[Desktop][Podcasts] Disable podcast videos

[sloshy_]

When you try to play a podcast that also has video on desktop, there is no option to disable it and only play audio.  This is unnecessary for me, because I do other things while listening to podcasts.  It also introduces unnecessary strain on my internet connection to stream video that I won't watch, as well as strain on my hardware trying to decode the video.  Much like the "disable canvas" option on mobile, I feel like it would be beneficial to have a "disable videos" on desktop.

[afqq31frgomvfv0]

+1

[ShortSPOT]

Who's idea was it to force people to download/stream an exponentially larger video + audio file when the majority of listeners to the JRE have historically been audio only? It seemed like this issue was resolved recently (an audio-only download became available for JRE episodes) and now it's back to this ridiculous video and audio format. Why force people to move way more data around and drain their phone battery when most people aren't watching the video component??? 

[SampleUser1]

May 2021 and still have the exact same issue. Hard to believe Spot cares at all at this point. The only way we can make a change is by where we decide to spend our money! This lack of regard for consumer preference in such a massively supported sector as podcasts should not be rewarded with our continued subscription dollars. 

[Jacob]

Updated on 2021-05-20

Your suggestion has at least 180 votes! Keep gathering votes. If this idea gets enough votes, Spotify will check it out and post a status update. You can read more about the idea process here.

[josephmcg16]

Why is the reply from Spotify “thanks for this idea”. This is ridiculous. This eats into my 4G data and is such a simple feature. This should be added ASAP. I’ve had so many issues with Spotify and this is just added to the list. If this isn’t added within a week I’m back to Apple Music. The only reason I switched was for JRE. Fix this now.

[Mario]

Updated on 2021-06-14

Hey everyone,

Thanks for bringing us your feedback in the Spotify Idea Exchange.

Your suggestion has gathered the votes necessary and your feedback is now reaching the internal teams at Spotify. They're aware of the vote count and popularity of this idea. We'll continue to monitor and check out the comments here, too.

As soon as we have any updates on its status, we'll let you know.

More info on how your feedback reaches Spotify via the Idea Exchange can be found here.

[Mihail]

Updated on 2021-07-07

Hey folks,

Thanks for coming to the Spotify Idea Exchange and voting to make this happen.

We're happy to announce that the feature to disable a podcast video is now available on Desktop. You can either click the X in the video itself or the Show/Hide video button in the lower left corner of the app, next to the title of the currently playing episode.

Once again, thanks for helping us make Spotify better, by participating here on the Community.

[7sauce]

I’m finding that if I download a podcast without video to listen to in car or at work I lose to ability to stream the video of the same podcast later on. Not a big deal, just sayin    

[fres87]

It appears that video is still being downloaded even if I close down the video window. It is killing my data limited internet access. I used to listen to JRE every week, since the move to spotify and implementation of forced video streaming, I haven't been able to listen. Give us an option to only stream the audio!

[Incognitum]

Video streaming can be disabled for downloads or "not on wifi". Why? I don't EVER want podcast video. Ever. Why are you forcing me to stream video while I'm on wifi? It's like you don't understand what podcasts are. Not just podcasts either, I don't want music videos, I don't want video adds. You're an audio app I never ever ever want video of any kind ever playing from spotify.