Make Apple Music Recommend Songs You Like

How to Make Apple Music Recommend Songs You Like.

Learn how to make Apple Music recommend better songs and playlists. If your For You or Listen Now sections don’t feel right, I’ll show you how to fix that.

I’m showing you on iOS 26.1 on an iPhone 16 Pro Max. But these steps work on any iPhone running a recent version of iOS.

Why Does Apple Music Recommend Songs I Don’t Like?

Apple Music tries to learn your taste, but it needs your help. The app looks at what you play, what you skip, and how you interact with songs. If you just let it play without giving any feedback, the recommendations will stay random or feel off.

The good news is you can train Apple Music just like you train a dog. A little feedback goes a long way.

The Two Main Ways to Train Your Recommendations

There are two simple buttons you need to know about. One tells Apple Music “more like this” and the other tells it “less like this.”

The Love Button (Star icon)
Tap the star on any song, album, or playlist to tell Apple Music you like it. The app will then recommend more songs that sound similar.

The Suggest Less Button (three dots menu)
Tap the three dots next to a song you don’t enjoy, then choose “Suggest Less Like This.” This is the quickest way to clean up bad recommendations.

Step-by-Step Guide to Better Recommendations

Step 1: Listen normally for a few days
Just play music you enjoy. Apple Music starts learning from your listening habits right away.

Step 2: Star the songs you love
When a song comes on that you really like:

• Tap the star icon next to the song title
• That’s it. Apple Music now knows this is a winner.

Step 3: Tell Apple Music what you don’t like
When a song plays that isn’t your style:

• Tap the three dots (…) next to the song
• Choose “Suggest Less Like This”
• You’ll see an “Undo” option appear, which confirms it worked

Step 4: Favorite entire playlists
If you find a playlist where you like most of the songs:

• Tap the three dots (…) on the playlist page
• Choose “Favorite”
• This tells Apple Music that this whole vibe works for you

Step 5: Be consistent
Every time you hear a song you like, star it. Every time you hear something you don’t want, suggest less. After a week or two of doing this, your recommendations will get much better.

Important Things to Know

Action	What It Tells Apple Music
Tapping the star (Love)	“Give me more songs like this”
Suggest Less Like This	“Stop showing me songs like this”
Favoriting a playlist	“I like this whole collection”
Skipping a song without feedback	“Maybe not, but I’m not sure”

A Couple of Notes

You cannot use both the star and “Suggest Less” on the same song. If you star a song, the “Suggest Less” option goes away. That makes sense – you either like it or you don’t.

It takes some time for Apple Music to learn. Don’t expect perfect recommendations after one day. The algorithm needs enough feedback to figure out your taste.

One Shortcut That Works Really Well

Find playlists in genres you enjoy. Search for something like “techno” or “jazz” or “hip hop,” then filter to show only playlists. Listen through a few. If you find a playlist where you like most of the songs, favorite the whole thing. This gives Apple Music a huge hint about your taste all at once.

How Long Until Recommendations Improve?

If you give feedback on 10-20 songs per day, you should notice better recommendations within one to two weeks. Your personalized stations and curated playlists will start feeling much more accurate.

Quick Summary

To get better Apple Music recommendations:

• Star the songs and playlists you love
• Use “Suggest Less Like This” on songs you don’t enjoy
• Favorite full playlists that match your taste
• Be consistent for a week or two

Learn how to improve Apple Music suggestions by using these simple feedback buttons. Over time, you’ll notice your personalized stations and curated playlists become much more accurate.