Ideas: Do not automatically add station to collection when pressing play

[twfsrsly]

Hi Maria,

I have the EXACT same request. When I search for a new playlist, song, whatever, and hit play, it automatically 'collects' that station (it get's put into My Collections). I might not even know I like it yet, and you guys treat it as if it's now one of my favorites. As a result, the "My Collections" list ends up being a cluttered mess of stations or playlists I've tried and don't even like. Currently, we have to go to each one, into it's 3-dot menu, hit remove, then confirm.

All to remove clutter I didn't want in the first place. IMO, ZERO anything should be added to "My Collections" unless I specifically / manually hit the 'Collect' button. See attached. I didn't actually want a single one of these stations on my list, but you guys just automatically add them the moment I hit play. It makes "My Collections" actually pretty useless, because it's basically a search history instead of anything to do with what I actually like.

[AdamPandora · Accepted solution]

@twfsrsly Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!

I understand how frustrating it can be to have stations automatically added to your collection when you're simply trying them out, especially when it creates extra work to remove stations you don't want to keep.

You're correct that playing a station from search will automatically add it to your collection, even if you haven't specifically selected the option to collect it.

While there isn't currently an option to prevent stations from being automatically added to your collection when you play them, we appreciate you taking the time to share your suggestion.

Feedback like yours helps us understand which features matter most to our listeners and how we can improve the overall listening experience.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

[InvalidDNA]

Pandora automatically collects every station I want to try. This is very annoying as it takes some time to go back and delete them all after finding a good one. This is very disheartening to trying finding newer content without all of the extra hassle afterwards. 

Has anybody found a resolve for this??????

[MOHLovesAlaska]

@InvalidDNA I do feel your frustration... But I have found ways that can be helpful. 

There is currently no setting to stop Pandora from automatically adding played stations to "My Collection." Pandora confirms that playing any station from search automatically adds it to your library so the app can track your thumb ratings.

While you cannot turn off auto-collecting directly, community members and moderators suggest a few workarounds to minimize the clutter and speed up cleanup:

Workarounds to Avoid Clutter

• Use AutoPlay (Premium Only): According to a discussion on Reddit, Pandora Premium subscribers can enable AutoPlay in their settings and play individual songs instead of stations. Once the track finishes, Pandora plays similar music without generating or saving a new station.

• Use "Add Variety" Instead of New Stations: Rather than creating separate stations for every artist or genre you want to sample, open a single "testing" station and use the Add Variety feature to blend new seeds into it.

• Adjust Smart Speaker Defaults: If smart speakers (like Alexa) are generating unwanted stations when family members request music, users on the Pandora Community suggest changing the speaker's default music service to another provider (like Amazon Music) so ad-hoc requests do not automatically populate your Pandora library.

Faster Ways to Clean Up Your Collection

• Batch-Delete via Desktop Browser: Cleaning up stations is generally faster on the Pandora Website than on mobile. Click My Collection, filter by Stations, hover over an unwanted station, click the three-dot menu (...), and select Remove from your collection.

• Quick Mobile Removal: On the mobile app, free and Plus users can swipe left on a station in My Collection to delete it quickly. Premium users can press and hold (long press) the station name and tap the highlighted Collected checkmark to remove it.

• Rely on the 250-Station Rolling Limit: You do not strictly have to delete unwanted stations unless you want to keep your list tidy. Pandora enforces a rolling cap of 250 stations; once you hit that limit, playing a new station automatically drops the station you haven't listened to for the longest time.

Voice Your Feedback:

Pandora tracks user demand through their official forums. You can add your vote and comments to open feature requests like Disable automatic "Collection" of stations feature on the Pandora Community to help push the issue up their development queue.

If you'd like more tailored help, let me know:

• Which Pandora plan you use (Free, Plus, or Premium)

• Which devices you listen on most (iOS, Android, desktop, or smart speakers)

Hopefully these steps will somewhat ease your frustrations. I hope they do.

Take care, and GOD bless.