Spotify has introduced a settings toggle that allows users to disable music videos, video podcasts, and the Canvas feature to save bandwidth and battery.

Spotify has added a new feature allowing users to disable music videos, which previously played by default in the background when available. This update also includes controls to turn off the Canvas animated album art feature and video podcasts. These settings are now accessible across both the mobile and desktop versions of the Spotify application, providing users with more control over their data usage and playback experience.

Adjusting Settings on Mobile

To disable these features on the mobile app, users must tap their profile icon in the top-left corner to open the side panel. From there, navigate to 'Settings and privacy' and select 'Content and display.' Within the 'Videos and Canvas' section, there are three distinct toggles: one for music videos, one for Canvas, and one for other videos, which includes video podcasts. Disabling these options ensures that Spotify plays audio-only versions of content.

Adjusting Settings on Desktop

The process for the desktop application is slightly different. Users should click their profile icon in the top-right corner and select 'Settings.' By scrolling down to the 'Videos and Canvas' section, users can find the specific toggles to disable music videos and the Canvas feature. Once disabled, the music video icon will disappear from playlists and albums, and the collection of music videos will be removed from artist pages.

Behavior After Disabling

After turning off these features, a 'Switch to video' button may still appear in the 'Now Playing' sidebar beneath the album art. Clicking this button will prompt a notification stating that the video cannot play unless the feature is re-enabled in the settings. This change allows users to avoid unwanted video playback while still maintaining access to the audio-only versions of songs and podcasts.