Why is Apple Music AutoMix better than Spotify AI DJ?

With the release of iOS 26 , Apple Music got one of its most anticipated new features: AutoMix . While it's not as advanced as Spotify 's AI DJ , it's a great addition to Apple Music — and people actually like it a lot more than Spotify's version.

Apple Finally Releases AutoMix

Starting with iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and other Apple devices, Apple Music will offer a new feature called AutoMix. As the name suggests, it blends two songs into one, just like a DJ would. The transitions between songs, which are done through Artificial Intelligence (AI) , use time-stretching and beat-matching techniques to play seamlessly. It's a great new feature for Apple Music, although the platform still lacks some core features.

AutoMix is included with any Apple Music subscription. To get started, you must manually enable the feature on at least one of your Apple devices.

On an iPhone with iOS 26 installed, you can enable AutoMix by following these steps:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > Music .
2. Select Song Transitions and turn on Song Transitions .
3. Select AutoMix in the Transition Style section.

What you see when AutoMix is playing

There are two places you can find AutoMix on the Apple Music app for iPhone and iPad. The first is on the Up Next queue page , where you'll find the AutoMix button, located near the shuffle and repeat buttons. You can turn the feature on or off at any time by tapping the button.

When AutoMix is enabled, you can also see it in action on the Now Playing page . The word " mixing " will flash slowly in the middle of the bar as you move from song to song.

Not all songs support AutoMix at launch, and it works best with Apple Music's curated playlists and streams. Additionally, AutoMix may not work well when switching between different genres and tempos, locally stored music.

What's so special about Spotify's AI DJ feature?

Spotify's AI DJ feature is much more straightforward than Apple Music's AutoMix. It also uses AI and algorithms to help you switch between songs. However, it goes one step further by using an AI-powered voice assistant that can chat with you as you switch between songs. Think of it as a real DJ who likes to chat when new songs are introduced – it even knows your name!

By default, Spotify's AI DJ feature automatically shuffles between songs based on your listening habits. The more songs you listen to on Spotify, the better its recommendations become. Without any intervention from you, you can't decide what song to play next. However, by pressing and holding the DJ button, you can interact with the assistant and tell it what kind of music you want to listen to, and it will automatically select a new set.

For example, you can say "play music from/based on Cranberries" or "play songs I haven't heard in a while". You can say anything at any time, and based on that, the DJ will change the song playing. When you exit the AI DJ feature and come back, it will continue playing from where it left off.

Why is Apple's AutoMix better than Spotify's AI DJ?

Many people have been using Spotify's feature since it launched as a beta. Initially, they liked it because it was new and did a good job of mixing their favorite songs with new songs they liked, based on their listening habits.

However, over time, people started to get tired of the virtual assistant with its slightly cheerful and inauthentic voice. Over time, they also noticed that the virtual assistant used the same controls while switching songs. This took your focus off the song and reminded you that the person switching songs was not actually a real person, which was quite annoying.

DJs repeat songs too often for your liking, and you'll sometimes feel a lack of real new music discovery, which is one of the points Spotify uses when promoting this feature.

Another criticism is that DJ sometimes makes mistakes, big and small. For example, you can ask it to skip a genre or even an entire song, but over time it seems to forget and play it back. And small instructions like 'play the last song' result in the assistant saying 'the end,' and it plays a different song.

Some people have also experienced the song cutting out instead of moving forward, which is annoying and, again, disrupts the mood.

There are still some features that Spotify AI DJ loves and that people keep coming back to from time to time. For example, when available, it provides links to concert dates for the artist or band. It also includes a tab at the bottom of the screen where you can access lyrics or additional information about the artist, including similar songs, albums, and tunes from other artists. You can also display links to related products for the artist, if available.

Lastly, the way the song's music videos are displayed on screen when available is also appreciated. That's a great plus!

Isabella Humphrey

Update 17 August 2025