Spotify Wrapped FAQ: 8 Common Questions (Answered)

With music streaming platforms becoming more prevalent, Spotify has had to think outside the box and be innovative to maintain the top spot.

Spotify Wrapped is one of the brilliant ideas implemented by the streaming giant to interact with users and attract new members.

You may be wondering, “What is Spotify Wrapped?”

We will explore the buzz in this article and see how you can participate in the action.

What is Spotify Wrapped?

Spotify Wrapped is a year-end campaign that celebrates how users and creators interacted throughout the year. Spotify users get an overview of their listening habits like their top five most listened-to musicians, songs and their favorite music genres. Users can share this on their social media.

How do You Know When Spotify Wrapped is Out?

Spotify Wrapped is released annually, usually during the first week of December. 

Users get an email notification from Spotify when their Wrapped is out, they also receive a push notification when they launch the Spotify app.

What if you missed the moment last year?

If you happened to have missed the notification, you could still access your Spotify Wrapped, by opening the app and tapping on the ‘Your 202x Wrapped Is Ready’ box.

This will open your Wrapped in a slideshow or story format.

It is important to note that Spotify Wrapped is only available on the iOS and Android app versions; you unfortunately cannot view it on the Spotify website or the desktop app.

We have more statistics on Spotify Wrapped in our article about Spotify Statistics and User Demographics. 

When does Spotify Start and Stop Collecting Data for Wrapped?

Spotify begins tracking data for Wrapped on the 1st of January and concludes on the 31st of October.

This gives the streaming platform enough time to collect the necessary information and put together the results for the year.

The streaming platform has previously confirmed this information on its Spotify Cares Twitter page.

The associate director for creator growth and programs at Spotify, Brendan Codey said:

We need to QA the site and we need to finalize assets for Wrapped, all of which takes a while. You throw Thanksgiving into the mix as well and we have even less time. 

[Source: usatoday.com]

Spotify Wrapped’s decision to wait until the first of the year to begin counting makes sense because otherwise, the numbers for the following year will be biased by the end of the previous year’s numbers. 

On the topic of data collection, you might have some questions. If so, please also read our article, do music streaming apps learn what you like?

Does Spotify Wrapped include December?

November and December streams are not included in Spotify Wrapped.

The Christmas music you binge-listened to in November and during the December holiday season does not appear in your Spotify Wrapped for that year.

Can you See old Spotify Wrapped Compilations?

You can access your Wrapped content and custom Wrapped playlists when Spotify Wrapped is active. 

A second playlist of comparable songs that you missed out on during the year normally goes along with the playlist of your top 100 songs of the year.

Spotify users, unfortunately, can only access their Spotify Wrapped cards during the December period.

If you skip exploring the year’s Wrapped content, Spotify won’t automatically create a playlist for you.

Spotify users may still search for their Top 100 Songs playlists from the previous several years, even though it is impossible to find the real Wrapped feature from earlier years with all the detailed statistics.

To find your Top 100 songs for the different years, you can:

• Open a browser page on your device
• To go: https://open.spotify.com/genre/insert year-page
• I.e. to access your 2020 playlist: https://open.spotify.com/genre/2020-page

How Accurate is Spotify Wrapped?

Due to Spotify concluding its data collection in October, Wrapped is likely not the most accurate tool to measure your listening habits.

Unless your music taste drastically changes between November and December, the annual data can’t be too far off the mark.

Using other music streaming platforms to listen to music other than Spotify, such as Apple Music, SoundCloud, and YouTube can also affect your Spotify Wrapped.

Another factor that can skew your Spotify Wrapped information is lending your app to someone else to play music from it or if you use the app to play music at an event or theme occasion, for example. You might play music that you wouldn’t ordinarily listen to. 

In terms of how accurate the results are, Spotify has been mum about how it calculates them as well as whether any streams are excluded.

But the takeaway is, regardless of the exact accuracy or lack thereof, Spotify Wrapped is still a fun and interactive early festive gift for users.

How are the Numbers Calculated?

• Spotify collates data from individuals who have created a Spotify account and listened to at least five artists and 30 different songs.
• Streams are counted only when a user listens to a song for a minimum of 30 seconds. 
• Users who listen to downloaded tracks and playlists offline are counted the next time they connect to the internet.
• The list is compiled based on the number of song plays and the number of days the user listened to it.
• The top five songs and artists are determined by play count. 
  • Because artist separation is used after track 10 in the top 100 playlists, it is not a direct reflection of the play count.

What’s Included in the Spotify Wrapped numbers?

Spotify Wrapped depicts a visual illustration of the songs, artists, genres, and podcasts users listened to the most from January 1 to October 31, in the form of Wrapped cards. 

Wrapped cards can be shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok.

Here’s what’s included in the Wrapped cards:

• My Top Genres (This shows your top 5 most listened-to genres)
• Audio Day (this includes music listened to during “My mornings,” “My afternoon,” and “My nights”)
• My Minutes Listened (This shows the number of minutes spent listening to Spotify)
• My Top Song (This is the overall most listened to song)
• My Top Songs (This is the top 5 songs overall)
• My Top Artist (This shows the artist you enjoyed the most that year based on the number of times the artist was played)
• My Top Artists (This is the top 5 artists overall)
• My Top Podcasts (This shows the top 5 most listened-to podcasts)

Does Spotify Wrapped include Private Sessions?

When you use Private Sessions, also known as Spotify’s “incognito” mode, anything you listen to in that mode is not recorded. During a Private Session, no one can see what you’re listening to. 

As a result, any music you listen to during Private Sessions will not appear in your Spotify Wrapped results.

Music listened to in Private Sessions, does not count toward any top 5 lists, individual or overall. But, it does count toward an individual user’s “total minutes listened” number (a stat that also includes podcasts).

Are Podcasts included?

The popularity of podcasts has surged in the last few years and many Spotify users no longer only use the app for music but to tune into their favorite podcasts.

Spotify Wrapped now includes podcasts in ‘My Minutes Listened’. Spotify has confirmed that the total minutes = podcasts + music

However, the exact number of minutes allocated to podcasts cannot be determined because Spotify adds and releases them as a single figure.

To see podcasts in your Spotify Wrapped story, you must have listened to at least three podcast shows with three or more different episodes.

These podcasts must also have been streamed on three or more separate days in order for you to be eligible for at least one podcast story.

If ‘My Top Podcasts’dont appear in your Wrapped cards, that means that Spotify didn’t have enough podcast data from you.

Is Spotify Wrapped Safe to use?

Spotify Wrapped is relatively safe to use and many users look forward to this buzz every year.

Wrapped demonstrates an impressive display of consumer trust at a time when our trust in technology companies has historically been low. 

After all, the platform requires detailed information about everything you do; stream, listen to, enjoy, skip, and share while using their app in order to assemble your Spotify Wrapped. 

We doubt anyone would be thrilled if Facebook, Twitter, or Google began sending out annual summaries of everything they know about us.

However, there is a different user group that doesn’t agree with this perception.

Their view is that Spotify Wrapped is a social trend that grows each year, and it’s all based on user data, which Spotify wraps in hip, bright colors with humourous and sarcastic commentary. 

This step lessens the unsettling feeling that Spotify is constantly listening in. 

And, in exchange for providing its users with entertainment for the day, Spotify receives its yearly opportunity to start a social media trend. They profit from free advertising from millions of users sharing their Wrapped cards on all their social media platforms.

Please also check out our article, which looks at how legit and safe StatsforSpotify really is. 

Is Spotify Wrapped both for Premium and Free users?

The brilliance of this initiative is that it’s freely available to everyone. 

Whether you are a free or Premium user, you should be able to access Spotify Wrapped as long as you meet the eligibility criteria of having a Spotify account and listening to at least five artists and 30 different songs.

Premium users receive no additional benefits and free users can also add the data to a playlist. You will have access to all information, including Spotify Wrapped top genres, top artists, and more.

Are you struggling to see your Spotify Wrapped story? We have an article just for you. Please read our easy guide on reasons and solutions you cannot see Spotify Wrapped.

Sources

How Accurate is Spotify Wrapped? When it starts tracking and What you need to know

How to see Spotify Wrapped: Past and Upcoming Playlists

Spotify Wrapped 2022: How To Find Your Top Songs, artists and podcast of the year