Spotify: A Mixed Bag In other words, some user experience decisions leave much to be desired.
The app features a cluttered layout with numerous panels, leading to confusion. It continuously tracks user activity, which can feel intrusive. There’s also an evident bias against playing complete albums, hinting that designers might be trying to steer user habits in a specific direction.
It’s no surprise that many users express frustration over how music videos are integrated into the platform. Often, when an artist uploads a video for their song, it auto-plays in the background. This can become problematic, especially when the video has different audio elements compared to the album version, which can be distracting for listeners. Additionally, while many love music videos, this default setting consumes bandwidth and battery life, disturbing a significant number of users.
There are other peculiarities too. On Spotify’s desktop app, videos are almost hidden, remaining visible in a small album art frame until the elusive “Now Playing” button is discovered and enlarged. Moreover, the selection of available videos appears random, making YouTube my go-to when I genuinely want to watch a music video.
What frustrated me the most was the lack of an easy way to turn off all videos. However, that has changed recently—a new settings toggle now allows users to disable music videos completely, along with options to turn off the Canvas feature (animated album art) and video podcasts.
On mobile, simply tap the user profile icon in the top left to access the side panel. Then navigate to Settings and Privacy, followed by Content and Display.
Photo: Justin Potts
Under Video and Canvas, you’ll find three toggles: one for music videos, another for Canvas, and the third for video podcasts, allowing for an audio-only experience. Disabling all three significantly reduces Spotify’s bandwidth usage.
The desktop version differs slightly. Click the user profile icon in the top right corner, access Settings, scroll down to Video and Canvas, and disable the music video and Canvas options.
After testing this, I can confirm that the music video icons for playlists and albums have disappeared, as have those on artist pages. The only feature that remains is a button that prompts you to enable videos again if clicked. While it may seem odd, this adjustment means you can enjoy your music without distractions.
I sincerely hope Spotify prioritizes user experience when it comes to music videos. We don’t always want to watch a video when we play a track; sometimes, we crave the album version. It would be beneficial if Spotify could segregate music video playlists from audio playlists. I can’t be the only one who shares this sentiment. Ideally, future updates will bring clearer distinctions in interface design.
Source: www.wired.com