotify says you can now type far more detailed prompts, and the system will build a playlist that mirrors the “full arc” of your taste — not just what you played last week.

The magic comes from the new AI powering the feature. Spotify says it understands longer instructions and is trained on broader world knowledge. That means you can request something as simple as “songs from my favourite artists from the last five years,” or you can get extremely specific, like “high-energy pop and hip-hop for a 30-minute 5K run, then calming music for cool-down.” You can even ask for “deep cuts from artists I already love but haven’t heard yet.”

Another big change is how deeply the tool can reach into your listening history. Instead of using only recent activity, Prompted Playlists can tap into years of your past favourites. And for the first time, users can choose how often the playlist refreshes, whether that’s daily, weekly or on another schedule.

Spotify wants these playlists to feel more personal and transparent. So each one will come with a description explaining why certain tracks were chosen, almost like a behind-the-scenes note from the algorithm. If you’re unsure where to start, the app will also offer starter prompts to help you explore.

In essence, Spotify is giving listeners the power to create their own custom versions of Discover Weekly or Daily Mix — but with far more control. Whether someone wants nostalgic tracks, workout music with a perfect tempo arc or songs inspired by this year’s biggest films, Prompted Playlists is meant to shape itself around your exact mood, intention or curiosity.

The feature is still in beta, but it’s clearly a sign of where Spotify wants to go: playlists that feel less automated and more like they were crafted just for you, because you actually helped shape them.