BUG: can't hide Now Playing

[tamyr37]

Beginning today 2-16-2025 the buttons to show/hide Now Playing has been removed and the [x] at the upper right of Now Playing is also missing. As that panel often display unacceptable video content this is a serious bug and must be corrected ASAP.

Spotify is an audio streaming application it is not and must not display video content.

The only current options are:

1. Always keep the entire app minimized

2. Always keep the play queue panel open

3. Discontinue use of Spotify

Device

PC

Operating System

Windows 11

My Question or Issue

[juwrgibrwyev0pdp3sq2]

It's very annoying to close. And with a recent update that replaced the close button on the right with a minimize button on the left is even more annoying.

[Yordan]

Hey there, @tamyr37,

Thanks for reaching out and for sharing your feedback on video content on Spotify.

Keep in mind that you can also expand/collapse the Now Playing view by clicking on the cover art at the bottom left corner.

Still, the [X] button for the Now Playing view should be visible and I have it on my end. Could you share a screenshot which shows how the app looks for you?

It's worth checking if resetting the in-app zoom via Ctrl + 0 makes the button show up. In case it doesn't, try performing a clean reinstall of the app: this will rule out any potential issues with corrupted cache and ensure you're running the latest version available.

Tip: if you don't want the Now Playing view to automatically open as soon as you play something, you can toggle off the option in Settings > Display.

Let us know how it goes 👍

[tamyr37]

As you can see there is nothing on the UI that provides a way to collapse, hide, or close the Now Playing panel.

I did discover, by accident, that a "collapse panel" icon will appear to the left of the playlist name, if the mouse cursor happens to float over the Now Playing panel. So it is possible to collapse it, but the icon to do so is well hidden.

Yes, I had found the display setting. It is not entirely reliable. The setting is ignored when when the app starts.

[OscarDC]

Hey @tamyr37,

Thank you for keeping in contact. 

Just to confirm, have you followed the steps to perform a clean reinstall that @Yordan previously suggested? If not, give them a try to see if it makes any difference.

It would also be great if you could have someone log in with their account on your device - such as a friend or a family member, to see if the issue persists.

Lastly, include in your next response the Spotify version you're currently running to continue investigating the case.

We'll be waiting for your response.

[tamyr37]

Resetting zoom Ctrl+0 did not alter the problem ... just made the text in the app uncomfortably/unreasonably large.

A full clean reinstall of Spotify did not alter the problem.

Spotify reports this version:

[MihailY]

Hey @tamyr37,

Thanks for your reply.

Would it be possible to try with a different account as suggested by @OscarDC and check whether you see the [x] in the web player?

Keep us posted.

[tamyr37]

Unfortunately I cannot try a different account.

Web player? I haven't used that in a long time, years, as it had many problems. Looking again, it seems to have improved. Yes, the web player has the [x] icon for the Now Playing panel.

[Dessi]

Hey @tamyr37,

Thanks for the reply!

At Spotify, we're often testing and launching improvements to the app. This means you might occasionally see something someone else doesn’t, or get a new feature to try temporarily. Your feedback on this is important, thanks for sharing it here - we appreciate it.

Take care.