In a recent update, Spotify added animated video backgrounds to certain albums on the app. The feature is called Canvas, and, in our opinion, it clutters up the Now Playing screen and makes it harder to quickly find the controls you need. Spotify insists that the videos are “optimized to use very little data and battery,” but that doesn’t stop them from being an unnecessary distraction when you just want to listen to music.

Their worst aspect is that, while using them, it’s possible to inadvertently hide a track’s playback controls entirely, and you’re left staring at a short looping animation with no idea how to actually control your music. The videos don’t appear alongside every album, but there are enough on the service to have generated complaints around the web.

Thankfully, it’s very easy to turn them off using a toggle in the Settings menu. Here’s how.

How to disable Spotify’s Canvas background videos on iOS

Tap the settings cog on the top right of the Spotify app to open the Settings menu

Select “Playback”

Scroll down and turn off the toggle switch next to “Canvas”

Grid View







How to disable Spotify’s Canvas background videos on Android

Tap the settings cog on the top right of the Spotify app to open the Settings menu

Scroll down and turn off the toggle switch next to “Canvas”

Grid View







On both operating systems, the videos should now be disabled on any albums that support them. You’ll be able to control them like any other song on the service, free of Spotify’s newly over-engineered interface.