Spotify is giving its Discover Weekly playlist an upgrade, allowing users to fine-tune what they hear by selecting preferred music genres.
The update, which comes ten years after the launch of Discover Weekly, introduces interactive genre filters, starting with Spotify Premium users.
The streaming platform, which has often leaned heavily on algorithmic curation, is now handing some of that control back to listeners. Users will now see up to five genre options displayed at the top of the playlist interface, based on their listening history.
Whether you’re stuck on 90s R&B or recently wandered into the world of funk or Afrobeats, these filters let you guide the playlist’s direction with a tap.
“Whether you’re in the mood for something familiar or want to switch things up, your playlist will instantly adapt to match your mood,” Spotify said. “Helping you discover new favourites and deep cuts from artists you already love.”
Discover Weekly, which updates every Monday, has remained one of the platform’s most successful features, generating over 100 billion streams to date.
According to Spotify, 77% of the music streamed from these playlists comes from emerging artists. But user feedback in recent years has flagged issues, from repetitive recommendations to poor genre tagging.
Responding to this, Spotify told Business Insider in May that it had updated the playlist’s genre accuracy and recommendation logic. This latest tweak builds on those changes, giving users the ability to guide the algorithm rather than passively receiving suggestions.
Spotify has already begun rolling out the genre filters on mobile devices, starting with Premium subscribers. Users can find the new feature by heading to the “Made for You” hub and opening their Discover Weekly playlist, assuming they’re running the most recent version of the app.
In addition to the genre controls, Discover Weekly is also getting a visual refresh. The playlist will now feature a redesigned cover, aligning it with Spotify’s visual overhaul across its personalised features.
This update follows a string of personalisation experiments by Spotify in recent years. The company has introduced features like the “DJ” mode, playlist-building tools using text prompts, and a customisable queue system that reveals upcoming algorithmic picks.
It also rolled out a “snooze” option, allowing users to temporarily silence tracks they’ve grown tired of without permanently removing them from future rotations.
But the core change here is control. For a long time, users could only like or skip tracks and hope the algorithm adjusted. Now, they can intervene more directly.
