I like the feature request, but is it? How many people are saying "I think I'll switch to Tidal" over a subtle feature like this? How many people prefer the faked shuffle way?
What are the odds that Spotify originally did a true shuffle, then at some point A/B testing "proved" that the modified shuffle improved some metric? Not to mention that putting a thumb on the shuffle function lets them manipulate plays and maintain the sweet payola revenue.
I assume it's related to revenue somehow. They could hide true shuffle somewhere deep in settings, not on by default, whatever..
I spend a good portion of my time changing playlists and restarting playlists just to get around their fake shuffle, and I still end up hearing repeated songs. It's extremely frustrating. I even tried out Amazon music, ready to make the switch, but my family members don't want to move with me, so I'm just dealing with Spotify for now. May end up paying for my own Amazon/Other music service as well.
I think you're proving my point: Even you, someone who cares enough about the issue to work around it, continue to give them your money.
I don't think what they're doing is my preference, but you can find complaints about the shuffle algorithms for every major music playback platform.
What would be a more generalized solution might be to pick up the "Smart Playlist" concept that iTunes has had for a long time, so you can work around the repeats with a "Last played > 2 days ago" filter.
I am one of those people who prefer the fake shuffle. I like how it kind of shuffles but still "knows" what I want to listen to.
There is a decade's worth of music in my Liked Songs and my taste has changed over time, so I don't want to listen to most of that music at a given moment, but I still want to keep it there for archival/nostalgia purposes
