In short: Spotify’s Automix feature doesn’t work on personal playlists and only works on Spotify’s curated playlists. The feature also won’t work on Spotify Connect.
You turn on the Automix feature in the hopes of getting an amazing curated mix of music courtesy of Spotify, only to find it not working. Here are a few reasons why and what to do.
Not every playlist supports Automix
Not every playlist supports Automix. Only some exclusive Spotify playlists blend and auto-mix content so make sure the playlist you’re playing supports Automix.
If you feel that Automix is not working, it could be that the playlist you’re playing doesn’t support Automix. The Automix feature also doesn’t work on queued songs and personal playlists.
To listen seamlessly on any playlist, you should check out Crossfade.
As of right now, Spotify doesn’t have a search feature to find these “Automix-supported” playlists. Spotify also doesn’t provide a “tag” to identify these Automix playlists.
Often, the playlists curated by Spotify on your Home screen support Automix.
I’ve already talked about the Automix feature completely in this article, so if you want to learn more about what it can or cannot do, feel free to give the post a quick read.
Crossfade is messing with Automix
There have been reports that having both “Automix” and “Crossfade” enabled to 12 seconds prevents the Automix feature from running properly on a select playlist.
It appears that the Crossfade feature now takes priority over the Automix feature, which essentially disables Automix entirely unless Crossfade is set to 0 seconds or OFF.
If I change the Crossfade slider all the way to 0 seconds or OFF, Automix works.
In previous versions of Spotify on my iPhone, this was not the case. I was able to have both features enabled without Crossfade taking priority over Automix.
Try turning OFF Crossfade to see if Automix works properly or not.
Recent changes made regarding Gapless Playback
Another reason why Spotify’s Automix is not working could be related to the recent changes the Spotify team made regarding the Gapless Playback feature.
Check if you have the Gapless Playback feature under the app’s Settings > Playback. If not, try logging out, then log back into your account – it should show up.
When Gapless Playback shows up, ensure it’s toggled ON and check if the Automix issue still occurs. If it does, it’s worth disabling Gapless Playback to see if that would do the trick.
To be honest, Gapless Playback is a feature that ensures there are no gaps between songs in an album with consecutive tracks. It would sound like one continuous session with a band.
It should have nothing to do with Spotify’s Automix working or not, but there’s no harm in toggling the feature ON and OFF to see if it solves the problem or not.
This isn’t your fault, as this has more to do with the recent changes the Spotify developer team made regarding the Gapless Playback feature. Just tinker with it to see what works.
You’re using Spotify Connect
According to Spotify, you won’t be able to use the Automix feature when using Spotify Connect (using one device to remotely control listening on another).
This means that when you’re playing Spotify on your speakers from your phone, the Automix feature won’t be enabled by Spotify. It’s just the way it is.
You can solve this issue by creating your own playlist, turning OFF Automix, and turning ON Crossfade. Now you should be able to enjoy seamless transitions while using Spotify Connect.
Your Spotify app isn’t up to date
If you’ve made sure the playlist supports Automix, but the feature isn’t working, it could be that your Spotify app on a desktop, iOS, or Android device isn’t up to date.
Make sure you’re using the latest version of the Spotify app. Otherwise, even if the playlist supports Automix, it won’t be updated to the latest version and Automix won’t run properly.