“My Wave” in Yandex Music has received a major update — it now selects music not just based on your tastes, but based on the situation: time of day, day of the week, and even the device you’re listening from. Here’s what changed and why the service needed AI-generated snippets about artists.
Yandex Music received a major update
How to Customize My Wave in Yandex Music
You’ve probably noticed: sometimes Yandex Music’s algorithms pick tracks that you technically like, but that don’t fit the moment at all. Monday morning — energetic rock, even though you’re not yet awake. Friday evening — calm ambient, when you want something with more drive. Technically the algorithm guessed your taste, but in practice — it missed the mood.
This is exactly the problem Yandex Music addresses in the new update. “My Wave” now works with so-called hypercontextual recommendations. It sounds complex, but the idea is simple: the algorithm considers not only what music you love, but also the circumstances in which you listen to it.
Colorful interactive waves have appeared on the app’s main screen — these are the hypercontextual scenarios. Previously, “My Wave” simply suggested tracks, but now it offers complete musical scenarios for specific moments.
Now you set the mood for the tracks Yandex selects for you
The system relies on several factors at once. First, your taste — likes, dislikes, listening history. Second, external context: what day of the week it is, whether it’s morning or evening, and what device you started the music on. All of this together allows the algorithm to not just pick a track, but to guess the situation.
Here’s what it looks like in practice. You love jazz and opened Yandex Music on a laptop on a weekday. The algorithm concludes: you’re probably working right now. And it suggests not just jazz, but a specific scenario — “calm jazz for work.” On a weekend evening from your phone, the same love of jazz might turn into a playlist for a relaxed dinner.
Essentially, Yandex is teaching its recommendations empathy. When a listener skips a track, it doesn’t always mean “I don’t like it.” More often it means “not right now, I need something different.” And this observation is exactly where the idea of hypercontext came from.
New Features in Yandex Music
In addition to hypercontext, another useful feature has appeared — “Shake My Wave.” Imagine: the algorithm suggested a work scenario, but you suddenly finished early and want something completely different. Instead of manually switching settings, you can simply “shake” the wave — and get a new set of recommendations for a different mood. This is convenient for those whose context changes quickly. Morning — focus on tasks, afternoon — a lunch break with different music, evening — relaxation.
My Wave can now be shaken
Another notable addition — AI-generated snippets with facts about artists right within the recommendation system. Now, when you listen to an artist, the service can display short facts about their work. The information comes from open sources: news, interviews, and press releases. The idea is to help you immerse yourself deeper in the music. You’re not just listening to a track — you’re learning the story behind it. Who inspired the artist, how the album was created, what interesting facts are tied to a specific song. The format is unobtrusive: snippets appear within the recommendation stream, and you don’t need to search for them specifically.
Here’s what AI snippets will sometimes look like
Finally, a new section has appeared in the app — “What to Listen To.” It’s a kind of personal showcase where everything is gathered in one place: your recommendations, editorial picks from the “Trends” section, charts, “Superlaunch” with major new releases, as well as audiobooks, podcasts, and children’s content. Previously, many of these sections had to be accessed separately; now everything is collected on one screen.
A whole “What to Listen To” section if you can’t decide
Which Devices Support the New My Wave
The updates have already started rolling out to Yandex Plus subscribers in Russia and Belarus. It works in mobile apps on iOS and Android, as well as in the desktop and web version of Yandex Music. Access will be available to all users within the next few days.
Just update the app and get the new My Wave
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first major update to “My Wave” recently. Earlier, the service taught recommendations to work without the internet — a compact recommendation engine of just 100 KB was deployed on the device, which selects tracks even offline. And before that, “My Wave” gained adaptation to running pace. It’s clear that Yandex Music is betting on personalizing suggested tracks — and hypercontextual recommendations look like a logical continuation of this direction.
If you use Yandex Music every day, you’ll notice the update right away. Hypercontextual recommendations aren’t a revolution,
