Want to tell Spotify’s algorithm where to go? Soon, you may be able to do just that | Tech Radar

Overview

Want to tell Spotify’s algorithm where to go? Soon, you may be able to do just that

Great recs, no notes? Thought not – and it seems Spotify's actually working on it

Details

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Spotify is reportedly testing a 'Notes' feature for direct feedback on Home recommendations

Instead of simply excluding playlists or tracks, you may be able to pen notes

Spotted by Android Authority, as code found in Spotify version 9.1.28.385

There's no denying that Spotify’s suite of 2026 updates is strong, with the new 'About the Song' upgrade (providing back stories to the music you love) a recent highlight. And who could forget the new trio of Lyrics Translation perks? OK, Apple Music's been providing something similar since last September, but together, they'll definitely help you better understand Bad Bunny's relationship with his auntie.

You know what's not necessarily been great in 2026? The reported prevalence of AI slop in your Spotify Discover Weekly recommendations. And the thing is that currently, if your Discover Weekly or Home feed starts going off on an unpalatable tangent, your only way to mitigate is to manually exclude each track and/or playlists from your Taste Profile, or actively listen to different music to try and coax it back on track – and even this function was only released in October 2025.

But Spotify may soon give you a lot more control over how to steer the algorithm in your favor. How? By giving you the chance to offer written feedback and (hopefully) communicate directly with its AI learning models – yes, similar to giving a written prompt to Chat GPT or Gemini.

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Right now, your Spotify Taste Profile is based directly on what you listen to, and how you listen, even if some of it wasn't what you actively wanted to hear (but you couldn't be bothered to dig your phone out and manually skip the track).

This is then taken and used to build your Discover Weekly playlist and create those Wrapped and Blend summaries. If something is skewing these recommendations – say, a bedtime playlist for your toddler or lofi hip hop for you, to help you catch some z's once they've finally drifted off – you can exclude them from your Taste Profile, but so far it's all a bit perfunctory.

The key limitation to all of this is that right now, you can only tell Spotify "no thank you" regarding certain tracks; you can’t directly offer notes on what you'd actually prefer – or why you think this song is AI-generated (and as a musician, you don't like that), say.

In Spotify version 9.1.28.385, Android Authority has spotted code strings that mention a new and unreleased Notes feature linked to your Taste Profile.

As Android Authority reports, "The feature appears to let you add written feedback that helps 'influence what you see on Home.' One string reads, 'Tell us more about you,' while another clarifies, 'Your notes help influence what you see on Home.' There’s even an example placeholder text, 'I’ve been listening to a lot of…' that suggests the kind of free-form input Spotify may be aiming for."

The report also claims that based on these strings, you should be able to edit, add, and/or delete previous notes linked to your Taste Profile – although Spotify does seem to be putting limits on the number of notes you can create and the number of characters per note (so no lengthy rants on early noughties folk rock? Got it).

Clearly, the upgrade is still being tested, but if it does make it to market (ie, to all Spotify Premium subscribers), it would surely give us access to a very welcome level of personalized music curation, and unlike many of Spotify's perks, something no other music streaming service currently has.

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Becky became Audio Editor at Tech Radar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, Four Four Two and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.

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Key Takeaways

• Want to tell Spotify’s algorithm where to go

• When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission

• Spotify is reportedly testing a 'Notes' feature for direct feedback on Home recommendations

• Instead of simply excluding playlists or tracks, you may be able to pen notes