Spotify has added a Running Mode to its Fitness hub, giving iOS and Android users a way to tailor their workout soundtracks before they head out the door. The feature arrives after the streaming service launched the dedicated Fitness hub earlier this year, a move that signals its push beyond music and podcasts. Running Mode is not a revival of the pace-detection product Spotify sunsetted in 2018; instead, it largely hands control of the playlist to the runner.
Users open Spotify on either platform, navigate to the Fitness hub and select Running Mode, where genres and pre-built workout types are listed. The presets include Intervals, Pyramids, Easy and Long, and Advanced. Intervals alternates fast stretches with breaks, using BPM to signal when to slow down or pick up speed. Pyramids move through Warm Up, Build, Peak, Downshift and Cooldown phases, each with its own BPM.
Easy holds a steady 135 BPM across a 20-minute run, while Long and Advanced raises the tempo to 150 BPM over 45 minutes. Whatever preset a runner picks, the session length can be adjusted from 10 to 90 minutes. A Beat Matching feature lets users set their own pace as well. Spotify says most users stay near the standard 160 BPM mark, though runners wanting a faster tempo can push it to 170 - 180 BPM.
For those who do not want to scroll through options before leaving, Spotify offers 20-minute sessions called Just Run. The Prompted Playlist feature provides another layer of customization: tapping View prompt lets a user type a request and have Spotify build the session around it. Requests can be broad, such as high-energy songs not listened to since last year, or specific, such as hip-hop tracks from 2013 suited to a Sunday morning jog through the suburbs.
Runners can also turn on optional audio cues for mid-workout encouragement and check-ins, or mute them when the music alone is enough. The rollout puts the new mode in direct reach of Spotify's US listeners on both major mobile platforms, alongside the company's existing fitness offerings. The earlier Spotify Running relied on detecting a runner's pace, a function the company retired in 2018. Running Mode instead emphasizes customization and structured intensity curves, a contrast Spotify makes clear through the presets and prompting tools now available inside the Fitness hub.
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