Spotify is adding new toggles that let users disable video from playing inside the app, covering both music and podcasts. According to The Verge, the feature is rolling out worldwide across platforms and devices and appears in the app’s settings under “Content and display” on phones or “Display” on desktop. The update also extends to managers of Spotify Family Plans, who can apply video limits for each member of a subscription.
What’s changing inside the Spotify app
The update adds multiple video-related toggles designed to control whether video appears and plays as part of Spotify’s content experience. The Verge reports that Spotify is adding toggles to “stop any and all video from playing inside the app,” including separate controls for music videos and for other video types that can include podcasts and vertical video.
Spotify already had a control for Canvas clips—described by The Verge as short, looping, autoplay videos Spotify added to the app in 2019. In this update, that existing Canvas toggle is joined by:
1) A new toggle to disable access to music videos.
This blocks the app’s option to switch from an audio version to a music video version of songs.
2) A new toggle to disable all other videos.
This includes videos tied to podcasts and “vertical video,” as characterized by The Verge.
Where users will find the settings
The Verge notes that the controls will appear under “Content and display” settings on a phone, and under the “Display” section on desktop. That placement frames the feature as a display-and-consumption preference rather than a content removal or account-level change.
How the controls work for individuals and Family Plans
Spotify’s approach in this rollout includes both personal settings and plan-level management. The Verge reports that if a user manages a Family Plan, they will have access to these video controls for each individual member of the plan—similar to existing controls for managed accounts.
Once video controls are disabled at the plan level, The Verge states the affected users “then won’t have the option to switch to the video versions of songs or podcasts.” In other words, the toggle affects both whether video plays automatically and whether the app permits users to switch to video formats for supported content.
This distinction is significant for product behavior: disabling video can reduce both autoplay-style presentation (such as Canvas clips) and format switching (the ability to move from audio to video versions). The described user experience suggests that the controls are enforced in the client UI and, at least for Family Plans, at the plan or account policy level.
Why video toggles matter for music and podcast consumption
Spotify’s video surface has been a recurring part of its app experience, from Canvas clips (added in 2019) to music videos and podcast-related video formats. With the new controls, Spotify is formalizing a “video optionality” model: video features exist, but users can opt out of them with explicit toggles.
From a product standpoint, this matters because it touches the app’s content rendering pipeline and user interface logic. The presence of separate toggles—Canvas clips, music videos, and “all other videos”—indicates that Spotify treats video types as distinct categories in its content presentation layer. It also suggests that the app’s client-side logic can selectively suppress video playback and, for Family Plans, selectively suppress access to video versions.
For users who prefer audio-first listening, the update could reduce interruptions from autoplay loops and video thumbnails. For podcast listeners, disabling “all other videos,” including podcasts and vertical video, indicates that video is integrated into podcast experiences in some cases, and Spotify is responding by allowing users to remove that dimension from their interface.
The controls reflect a broader industry pattern: media apps increasingly expose granular playback controls as part of user preference management. In Spotify’s case, the controls are comprehensive enough that users can disable both music-video access and other video formats without relying on a single master switch.
What to watch as the rollout continues
The Verge reports that the controls are rolling out worldwide and “work across all platforms and devices.” This indicates the settings are not limited to one platform or client—the same control concept is expected to exist across mobile and desktop builds.
Observers may watch for a staged rollout and for any differences in how the toggles appear across device types. The Verge specifies the settings locations by platform (“Content and display” on phone and “Display” on desktop), so users and administrators may also look for consistency in naming and behavior as updates propagate.
For Family Plan administrators, the key consideration is how plan-level enforcement interacts with user-level preferences. The Verge states that once plan-level video controls are disabled, users cannot switch to video versions of songs or podcasts. This suggests the plan policy can override user choice, and future changes to similar managed-account settings could follow the same pattern.
Overall, Spotify’s addition of video-disabling toggles—particularly the combination of Canvas, music-video access, and broader video suppression for podcasts and vertical video—reflects an effort to align the app’s multimedia features with user-controlled playback behavior. As the feature reaches more accounts after its initial rollout, the practical impact will be determined by how consistently the toggles map to the app’s different video categories and format-switching options.
Source: The Verge