Every year, the same question takes over group chats in late November: when does Spotify Wrapped come out? Nobody outside Spotify knows the exact day yet — the company has not announced a date for this year’s Wrapped. But the pattern is so steady you can narrow it down to a few days, and there are a couple of things worth doing before it lands.
Spotify Wrapped is the streaming service’s once-a-year recap of your listening: your top songs, artists, genres and total minutes, in colourful, shareable slides. It appears once a year, in late November or the first week of December. Here is everything actually known about this year’s timing, plus a few things the top-ranking guides leave out.
The short answer: when does Spotify Wrapped come out?
Spotify has not announced a release date for Wrapped this year — its November 5 newsroom post only says “Wrapped season is almost here!” No day, no time, no countdown.
That silence is normal — Spotify almost never announces the date in advance, usually dropping a teaser a day or two before launch.
If the pattern of the last five years holds, the most likely day is Wednesday, December 2, 2026 — the Wednesday after US Thanksgiving. Treat that as a prediction, not a promise; the safe window is November 29 to December 4.
Every Spotify Wrapped release date
Spotify introduced Wrapped as it is known today in 2015, after a simpler “Year in Music” recap, and the personalised version has run every year since 2016:
| Wrapped year | Release date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Early December 2016 | — |
| 2017 | December 5, 2017 | Tuesday |
| 2018 | December 6, 2018 | Thursday |
| 2019 | December 5, 2019 | Thursday |
| 2020 | December 2, 2020 | Wednesday |
| 2021 | December 1, 2021 | Wednesday |
| 2022 | November 30, 2022 | Wednesday |
| 2023 | November 29, 2023 | Wednesday |
| 2024 | December 4, 2024 | Wednesday |
| 2025 | December 3, 2025 | Wednesday |
| 2026 | Expected December 2, 2026 — not announced | Wednesday |
Two things jump out: the last five editions all landed on a Wednesday, and none arrived later than December 4 — so the first week of December is the window to circle, and any site stating a firm 2026 date right now is guessing. (On 2020: Spotify posted its global top lists on December 1, and the personal stories went live on December 2.)
Why Wednesday, December 2 is the date to watch
Since 2021, every Wrapped has dropped exactly six days after US Thanksgiving — the Wednesday that follows it:
| Year | Thanksgiving (US) | Wrapped launch |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Thursday, November 25 | Wednesday, December 1 |
| 2022 | Thursday, November 24 | Wednesday, November 30 |
| 2023 | Thursday, November 23 | Wednesday, November 29 |
| 2024 | Thursday, November 28 | Wednesday, December 4 |
| 2025 | Thursday, November 27 | Wednesday, December 3 |
Thanksgiving 2026 falls on Thursday, November 26, so six days later is Wednesday, December 2. Spotify has never confirmed it plans around Thanksgiving, so this is still a guess — but one built on five straight years of the same rhythm.
When does Spotify stop counting your listening?
This is the question that matters more than the date — and the one most guides get wrong.
Spotify counts your listening from January 1 until a cutoff a few weeks before launch — for 2025, it said January until mid-November. It has never published an exact cutoff day.
The old rule still seen everywhere — that everything after October 31 is ignored — is out of date: Spotify has said Wrapped was still counting past October 31, and mid-November is now the widely reported window. The practical version: what you play in early November probably still counts. What you play in late November and December does not — and it does not roll over into next year’s Wrapped either. Those weeks fall between the two recaps, so if a song is sitting just outside your top five, the time to play it on repeat is now, not the week Wrapped drops.
What counts toward your Wrapped — and what quietly doesn’t
Not every stream makes it into your recap — Spotify’s published 2025 rules were simple, and the same shape is expected this year:
A play only counts after 30 seconds
Skip a song before the 30-second mark and it does not count at all. Top songs are ranked by plays, so a two-minute song and a ten-minute song count the same, and for top artists the main artist counts more than a featured one.
Private Session plays don’t count
Anything you listen to in a Private Session is left out of Wrapped entirely, and out of your recommendations. It switches itself off after six hours or when you restart the app, so it is easy to forget you turned it on.
Excluded tracks and playlists don’t count
Streams from a sleep playlist or track you excluded from your taste profile will not show up in your top songs or artists. They still count toward your total minutes listened, which is how a white-noise playlist can inflate your minutes while adding nothing to your rankings. You can undo an exclusion from the track or playlist menu — changes take up to 48 hours to apply.
Kids and family music has its own switch now
A setting added in September 2026, “Include kids and family music in taste profile”, lets you stop those streams shaping your recommendations and your Wrapped. Spotify says it applies retroactively, so songs already played will not show up in your top five. Find it under Settings and privacy, then Content and display — Spotify’s own November 5 post flags it as one of three things to check before Wrapped arrives.
Short plays, white noise and background listening
Songs you skip in under 30 seconds never register, and some non-music sounds, like white noise, are filtered out. The album you left on repeat while working counts more than you might expect — which is how a focus playlist ends up as your number one artist.
Offline listening still counts
Plays made offline are counted once your phone reconnects and syncs, so a long flight with downloaded music is not wasted.
Do you qualify for a Wrapped?
Wrapped is not automatic: for 2025, Spotify set the bar at 30 songs streamed for more than 30 seconds each, from at least five different artists, not counting Private Mode or excluded tracks. Spotify has not confirmed this year’s bar, but any regular listener clears it easily; a brand-new account might not.
You do not need Premium: Wrapped is available to Free and Premium users alike, in nearly all markets where Spotify operates. You do need the mobile app — the full interactive experience lives on iOS and Android. In 2023 Spotify also put Wrapped in the browser; whether that returns this year is unknown.
How to find your Wrapped on launch day
Update the app first
Wrapped needs a recent version of the app, so check your app store the week before the expected date. If your phone is short on space, clear out old files first — back up your phone photos before deleting them, so an update is never what fails on the morning Wrapped drops.
Look for the Wrapped feed on Home
On launch day, Wrapped appears as a feed at the top of your Home screen — where the 2025 hub lived, and the first place to look.
Search “Wrapped” if you don’t see it
If the feed is not there, search “Wrapped” in the app; Spotify also usually publishes a web version at spotify.com/wrapped. If it crawls on your laptop, the fixes in our guide to how to speed up a slow laptop usually sort it.
Give the rollout a few hours
Wrapped does not hit every account at the same second: it rolls out in waves over several hours, usually going live in the morning US time — the 2025 edition appeared around 7 a.m. ET. If your friends have theirs and you don’t, update the app, close it fully and reopen it, and wait. It has never dropped at midnight.
Your Wrapped vs the world’s Wrapped
Spotify also publishes global charts: for 2025, Bad Bunny was its Global Top Artist for the fourth time, with 19.8 billion streams, and his album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS was the year’s top album worldwide. The most-streamed song on the planet was Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With A Smile”, with more than 1.7 billion streams.
How long does Wrapped stay up?
Not long: the interactive stories are seasonal — the 2025 ones stayed up for a few weeks after launch. Share the cards or save the playlist on the day it drops.
Your “Your Top Songs” playlist is the part that lasts: Spotify makes one each year, and past years are findable by searching “Your Top Songs 2024” in the app — if you saved them.
Before Wrapped drops: a short checklist
With the expected date a few weeks out:
- Now: turn Private Session off, and check the kids and family music toggle under Settings and privacy, then Content and display.
- Now: check your taste profile exclusions. Anything excluded months ago is still excluded — a forgotten sleep playlist will not appear in your rankings, but it still adds to your minutes.
- Before mid-November: play the songs you want in your top five — after the cutoff, it is too late.
- Week of November 23: update the Spotify app, and free up phone space if the update stalls.
- Thursday, November 26: Thanksgiving. If the pattern holds, Wrapped is six days away.
- Wednesday, December 2 (expected): check the Home feed in the morning, and search “Wrapped” if it is not there.
Spotify Wrapped vs Apple Music Replay and YouTube Music Recap
Spotify is not the only service with a year-end recap:
| Service | When it arrives | How often you can check |
|---|---|---|
| Spotify Wrapped | Late November / early December, one day | Once a year |
| Apple Music Replay | Year-end highlight reel in early December; monthly stats all year | All year, updates weekly |
| YouTube Music Recap | Late November / early December | Seasonal and year-end |
Apple Music Replay is the odd one out: the 2026 playlist has been live since early February and updates weekly, so Apple listeners never wait for December to see their top songs. Its year-end reel still arrives in early December — the last two came out on December 3, 2024 and December 2, 2025, both Tuesdays, the day before Spotify’s Wrapped. YouTube Music’s year-end Recap counts listening from January 1 to November 15 and needs at least 10 hours of music in that window.
Don’t want to wait? See your stats now
Your 2026 listening is already recorded — Spotify just hands it back once a year. Two things inside Spotify give you a preview. Your On Repeat playlist reflects the tracks you have been returning to most, though it is not an official ranking. And your Extended streaming history, requestable from Spotify’s account page, covers every stream since you opened the account — though it can take up to 30 days to reach you.
That is the honest catch: Wrapped is a once-a-year event, and Spotify decides when. Until December, your own listening history is the closest thing to an early peek.
So — when does Spotify Wrapped come out? No confirmed date yet, but every sign points to the first days of December, most likely Wednesday, December 2. Watch for the teaser in late November, make sure your listening counts, and check the app in the morning — we will update this guide the day Spotify confirms the date.
When does Spotify Wrapped come out?
Spotify has not announced a date yet. Based on the last five years, it should arrive in the first few days of December, most likely on Wednesday, December 2, 2026 — the Wednesday after US Thanksgiving. Every Wrapped since 2021 has landed on a Wednesday between November 29 and December 4.
What time does Spotify Wrapped come out?
Spotify never announces an official time. It usually goes live in the morning US time — the 2025 edition appeared around 7 a.m. ET — and rolls out to accounts in waves over several hours. It has never historically dropped at midnight.
Does December listening count toward Spotify Wrapped?
No. Spotify stops counting a few weeks before launch — for 2025 it said listening ran from January until mid-November. Plays in late November and December do not make it into that year’s Wrapped, and they do not carry over to the next year’s either.
Do you need Spotify Premium to get Wrapped?
No. Wrapped is available to both Free and Premium users in nearly all markets where Spotify operates. You do need the Spotify mobile app, and enough listening to qualify — for 2025 that meant at least 30 songs played for more than 30 seconds each, from at least five different artists.
Why can’t I see my Spotify Wrapped yet?
Wrapped rolls out in waves on launch day, so some accounts get it hours before others. Update the app to the latest version, close it fully and reopen it, then check the Wrapped feed at the top of Home or search “Wrapped”. If it still does not appear, check the eligibility minimums — 30 songs, five artists, and no heavy Private Session use.
