How to Block and Unblock Artists on Spotify: A Step-by-Step Guide
Spotify is one of the leading music streaming platforms globally, offering an extensive library of songs and artists for its users. However, with millions of tracks available, you might encounter artists or songs that just don’t suit your taste. Thankfully, Spotify provides an option to block artists, ensuring you won’t hear their music in your playlists or recommendations. Additionally, you can unblock artists if you change your mind later on. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to block and unblock artists on Spotify, so you can tailor your listening experience to your liking.
Why Block an Artist on Spotify?
There are several reasons why you might want to block an artist on Spotify:
- Personal Preference: Everyone has their unique taste in music. If you repeatedly come across an artist you don’t enjoy, blocking them prevents their songs from appearing in your playlists, radio stations, and Discover Weekly recommendations.
- Content Preference: Some artists produce explicit content or music that doesn’t align with your values. Blocking their music ensures that you won’t be exposed to their songs, even accidentally.
- Overplayed Songs: Sometimes, you might like an artist but grow tired of hearing them too frequently. Blocking can help avoid overexposure to their tracks.
- Customizing Playlists: Blocking artists can fine-tune your experience on Spotify. Whether it’s to improve the quality of algorithmic playlists or to remove artists you don’t want to hear during playlist shuffles, this feature is helpful for personalization.
How to Block an Artist on Spotify
Blocking an artist on Spotify is a simple process that allows you to remove their music from your listening experience. Currently, this feature is available on mobile devices (both iOS and Android). Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to block artists on Spotify.
Step 1: Open the Spotify App
Begin by launching the Spotify app on your mobile device. The blocking feature is not available on the desktop version of Spotify, so you’ll need to use a smartphone or tablet.
Step 2: Search for the Artist
Tap the search icon at the bottom of the screen and enter the name of the artist you want to block. Spotify will show a list of related artists—select the one you wish to block.
Step 3: Open the Artist’s Profile
Once you’ve found the artist, click on their name to open their profile page.
Step 4: Block the Artist
On the artist’s profile, tap on the three vertical dots (more options button) located in the upper right corner of the screen. A drop-down menu will appear with several options. Choose “Don’t play this artist” to block the artist. Once selected, you won’t hear music from this artist in your playlists, recommendations, or radio stations.
What Happens After You Block an Artist?
After blocking an artist, Spotify will automatically exclude their music from your playlists, Discover Weekly, Daily Mixes, Release Radar, and any other algorithm-based recommendations. You also won’t hear their songs if they’re featured in playlists created by Spotify, such as “Today’s Top Hits.”
However, blocking an artist does not remove their collaborations with other artists. If they feature on another artist’s track, you may still hear their voice in the background. To avoid this, you may also need to manually block any collaborative tracks in your playlists.
How to Unblock an Artist on Spotify
If you change your mind about an artist or simply want to give their music another try, unblocking them is just as easy as blocking. Here’s how you can unblock an artist:
Step 1: Open the Spotify App
Start by launching the Spotify app on your mobile device, as the unblock feature is also limited to the mobile version.
Step 2: Search for the Artist
Use the search bar to find the artist you had previously blocked. Enter the name of the artist, and tap on their profile once it appears.
Step 3: Unblock the Artist
On the artist’s profile, tap on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner, just like when you blocked them. This time, instead of seeing the “Don’t play this artist” option, you will see “Allow to play this artist”. Tap on this option to unblock the artist. Their music will now be re-integrated into your Spotify playlists, radio stations, and recommendations.
How to Block Songs by Specific Artists
While blocking an entire artist prevents any of their music from appearing on your Spotify account, you may also want to block individual songs. If there are just a few tracks you dislike, but you enjoy most of the artist’s work, hiding individual songs is a great alternative.
Here’s how to block specific songs by an artist:
- Find the Song: Search for the song you want to block using the search feature, or locate it in a playlist.
- Hide the Song: Tap on the three dots next to the song and select “Hide this song”. This will prevent the song from playing in that playlist or radio station.
Note that hiding a song will only affect that specific playlist or recommendation, and the song may still appear in other contexts unless the entire artist is blocked.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Blocking and unblocking artists on Spotify is a straightforward process, but some users encounter issues along the way. Here are a few common problems and solutions:
- Feature Not Available: Ensure that your Spotify app is up-to-date. If you’re not seeing the option to block or unblock an artist, check for the latest version of the app on the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Blocked Artist Still Appears: If you’re still hearing songs from a blocked artist, try restarting the app or logging out and logging back in. This refreshes the settings and ensures the block is applied correctly.
- Unblocking Not Working: If you’ve unblocked an artist, but their songs aren’t appearing in your playlists or recommendations, check your internet connection and ensure you’ve followed the steps correctly.
Can You Block Artists on Spotify Desktop?
As of now, Spotify only offers the block and unblock features on mobile devices. The desktop version of Spotify does not allow users to block artists directly. If you want to control the music you hear on Spotify, it’s best to make these changes on your phone or tablet.
Additional Tips for Customizing Your Spotify Experience
Spotify offers several other ways to enhance and personalize your music experience beyond blocking and unblocking artists:
- Create Your Own Playlists: Curate your own playlists with the songs you love, ensuring no unwanted tracks or artists appear.
- Like and Dislike Songs: Use the thumbs-up and thumbs-down buttons on Spotify’s radio feature to teach the algorithm what kind of music you prefer.
- Private Session: If you want to listen to music without influencing your Spotify recommendations, you can enable a private session. This feature ensures that songs you play won’t affect your Discover Weekly or other personalized playlists.
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Conclusion
Spotify’s block and unblock feature provides a powerful tool for personalizing your music experience. Whether you’re avoiding artists you dislike or temporarily muting songs that have been overplayed, blocking ensures you have control over the content you hear. Unblocking is just as simple, allowing you to welcome artists back into your playlists whenever you’re ready. With these easy-to-follow steps, you can customize Spotify to suit your preferences and enjoy a seamless listening experience.