Spotify is introducing a new feature called “Recents” for iOS, Android, and desktop. The feature, available today, allows you to see all the content you’ve listened to over the last 90 days.
The Recents tab replaces the old “Listening History” tab. It shows a list of the music, playlists, podcasts, and audiobooks you’ve listened to in chronological order. Listening history is stored up to 90 days and is available to everyone, whether they have a free or premium account.
There are also options to filter the Recents list by content type. However, filtering options are only available in the the Spotify mobile app. The desktop app simply shows the last 50 items you’ve played on Spotify.
To find your recently played songs, podcasts, playlists, and audiobooks on a mobile device, navigate to the Spotify home screen, tap your avatar at the top-right corner of the screen, and select “Recents.” You’ll see your listening history and some filtering options to narrow down your search. On desktop, the “Recents” tab is hidden within the “Play Queue” tab, which you’ll find at the bottom-right corner of your screen.
Spotify may also highlight the “Recents” feature as you scroll through your home screen, as it often does for new features like the AI DJ.
My preferred service, YouTube Music, includes a Listening History feature that’s similar to Spotify’s new “Recents” system. However, I use YouTube Music every day and can only access the history for around 50 to 70 of the songs I hear each month. Spotify’s new feature appears to be much more accurate and detailed, as it provides three months of listening history for every audio format.
The “Recents” tab should be available to all Spotify users on desktop and mobile. This appears to be a server-side update, though it’s unclear whether it requires the latest version of the Spotify app.
