Why Disable Listening History?
Apple Music uses a complex algorithm to build your personalized “Listen Now” recommendations and to populate your annual “Replay” playlists. It does this by actively tracking every single song you play and recording it in your Listening History. This is fantastic when you are exploring new artists on your own time. However, if you are handing your phone to a toddler so they can listen to “Baby Shark” on repeat for two hours, or if you are hosting a party and letting guests play highly specific dance tracks, those rogue songs will permanently infect your algorithm. Your personalized recommendations will be ruined for months, aggressively suggesting children’s music or genres you personally hate. To prevent this, you can temporarily or permanently pause the tracking.
How to Turn Off “Use Listening History”
You must change this setting from the main iOS Settings app; it cannot be toggled directly from within the Apple Music interface.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down the main list of applications and tap on Music.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the Music settings page to the section labeled “Playlists.”
- Locate the toggle switch labeled Use Listening History.
- Tap the switch to turn it Off (the green background will disappear).
What Does This Actually Do?
With this setting disabled, Apple Music essentially enters an “Incognito Mode.” You can play any song, album, or playlist on the platform, and Apple will completely ignore it. The songs will not influence your weekly personalized playlists, they will not appear on your Apple Music profile for your friends to see, and they will not be counted toward your end-of-year Replay statistics. Once you have reclaimed your phone from the toddler or the party is over, simply return to this menu and turn the toggle back On to resume building your personalized music profile.