Source: Spotify
What you need to know
- Spotify's Soundtrack your Ride creates playlists for road trips.
- You feed Spotify your start and end points and answer a few questions.
- You can toggle explicit lyrics and select genres, but the list can be quite eclectic.
Spotify has launched a new custom playlist creation tool called "Soundtrack your Ride," aimed at creating playlists for long road trips. Spotify users start by entering their start and endpoints on a map, then answer a few questions. Spotify wants to know with whom you'll be traveling and whether you intend to sing along, mellow out, or drive like a maniac with your pedal to the floor.
Source: Spotify
The streaming service asks what sort of car you drive then your favorite genre for driving. For some reason, after indicating I prefer hip-hop music, it asked me to choose my ultimate driving song from a list that included zero hip-hop choices. I chose "Bohemian Rhapsody."
At the end, you can check a small box to include songs with explicit lyrics, then decide if you want to share your playlist. I created a playlist for my Thanksgiving drive from the Boston suburbs to Maryland, clocking in just under seven hours.
It would be a miracle if I arrived that quickly, so I'm assuming the playlist will stretch if you finish early. The list includes some of my starred favorites, songs from artists who appear on other playlists, and some related content, but nothing too shocking. There is more stand-up comedy than I'd include in a road trip playlist, but I do use Spotify for stand-up quite a bit. You can see my playlist shared below.

Samsung's Galaxy S21 series misses out on this useful Android feature
The latest Galaxy S21 series phones from Samsung lack a useful feature that Google had launched five years back: seamless updates.

Is 2021 going to be the year you ditch Samsung?
Samsung continues to be a dominant force in the Android landscape — but that doesn't mean everyone is thrilled with where the company is heading.

These are the best Android phones you can buy right now
There are so many great Android phones to buy, so it can be tough to know which one to get. These are the best of the best at each price point.

Here are the best screen protectors for the new Moto G Play (2021)
Even though it's a budget phone, and the least feature-rich of the new models in the Moto G line, the Motorola Moto G Play (2021) still needs protecting like any other smartphone. And that includes not only a protective case, but also a quality screen protector. Here are some great options.