Remove specific podcasts from home screen

[chrissdevano]

Plan

Premium

Country

Netherlands

Device

Desktop PC

Operating System

Windows 10

My Question or Issue

I almost never listen to podcast. That is why a lot of my recommendations for podcasts are ones I'm not interested in. Could there be an option to hide specific podcasts from the home screen?

For instance: right-clicking the podcast in question will show an option that says "Not interested" or "Hide from home screen" or just "Hide".

[cdheisel]

And they AUTOPLAY!!! Podcasts I find hateful and offensive will start playing randomly. It happens every morning, so it puts me in a bad headspace every morning. I'm going to have to delete the app. It's legitimately hurting my overall mental health. You can't start every day angry.

[htdg]

I listened to something i shouldn't have. I'm embarrased by it and don't want people to see it when they use my spotify. I haven't listened to it for months but still it keeps popping up on my start screen. How do i remove it please? I can't use spotify when people are around because i'm afraid this thing will pop up.

[wispborne]

I've never listened to a podcast on Spotify. The first thing I see when I open the app is now:

SUICIDE PREVENTION HYPONOTHERAPY

This is the only software I use with recommendations that don't allow you to remove bad ones. Please, please allow it.

[royabbink]

I was a Spotify Premium subscriber between 2013 and 2019. I left because Spotify included podcasts and as I didn’t listen to podcasts I wanted a music only service. But now, in 2023, I do listen to quite a few podcasts, so I decided to give Spotify Premium another go.

The fact that podcasts that I’m not interested in are taking up almost all of the home screen, without any possibility to remove them is the reason I’m unsubscribing today.

I’m totally fine with seeing shows I follow and a row of recommendations a bit further on the home screen, but not this. Spotify became a podcast service first and music streaming service second. That’s the wrong order for me. 

[Coglesby]

Long time user of Spotify. Since 2013. Love it for music. But I’m sick and tired of the podcast recommendations on the Home Screen. I don’t use Spotify for podcasts because it’s recommendation algorithm is dangerous. Especially if I have young kids in the car or they are using it in the TV in a family setting. Unfortunately it will still recommend podcasts even if you don’t follow any or have episodes saved. No way of removing them.

Frankly, the idea of recommending podcasts on the Home Screen that are of no interest, offensive, or harmful is quite abusive behaviour by Spotify.

Thinking of switching to another music provider until Spotify decides to allow users to remove the podcast recommendations completely.

You just can’t have Spotify around kids and family. Turning off the explicit content doesn’t work with podcasts, especially harmful topics, or topics of a sexual nature. It’s not safe.

[KazimierzOO]

Nothing is happening with this request for significant time now. It seems Spotify don't give a d..m as it brings dough to force users to look at something they are not interested.

[KoweK]

The worst thing is that Spotify shows me some sh**et which I don't follow and can't hide, but also don't show in MAIN SECTION the newest podcast from people which I FOLLOW. I have to click "show everything" to see podcast from my "following"! That's ridiculous

[Esprits]

I seriously cannot believe that this is still a problem to this day. We are requestig such a simple thing as well; it's not like it's a complete redo of the home screen. I have never seen such an incompetent billion dollar company, and they usually all are.

Also, the simple fact that three different people working for Spotify that have replied to this thread and still nothing has been done yet after almost a year and a half is baffling. Honestly, please improve as a corporation; you suck!

[MauricePerla]

Relying on the IP to determine the language is very naive. Perhaps the user is on vacation in a foreign country! Please don't interfere with the language. So-called help is not always welcome.

[Jehu557]

This just can’t be true.

I have hanged on with spotify through all the force feed of podcasts (I have never listened to a podcast, because I don’t want to) and force feed of third class hip-hop (some shitty hip-hoppers named as for example Rainbow, Dio, The Cult, Cream, White Lion, Sanctuary, Eclipse and so on and on… have filled my Release Radar, because there has been no way to block a whole hip-hop genre which I hate from the bottom of my heart), but after the last main page update with force feed of loud videos blasting to my face, my cup poured over. And yep, the dislike button has never worked in Release Radar, the same **bleep** returns next week. And still unable to remove the podcasts.

Ability to customize the main page? No way. That would block the force feeding, which probably is meant to fill spotify’s pockets.

Just hypothetically, if I liked well-made adult movies with skinny blondes, this is the same thing as force feeding me amateur videos of brunette chubbies. Technically that may be what some people like, and yes, it might also be that this is where the money flow is, but it doesn’t mean that those turn me on. No, those do not.

It’s a darn time consuming job to convert all Spotify playlists to Apple Music, but after spending the whole weekend doing that, I’m almost done. This family account is just about to be cancelled, and it would require a miracle to get it back.

I’m 100% sure that you guys in Spotify are loving it.

[ScreamingForever]

Hi, I would appreciate not opening my Spotify in the morning and having Spotify tell me it thinks I would love to listen to a 48-minute long defence of transphobia. Why is this an 'episode for me?' How can I get rid of it?

[Beccacable]

Spotify listen to your users, please enable this feature. 

Just because I listen to a podcast 1x doesn't mean I want to see it on my feed forever. 

[hanskzzz]

its been 2 years

[biophonc]

Everyone gets the monetization thingy, but having podcasts pushed to me that does not reflect my interests or taste on my “home screen” feels like “this is not my place”. 

I do listen to podcasts I like, but I also check other ones I particularly dislike. How so? My Kids prefer gaming podcasts with videos and would spend plenty of time to watch it, but that's not going to happen. That's the reason I limit their screen time down now for spotify to 30 min per day and to make sure they do not waste time on video podcasts, because I'm blocking the IP's in the firewall. Before that, they could use spotify almost 24h.

Spoiler: Blocking IP's works, till they change.

However, that still leaves me with annoying gaming video podcasts recommended to me, because I used them to identify the IP's currently used.  

The other thingy is, the other day I was wondering if there is any erotic content (still kids relevant), and now I all I'm seeing is gaming and xxx content. I wished I never have searched for it. 

This issue is really disappointing. 

[1y3y_-ce1jjz7]

I'm here because of the exact same issue. I thought Spotify was "safe" as a music app but now I've found the kids watching YouTube uploads of gaming videos disguised as podcasts. So frustrating to pay premium and still have these features shoved in our faces that negate the value of the app. 

Thankfully this frustrating thread has led me to do more research into Apple Music and it sounds perfect. No mixing of Music and Podcasts so I can trust that the kids won't stumble upon YouTube videos when looking for music. The family package is only $1 more per month. Well worth it to have the obvious feature that Spotify refuses to implement

[bbk1]

Being able to explore media and DISCARD what you don't like is a CORE feature of a media app.

You didn't need a survey to build a play-button and a volume control.

This is really embarrassing. 

I will probably switch to a service with a functional UX team soon.

[bbk1]

BTW, this is even more important because there is a lot of political and NSFW content in the podcasts that should be made avoidable for obvious reasons.

Even a simple user-made blacklist would require very little work and solve most peoples' issues.

This needs at most a week from a halfway competent tech team and almost no design changes.

Shouldn't be too hard for you.

I'm amazed how Spotify could build such a revolutionary service and then just become an uncaring zombie company like all the others. Did all the innovators just leave?

[rikkiviisas]

Youtube has a "not interested" button. It improves recommendations.

If not for the users, implement it for the algorithm.

[paddotk]

It would take more than a week (take it from a software developer) but it's not such a huge change that they couldn't put it on their roadmap, seeing as how many people have had issues with this for such a long time.
They just can't set their priorities straight.

[NearlyNuble]

12,400 votes and Spotify still doesn’t care. The Home Screen is littered with “shows”, podcasts, audiobooks. Seriously tell us how to disable this **bleep**. I will never watch ANY show. Want my music.