Bug: Remove played episodes has stopped working on iOS App

[ankurb]

There seems to be a bug in the Spotify iOS app (I'm currently running version 8.9.19.571). I listen to podcasts using Spotify and I have auto-downloads turned on. I also have "Remove played episodes" set to "After playing". In the past, this used to automatically remove downloaded podcasts from the "Your episodes" view when a podcast was marked as played.

For the past few weeks, however, the podcast remains once it has been marked as played. I need to manually remove the podcast by clicking the button that marks it as downloaded.

[ankurb]

Hey folks,

Thanks for all your replies and for the info shared, you helped us a lot.

This should be working as intended in the latest version of the app. In that sense, would you mind making sure you're running the most recent version of the app available in the App Store?

To do it, make sure to open the App Store and look for Spotify there. If there is a new version of the app available, you'll see an Update button. Once you've done that, try and let us know if this is fixed or if this behavior persists. If you notice this continues to happen, please send us the exact Spotify version you're running in your devices.

Keep us in the loop!

[moosachusetts]

Hi! This is a new issue for me with the latest update. Played podcast episodes used to remove when I removed the download… now suddenly I have over 2400 podcasts in my “your episodes” playlist. I even updated the settings to “remove after played”

[Maria]

Hey @moosachusetts,

Thanks for reaching out on the Community!

Just to confirm, are the episodes staying in Your Episode after finishing them, despite changing the settings Remove played episodes > After playing? If so, do you notice any difference after following the steps mentioned by @AlejaR earlier in the thread?

Also, keep in mind that only removing the episode from downloads will not remove it from Your Episodes. To manually remove a podcast episode from Your Episodes, you need to click on the checkmark on the left-hand side and then unmark it from the playlist. This will remove the download as well 🙂

Cheers!

[moosachusetts]

Hello. None of those solutions have worked. I used to be able to click the button with the circled down arrow to remove the episode. Now I have to click the three ellipses and click mark as played. I never had to do that before. Now all episodes I’ve ever listened to are back  in my “your episodes” playlist. This playlist was almost empty before I did the last update and now I have over 3000 episodes.

[AlejaR]

Hey there @moosachusetts,

Thanks for your reply and for the info shared.

As mentioned by @Maria above, remember that removing certain episodes from downloads will not remove it from Your Episodes folder. To manually remove a podcast episode from Your Episodes folder, you'll need to click on the checkmark icon on the left-hand side and then unmark it from the playlist.

Since you mentioned all episodes you've ever listened to have returned to the folder, we'd like to gather some additional info as that is not expected. Are those episodes marked as played or are those showing as unfinished? Would you mind sending a screenshot of what you see within the folder?

Note: Be aware this is a public space, so please don't share any personal info on the screenshot you'll send us.

Please send us the following details as well:

• The make/model and OS of the affected device.
• The exact Spotify version you're running.
• Does this happen across all your devices?
• The exact troubleshooting steps you've tried so far. 

Keep us in the loop!

[moosachusetts]

Hello. I have an iPhone 14 Pro. The only other place I had logged into Spotify was my laptop, however I’ve logged out of that and cleared all current sign-ins. I've restarted my phone, shut down the phone, closed the app many times.  Nothing has been helping.  I have it set to delete episodes 24 hours after they've been played (but I never technically get to the actual end of the episode because it's usually ads, this wasn't an issue before however).  I’ve attached pictures of the app version I am using and what my playlist looks like. One picture has the button circled I used to be able to click and doing so would remove the episode from my playlist. I used to only have un-played episodes in there, but now have a list that dates back further than 2020!  Yikes!  Thanks!

[Ivelina]

Appreciate the cooperation @moosachusetts.

Would you mind checking and letting us know if all of these podcast episodes also appear in Your Episodes on another device (your laptop) or only on the iPhone? 

It'd be very helpful if you could also test manually removing some of them from the list with the checkmark icon on the left-hand side as suggested by @AlejaR and @Maria. 

Let us know how it goes.

[moosachusetts]

Hello. It is the same on both my iPhone and when I log in via my laptop. I can manually remove them by clicking the green check mark which brings me to my list of playlists and then unchecking again from there to remove it. Or by clicking on the ellipses and choosing “mark as played” since I have my settings set to remove episode after playing.

I am starting to consider switching streaming platforms. My OCD tendencies cannot handle this new issue; I like having organized playlists. I do not have the time to manually remove 2000+ episodes. 😂

[MihailY]

Hey @moosachusetts,

Thanks for your reply and apologies for the confusion.

We can confirm that currently, "undownloading" an episode doesn't remove it from the Your Episodes list. We fully understand how this can be inconvenient in your case since most of the episodes you've listened to haven't been played till the end and thus need to be manually removed or marked as finished in order for the auto-remove setting to work.

A workaround for this would be to simply filter the list by Unplayed which will hide the 2000+ episodes. 

In any case, your feedback has been noted and we're here for you if there's anything else you wish to address.