We all have certain icks with our favorite apps—a bug, subpar display, long navigation, or even core features that we want to change to our liking. With streaming platforms like Spotify, you can get annoyed quickly when these issues manifest every day.
For most features that you have a problem with on the audio streaming app, there may be a way out. Here are five annoying or inconvenient Spotify features you may have come across and how you can disable them.
Create button for UI change
A polarizing change
One of the most divisive UI changes in Spotify’s recent updates is the Create button. Intended to help you quickly create new playlists, Blends, and AI playlists, the button shortens the navigation for the same Create option you find in Your Library.
While it seems convenient, many users did not love the four-button navigation bar that it created in the Spotify mobile app. And while I found it a harmless addition in the beginning and got over the annoyance of no longer finding the Your Library button in a convenient spot, I find myself (like many others) barely even using it. Thankfully, there’s a way to remove the Create button from your bar permanently.
On your Spotify mobile app, tap your profile picture (upper-left corner), then go to Settings and Privacy. From here, tap on Content and Display, navigate to Display Preferences, and toggle off the Create button. Your Spotify app will quickly reload, and your UI display will reflect the original three buttons (Home, Search, and Your Library).
Smart Shuffle
Time to turn it off
This is my (and many others) least favorite Spotify feature for a reason. Smart Shuffle can be a thorn in your side when you’re trying to shake up your playlist order. Initially, many users were annoyed with how the feature became a priority, but a more insistent problem with the feature (that is not as prevalent with other Spotify discovery features, in my experience) is that recommendations get old really quickly.
While in theory, it’s a no-hassle way of discovering new songs, but Smart Shuffle doesn’t always match my playlist vibe or taste profile, which has made me prefer features like Song Radio and AI DJ.
While you can skip the feature while playing songs from your playlists or library by going for the normal Shuffle option instead, you can also remove it from the equation completely. To disable Smart Shuffle, go to your profile, tap Settings and Privacy, then tap Playback. Toggle off Include Smart Shuffle in play modes.
Audio/volume normalization
You might need to experiment
Meant to make your listening experience feel more uniform, audio (or volume) normalization is a feature that essentially balances soft and loud songs. But many audiophiles who like to listen to songs as they are recorded recommend disabling this feature, although it is something to experiment with for yourself (and your audio equipment).
To disable this setting, go to your profile, tap Settings and Privacy, then tap Playback > Volume controls, and toggle off Volume Normalization.
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Canvas
Consider your connectivity first
There are many ways to reduce your Spotify-related data consumption, including reducing your download quality and streaming quality. A feature that many listeners overlook is Canvas. This is the looping, short video you see when you play (most) songs, replacing the static album cover in the Now Playing view. I also like disabling this feature because I prefer looking at the album covers of my favorite songs anyway, but it does consume some data, so it’s a good idea to turn it off when you have connectivity issues.
If you want to disable Canvas, go to your profile on the Home tab, then tap Settings and Privacy > Content and Display. Toggle Canvas off.
Autoplay after your queue
No more random suggestions
One auto-enabled feature that you may want to try turning off is Autoplay Similar Content. This can be a way for you to get more playback control over your queue, especially if you don’t like how random your recommendations can get after a playlist or album queue ends. I do use this feature when I’m on a drive or going hands-free, unable to control my queue after a point, but for discovery, you can skip this feature and use others like Song Radio instead.
To disable this feature, go to your profile and tap Settings and Privacy > Playback. From here, disable Autoplay Similar Content.
The thing about streaming, whether it be audio or video, is that you can tweak and experiment with settings and features to personalize your experience, so make sure you explore more than what you see in your library and home feed and make your streaming more customized.
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Spotify is a pioneer in music streaming. It features a vast library, impressive bitrate, curated and custom playlists, as well as offline streaming. Spotify is available for free and for a monthly or annual fee.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
