You can start a private session on Spotify and hide listening activity from Spotify algorithms and your followers.
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A private session on Spotify hides your listening activity from followers and Spotify’s algorithms.
You can enable a Spotify private session if you don’t want your followers to see what you listen to.
If you don’t want some activity to count for Spotify Wrapped, a private session can hide it.
While one of Spotify’s main draws is the ability to share music with friends and receive tailored algorithm recommendations, there may come a time when you want to listen to an album without the eyes of others.
For example, if you’re concerned about your Spotify Wrapped getting messed up, you can use a private session to hide certain listening activity from Spotify’s algorithms — whether you share your account with family or just want to be more discreet about which songs you’re actually playing.
Here’s a bit more about the feature, along with how to switch it on and off.
What is a private session on Spotify?
A private session on Spotify makes it so your followers can’t see what you are currently listening to. Anything you play while in a private session will not appear in “Friend Activity” on the right-hand side of the desktop app.
The only downside to this is that songs you listen to during private sessions are not included in Spotify’s algorithm for new music recommendations, such as your Daily Mixes or Discover Weekly.
However, this can also be a benefit — if you don’t want certain songs or artists to show up in your Spotify Wrapped, you can use a private session to make sure that Spotify doesn’t track this activity — think of it like Incognito Mode on a browser.
How to enable a private session on Spotify on desktop
1. Open the Spotify app on your Mac or PC.
2. Click the down arrow next to your name in the upper-right corner of your screen. This should be visible regardless of what page you’re on.
3. Click Private Session and the icon should turn green with a checkmark next to it. Additionally, a lock symbol should appear over your profile picture. Click it again to disable the session.
Enable a Private Session.
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How to enable a private session on Spotify on mobile
1. Open the Spotify app on your iPhone, Android, or tablet.
2. Tap the Home tab at the bottom of your screen, if you aren’t already there. Tap the gear icon in the upper-right corner of your screen.
3. Tap Social.
Access your Social settings.
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4. Tap or slide the toggle next to Private session to switch the feature on or off.
Switch a private session on or off.
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