8 Best Solutions to Apple Music Shuffle Plays Same Songs

Q: "I create a playlist with over 100 songs and I like to listen to it while exercising. However, when I shuffle, Apple Music keeps playing the same songs over and over again. They even repeat in the same order. How do I get Apple Music to actually shuffle?"

If you've used Apple Music's shuffle feature, you probably know it's not a perfect shuffle. And sometimes it even plays the same songs. Read on to learn why Apple Music shuffle plays same songs. You can also get the best 8 solutions to fix Apple Music plays the same songs on shuffle.

View also: How to Shuffle on Apple Music.

• Part 1. Why Does Apple Music Shuffle Play the Same Songs
• Part 2. How to Fix Apple Music Shuffles Same Songs
• Fix 1. Turn Off Repeat Mode
• Fix 2. Change the Playback Order
• Fix 3. Remove Unwanted Songs
• Fix 4. Hijack the Algorithm
• Fix 5. Create a Radio Station
• Fix 6. Create a Smart Playlist
• Fix 7. Restart Your Device
• Fix 8. Restore Your Device
• Part 3. How to Play Apple Music on Shuffle without Issues

Part 1. Why Does Apple Music Shuffle Play the Same Songs

Why does Apple Music shuffle the same songs? There are different reasons why Apple Music shuffle keeps playing same songs, even if you have shuffle enabled.

1. Apple Music Algorithm Is Not Random Enough

The shuffle algorithm is complex and designed to ensure that you never hear the same song twice in a row. It works by dividing your music library into two groups: songs with a 50% or higher chance of playing next, and songs with a less than 50% chance of playing next. It will then play each group in turn until it runs out.

However, Apple Music isn't completely random. It may repeat songs that you may hear while listening.

2. Not Enough Songs in Your Library

It's easy to understand that if you don't have enough songs in your playlist, Apple Music can only shuffle the same songs. You need to make sure your playlist contains at least 30 songs for better shuffling.

View also: How to Add Songs to Apple Music Library.

3. You've Turned on Repeat Mode

Apple Music mainly has three playback modes: random play, repeat play, and auto play. If you have repeat mode turned on, you'll be listening to the same song continuously.

4. Based on Your Listening Habits

Apple Music shuffles playlists based on your listening habits. If you skip a song in a row, Apple Music will play that song less often. Over time, it will only play those songs you like, so you'll hear them on repeat.

Part 2. How to Fix Apple Music Shuffle Plays Same Songs

Based on the reasons above, below are the 8 solutions to solve the problem of Apple Music not shuffling.

Solution 1. Turn Off Repeat Mode

If Apple Music plays the same songs on shuffle, check to find out if it's the shuffle mode has switched to repeat mode. Below is how to disable repeat mode on Apple Music.

Step 1. Open Apple Music and start playing a playlist.

Step 2. Tap on the currently playing song to go to the 'Now Playing' screen.

Step 3. Click on the 'Playing Next' icon and then select 'Repeat One' at the top.

Step 4. Tap on it to 'Repeat Off'.

Solution 2. Change the Playback Order

While the Apple Music shuffle algorithm isn't completely random, you can change the playback order to play the songs you want. It doesn't skip the next playing song in the playlist.

Step 1. Open Apple Music and tap on 'Home'.

Step 2. Choose the playlist you want to play and start listening to it.

Step 3. Tap on 'Playing Next' and you can change the song order by dragging songs in the list.

Solution 3. Remove Unwanted Songs

Apple Music shuffle not random? You can delete the songs that you don't want to listen to. In this way, you only hear your liked songs in your playlist when you turn on the shuffle.

Step 1. Open Apple Music and tap on 'Library' at the top.

Step 2. Tap on the 'i' icon next to the song you don't want to listen to.

Step 3. Choose 'delete from library' and you won't listen to it anymore in shuffle mode.

Solution 4. Hijack the Algorithm

You can hijack the algorithm by skipping songs that are always on repeat in a random playlist. In this way, the algorithm will relearn your listening habits and stop playing repeated songs. It's also a great way to help play new songs in your library. You need to do this method a couple of times to rebuild your listening habits.

Step 1. Launch Apple Music and select a playlist to start the shuffle.

Step 2. When a song is playing that you don't like so much, skip it to the next song.

Step 3. Keep skipping the repeated songs and finish listening to the songs you rarely listen to.

Solution 5. Create a Radio Station

If you are an Apple Music subscriber, you can create your own radio station to listen to the songs that appear less in shuffle mode. Next time you want to listen to them, simply open this station and listen to it.

Step 1. Start playing a playlist, album, or song on Apple Music.

Step 2. Go to the 'Now Playing' screen and tap on 'More'.

Step 3. Choose 'Create Station' and then you can listen to that station instead of your playlist. (You can also ask Siri "Hey Siri, start a station from".)

Solution 6. Create a Smart Playlist

To fix Apple Music shuffle not working, you can also create a smart playlist. This is a great way to manage songs in your library. You can add songs that you don't shuffle play often to a smart playlist. Note that you can only do this on a computer. But you can listen to the playlist on your phone after saving it.

Step 1. Open iTunes on your computer.

Step 2. Click on 'File' at the top menu and then choose 'New' > 'Smart Playlist'.

Step 3. Under 'Match', choose the playlist that was previously placed in shuffle mode but often plays the same songs.

Step 4. Under 'Limit to', set the limit items to a number.

Step 5. Under 'selected by', choose the option of 'least recently played' or 'least often played'.

Step 6. Click on the 'OK' button to create a smart playlist that contains all your 'least recently played' or 'least often played' songs in your shuffle.

Solution 7. Restart Your Device

If there are some glitches on your device, then the Apple Music shuffles same songs problem may occur. And you can resolve it by restarting your device.

Solution 8. Restore Your Device

You can also restore your iPhone from iCloud to factory settings to solve the problem. This will give all your data back including Apple Music and give you a clean start.

Step 1. Go to the 'Settings' app on your iPhone and navigate to 'Apps & Data'.

Step 2. Tap on 'Restore from iCloud Backup' and sign in to your Apple ID.

Step 3. Choose a backup and then sign in to your Apple ID to restore your apps.

Part 3. How to Play Apple Music on Shuffle without Issues

Tired of Apple Music's shuffle algorithm? Why not use another music player to listen to your favorite Apple Music playlists? Now, we will show you how to shuffle Apple Music without any problem.

The tool you need is DRmare Audio Converter, which allows you to download Apple Music songs as local audio files. The downloaded songs belong to you, so you can play them on other music players or other devices.

Also, it can convert Apple Music to MP3, FLAC, AAC and more popular formats. Original sound quality and all ID3 tags will be fully preserved. Even when your Apple Music subscription expires, you can still listen to your favorite songs.

DRmare Apple Music Converter

• Convert Apple Music to MP3, AAC, and more popular formats
• Listen to Apple Music on shuffle with other music players
• Enjoy Apple Music offline even without a subscription
• Work at a 30X speed, preserve 100% lossless audio quality

Download Download

Step 1Add Apple Music playlists to DRmare Audio Converter

First, download and install the DRmare Audio Converter. Then open it and import Apple Music songs by clicking one of the two 'Add Files' buttons at the bottom left.

Step 2Reset audio format and convert Apple Music

Hit on the ‘audio' icon to reset the output parameters for your added Apple Music playlists. After that, click the big 'Convert' button on the main interface to start the conversion process.

Step 3Play converted Apple Music on shuffle

Once the conversion is completed, you can find the downloaded playlists by clicking 'history'. Alternatively, you can your computer's local folder to find them. Then you can easily listen to Apple Music on shuffle with your local music player. There is no Apple Music shuffle plays same songs issue.

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