Spotify adds video toggle

Spotify is rolling out settings that let listeners switch off video across the app and keep Spotify audio-first. (newsroom.spotify.com) The controls arrived on April 9, 2026. Users can turn off Canvas looping visuals and videos for music or podcasts in Settings > Content and display, and the choice carries across mobile, desktop, web, and television. (newsroom.spotify.com) Spotify said the rollout covers free users and paid tiers including Premium and Basic on Individual, Duo, Family, and Student plans. Family plan managers can also switch video on or off for any member from subscription settings. (newsroom.spotify.com) The change follows two years of Spotify pushing harder into video. The company launched music videos in beta in 11 markets in March 2024, expanded that test to 85 more countries in October 2024, and brought the feature to Premium users in the United States and Canada in December 2025. (musicbusinessworldwide.com) Spotify has made the same push in podcasts. The company said in January 2025 that more than 1 billion people had listened to a podcast on Spotify since it entered the category in 2019, and by November 2025 it said more than 390 million users had streamed a video podcast on the platform. (newsroom.spotify.com) (techcrunch.com) Spotify is framing the new toggle as a control feature, not a retreat from video. In its April 9 post, the company cited a Burson survey of 8,400 respondents in 19 markets that found 93% of Spotify users wanted more control over their experience. (newsroom.spotify.com) The update also lands after Spotify changed how it measures podcast performance. In May 2025, Spotify introduced a public “plays” metric for podcast episodes, counting times an episode was actively listened to or watched, then revised the display after creators objected to exact public counts. (newsroom.spotify.com) (techcrunch.com) Spotify’s creator help pages now list “plays,” “consumption hours,” and Spotify-only “streams” among the main podcast analytics, and note that the older “starts” metric was removed in May 2025. If more listeners choose audio-only mode, creators and advertisers will be watching those metrics closely. (support.spotify.com) Spotify is not turning video off completely. The company said free users will still see video ads, and some audio ads will still carry Canvas-like visuals even when the new controls are enabled. (support.spotify.com)