As the year draws to a close, music enthusiasts eagerly anticipate the arrival of Spotify Wrapped and YouTube Music Recap, the annual personalized listening statistics and playlists offered by the two streaming giants. These year-end features provide users with a unique and engaging look back at their musical journeys throughout the year.
Spotify Wrapped has become a cultural phenomenon, transforming into a massive, free marketing campaign for the company as millions of users share their results across social media platforms. Wrapped provides users with an interactive experience that highlights their top songs, artists, albums, and genres. Spotify also reveals the most-streamed songs, artists, and albums worldwide among all its users. Spotify Wrapped is expected to launch between December 3 and December 4, 2025. Spotify typically releases Wrapped in the week after Thanksgiving, and avoids weekend releases. In previous years, Wrapped was released on December 4, 2024, November 29, 2023, November 30, 2022, and December 1, 2021. To access Spotify Wrapped 2025, users need a Spotify account and several hours of listening time. Users should also ensure their Spotify app is up to date.
YouTube Music has already begun rolling out its 2025 Recap, continuing its trend of releasing the feature in late November. To access the recap, users can tap their profile avatar in the top-right corner and select "Your Recap" on Android or iOS. New for 2025, YouTube Music has introduced an AI-powered "Ask about your listening" feature, allowing users to ask questions about their music and podcast listening habits throughout the year. This feature uses the "Ask Music" tool and is likely powered by Google's Gemini AI. Users can choose from suggested prompts or type their own questions to receive personalized, shareable graphics. YouTube Music's 2025 Recap also includes a "Musical Passport" that shows the different places or countries where users listened to their favorite artists. A calendar view highlights the days users tuned into their top artist. To generate a YouTube Music Recap, users need at least four hours of music listening time across YouTube platforms per season and 10 hours of music listening time between January 1 and November 10, 2025.
Both Spotify Wrapped and YouTube Music Recap offer users a chance to reflect on their personal listening habits and discover new insights about their musical tastes. These features have become highly anticipated annual events, driving engagement and creating a sense of community among music lovers worldwide.
