Spotify launched a new feature earlier this month that offers personalized playlists based on users' moods and interests. According to the platform itself, the tool is an evolution of Daily Mix for families.
Spotify Mixes combines songs that the user already has among their most listened to with others that the platform believes they will enjoy. There are three categories: artist mixes, genre mixes, and decade mixes. These repertoires will be updated frequently.
“Every day, half a trillion events – whether searches, listeners, likes, and countless other actions – happen on Spotify, feeding and guiding our machine learning system. This gives us the ability to drive discovery in a way that audio has never seen before,” explained Gustav Söderström , Spotify's R&D director.
Mixes are initially created based on listening habits and the artists, genres, and decades the user listens to most. This fosters familiarity, leading the subscriber not only to favorite artists but also to favorite songs by that specific artist. After this stage, Spotify adds songs that the listener repeats along with other new choices. If the user wishes, they can play a specific artist or listen to more music from another decade.
To access Spotify Mixes, simply click on the search in the Made for You hub.
Spotify also launched Car Thing , a device for cars that will function as an entertainment center, eliminating the need for a cell phone in older cars, which often lack a multimedia center with a screen.
According to a review by The Verge , the Car Thing has two front buttons: a smaller one to return to the previous screen and a larger one to navigate the interface. There are four more buttons on the top, which can be programmed according to the user's preferences. It's also possible to control the Car Thing by saying "Hey, Spotify".
The connection is made via Bluetooth or wired connection depending on the car's sound system. Additionally, the Car Thing still needs to connect to the phone that has the Spotify account, as it doesn't have an integrated modem; therefore, a data connection is still essential. See an image of the Car Thing kit below.
