Spotify Opens AI-Powered Running Mode to iOS and Android Premium Subscribers

The mode departs from Spotify Running, which the company retired in 2018. That earlier feature picked songs by detecting a runner's pace; the new one leaves the selection to the listener and adds customization through prompted playlists, structured intensity curves and voice guidance. Spotify positions it as an alternative to skipping tracks mid-workout or repeating a playlist assembled years earlier. The Fitness hub itself launched earlier this year.

Running Mode is reached through the Fitness hub, which lists genres alongside pre-structured workout types: Intervals, Pyramids, Easy and Long, and Advanced. Intervals alternates rapid stretches with breaks and uses BPM to signal when to slow down or speed up. Pyramids open with a warm-up before moving through Build, Peak, Downshift and Cooldown phases, each with its own tempo target. Easy holds a steady 135 BPM across a 20-minute run, while Long and Advanced runs push to 150 BPM over 45 minutes. Users can adjust session length from 10 to 90 minutes.

A Beat Matching feature lets runners set the pace themselves. Spotify says most users stay near the standard 160 BPM, though some raise it to 170-180 BPM for a faster cadence. For runners who do not want to configure anything before heading out, the service offers 20-minute sessions labeled "Just Run."

Each of the four workout options comes with genre-specific playlists covering pop, hip-hop, EDM, country and rock. Running Mode playlists refresh daily, and users can save the ones they like for later runs.

Runners who want finer control can use the Prompted Playlist feature. Tapping "View prompt" opens a text field where a request can be typed, either broadly, such as "high-energy songs that I haven't listened to since last year," or specifically, such as "hip-hop tracks from 2013 that make sense for a Sunday morning jog through the suburbs." Spotify then adds tracks intended to fit the stated mood.

Optional audio cues can be switched on for mid-workout encouragement and motivational check-ins, and muted when the music alone is enough.