Spotify adds a running mode with AI-tuned playlists

Spotify is adding a new mode to its phone app for people who listen to music while running. The mode cues up songs based on different phases of a run and selects tracks according to the listener’s preferences and tempo. Paying subscribers can find it inside the app’s Fitness Hub, where they can pick from one of 25 presets and choose a workout type — including interval runs, steady runs, or pyramid — while setting the duration, beats per minute, and kind of music they want. Alongside the music, running mode can also generate audio cues for different stages of a run. The feature only works in English for now.

The mode builds on AI capabilities Spotify has been testing over the past year through its prompted playlists, which let users describe the kind of list they want in their own words. Spotify said many people already use prompted playlists to build fitness and workout lists, and that those observations inspired running mode.

The launch follows other moves by Spotify into fitness: earlier this year, the company introduced fitness content in partnership with device maker Peloton. It also comes a couple of months after fitness app Strava said its Record feature would no longer integrate with Spotify.

Running mode becomes available starting Wednesday to Premium subscribers on iOS in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Why it matters

The feature gives runners another reason to stay inside Spotify’s app rather than switch to a dedicated running app — a pitch that looks more pointed given that at least one fitness partner, Strava, has recently pulled back from integrating with Spotify rather than deepening the tie-up.