How to block or stop a podcast from automatically playing

[stopautoplaypodcast]

I pay for Spotify Premium. I UNFOLLOWED a podcast and Spotify STILL plays it  automatically after I listen to the podcasts that I do follow. I found instructions on how to stop this from happening, which was to give the podcast a low rating and then Spotify won't automatically play it again, but this did not work. I gave a low rating, I unfollowed, I didn't have any of those episodes saved, so how do I block this incredibly irritating podcast? 

Help! 

Device

iPhone and also Web browser - have the same issue on both devices

[AlejaR]

Hey there @stopautoplaypodcast,

Thanks for posting in the Community and welcome. 

At the moment, there's no option to permanently block a podcast. We understand where you're coming from, and we really appreciate the time you took to let us know about this. You can have a look in our Ideas board to see if someone else has a similar idea and vote for it.

If perhaps you don't find any ideas on those lines, you can post your own idea, but keep in mind you have to follow our Ideas Exchange Guidelines. That way, your suggestion will be approved more quickly and smoothly.

As a workaround for now, we'd suggest disabling the Autoplay feature in your accounts settings, so you can avoid the podcast being suggested once you finish listening to a different podcast. Regarding this, another user suggested this interesting idea about having different Autoplay settings for both music and podcasts.

We hope you found this helpful. We're always here to help.

[Enzuigiri]

Absolutely ridiculous that this doesnt have the feature, I accidentally clicked some garbage once that has content that I consider OFFENSIVE and I cannot remove it..getting ready to cancel entire family subs.

[jfraties]

I would like to stop the autoplay of podcasts I no longer like. Please help the community

[jfraties]

Same problem, not sure what to do 

[therealgale65]

Same. I accidentally clicked on a podcast in my car and now I'm haunted by it forever? I expect this from a free service but not this overpriced one. 

[naomiserena]

I have been foloowing a couple of podcasts that I'm no longer interested in anymore. I pressed unfollow and dont have any of the episodes saved on my library, but those same podcasts still show up in my home and also play once my queue is cleared. How do I completely get rid of these podcasts from my profile?

[MileHigh96]

Plan

Premium

Country

USA

Device

Samsung Galaxy S21

Operating System

Android 14

My Question or Issue

I have resorted to always playing my downloaded podcasts from my "Your Episodes" because that was the only way I could play an episode of a podcast and when it ended, it was over and wouldn't automatically start a new episode.  Now, for the last week or so, The play queue for EVERY SINGLE PODCAST now gets filled with episodes and they are all episodes I have already listened to prior.  I didn't put these in the queue, they just show up there. 

And no matter how many times I empty the queue for every single episode, the next time I go to play an episode, there are all those other episodes back in the queue again and I have to manually delete each one.  See my attachment, I listened to an episode of this podcast earlier today, had to manually delete a bunch of episodes from the queue, and now I'm listening to a new episode and now these other episodes just magically show up in the queue.  I DO NOT WANT THIS TO KEEP HAPPENING.  How do I stop this?

[Swedisheik]

This is happening to me, too. After a podcast ends, another podcast from the same creator, an episode I've already listened to, often starts playing automatically. I was finally able to solve my other podcast issue - I had to turn off autoplay similar content so Spotify would stop force feeding me weird podcasts - but I *liked* the autoplay feature for music, and it's either off, or on. Spotify, please fix the bug where the app populates already listened to pods in the queue, and give us an option for choosing autoplay on/off for podcasts and music separately. Those two things are very different and you have me pegged for music but your taste in podcasts sucks.

[Letmeblock]

I have the same problem. Get it together and fix this spotify. I am seriously considering switching apps.

[tylerkozub]

I have the same issue, but on top of it always wanting to play the call her daddy podcast which I have never wanted to listen to, it along with similar podcasts are always all over my home screen instead of the music or podcasts that I listen to literally daily. Is there really no way for me to just show what I want to listen to instead of just the spotify owned podcasts?

[Rose321]

It’s ridiculous this isn’t an option. I listen to sleep podcasts because I have terrible nightmares which I let play through the night for when I wake up scared. I just woke up to one that I’ve never listened to called Dr No Sleep (which are actually scary stories) was describing some creature eating a baby! Obviously not what I want playing when I suffer with nightmares and I have no choice to block it?? 

[foxiris]

Dear Spotify Support Team,I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to express my deep frustration and disappointment with a persistent issue that has marred my experience as a Spotify Premium subscriber. Despite my efforts to unfollow a specific podcast, Spotify continues to play it automatically after I listen to my preferred podcasts, and I am at my wit's end.An Ongoing NightmareIt is incredibly frustrating to pay for a premium service only to be bombarded by content I have explicitly chosen to ignore. I have taken all the recommended steps: I unfollowed the podcast, gave it a low rating, and ensured that no episodes are saved in my library. Yet, despite these actions, this unwanted podcast continues to intrude on my listening experience. It feels like my choices are being disregarded, and I am left powerless in controlling what I want to hear.A Call for ActionI understand that Spotify’s autoplay feature is designed to enhance user experience, but it should not override the explicit preferences of its paying customers. I am reaching out not just for myself but for all users who find themselves in a similar situation. We deserve a platform that respects our choices and allows us to curate our listening experiences without interference.Please provide me with a clear and effective solution to completely block this podcast from appearing in my feed. If there are additional settings or features that I might have overlooked, I would greatly appreciate your guidance on how to implement them.Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I sincerely hope for a swift resolution so that I can enjoy my Spotify Premium subscription without the constant annoyance of unwanted content.

[KaptainRV]

I hate this too.  I like and follow one news cast and after I listen it automatically goes to a news talk show I can’t stand! Spotify needs a block button!

[McFweed]

If anyone knows of a better place to listen to podcasts that provides the listener with more control over what they listen to, please share. I'm ready to give up on Spotify because of their lack of user control. You get more predictable content from an AM/FM radio than this hi-tech social engineering junk.

[Zaracay]

I reached out to Spotify's chat support and got a person who actually wanted to help. I was told that he knew of a ticket that had been opened (and he sent me a different thread from 2023).  So, there is a ticket open, which has been open since 2023 based on this thread and others.  Obviously, no action has been taken, but it is not in the control of the tech support crew.  This is their technical support division that is slow-walking any changes to their algorithms.  I'll probably be cancelling my Spotify subscription in the next month or 2 if I don't see any movement.  There are other platforms that work better for podcasts anyway, like Amazon Music, the Apple Podcast app, Substack, etc.  Some of them even allow me to listen to podcasts ad-free.  I could go the rest of my life without hearing ads from pod-meets-world or frosted-tips.