Spotify is automatically enabling Autoplay on connected devices without an option to disable it. Spotify's Autoplay feature is a great option for those who want to hit play and forget about it. The feature works by detecting the current song, album, or playlist that's playing, and continues playing similar music once the original selection has finished. Effectively, letting the user play music forever.
Spotify has been expanding beyond just music these past few years. The company now has a decent library of original podcasts and has even released a Car Thing that provides the user with easier access to their podcasts and music library while driving. Spotify is also available on a wide range of devices in general, including smartphones, tablets, PCs, and even smart speakers.
Spotify recently made a change that appears to be already upsetting a number of users. A Spotify spokesperson told The Verge that when using the service through a connected device, "Autoplay is the default setting," and that there is currently no way to disable it. The spokesperson goes on to say that, "Autoplay will not commence if you play a track, album, or playlists with Repeat enabled." On a Spotify Community forum post, a moderator also essentially confirmed that this is a feature and not a bug, and was implemented within the past few weeks.
How Annoying Is Spotify Now?
Enabling Repeat won't solve the issue if someone only wants to play one song or an album. Furthermore, they're not left with many options until Spotify decides to reimplement a toggle that lets them turn off Autoplay. For example, Spotify's alternative is for users is to visit the Spotify Idea Exchange and upvote the "Option to toggle Autoplay on/off across all devices/platforms" suggestion. While algorithmic playlists are a recent invention, the fact that Spotify is forcing Autoplay on every user with a connected device is hardly beneficial to its users or the service. As with most things these days, choice matters.
There is always the choice to switch to a different music streaming service. There are a handful of other options out there that offer the ability to play a song or album on-demand and without having to turn on (or off) the repeat function. Of course, switching services should only be used as a last resort. For some, like those on a family or annual plan, or those interested in the other features only Spotify has, there might not be a choice of switching at all. In reality, Spotify just needs to add the feature back and, hopefully, it doesn't take as long as Spotify HiFi to roll out.