TECHNOMALIST
Spotify is rolling out a new Running Mode that leverages artificial intelligence to create personalized workout playlists. The feature, available starting today for Premium subscribers on iOS in the US, UK, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden, lives within the Fitness hub the company launched in April.
Users can choose from 25 curated running playlist presets, then refine them using several parameters: preferred music genres, workout duration, desired beats per minute (BPM), and training method—including interval, steady, and pyramid. The goal, according to Spotify’s announcement, is to let you “spend less time hunting for the right music and more time moving.”
Running Mode also includes optional English-language audio prompts that provide motivational cues and timing updates without interrupting the music. The feature builds on Prompted Playlists, an AI-powered personalization tool introduced last year, where fitness-based prompts have proven especially popular.
This isn’t Spotify’s first attempt at runner-specific features. In 2015, it launched Spotify Running, which used a phone’s sensors to automatically detect pace and match music tempo in real time. That version was discontinued in 2018. The new Running Mode takes a different approach: instead of reacting to your pace, it requires you to define your workout playlist criteria upfront. This shift gives users more control but lacks the adaptive synchronization of its predecessor.
The move signals Spotify’s continued investment in fitness content, following the introduction of the Fitness hub. By using AI to generate tailored mixes, the company hopes to capture more listening time from exercise enthusiasts. For now, the feature is limited to selected markets and iOS, but Spotify often expands such offerings to additional platforms and regions after initial launches.
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