How to Hide or Unhide Songs on Playlists and Albums
Spotify, one of the most popular music streaming platforms, offers users a vast library of songs and albums to curate personalized playlists. Among its many features is the ability to hide and un-hide songs on playlists and albums.
This option is useful for various reasons: maybe you’re not a fan of a particular track in an album, or you want to temporarily remove a song from a playlist without deleting it entirely. In this article, we’ll cover the step-by-step process for both hiding and un-hiding songs on Spotify, ensuring you have complete control over your music experience.
Why Would You Want to Hide a Song?
Before diving into the technical process, it’s worth exploring why someone might want to hide a song:
- Personal Taste: Sometimes, you love an album but not every track on it. Hiding a song allows you to skip it without removing the entire album from your library.
- Mood-Specific Playlists: You may have a playlist for a particular mood or event, and certain songs might not fit every occasion. Hiding a song lets you keep the playlist intact without disrupting the flow.
- Temporary Preferences: You might be tired of hearing a specific song and want a break from it, but don’t want to forget about it altogether.
How to Hide a Song on a Playlist
Hiding a song on a Spotify playlist is a simple process, particularly if you’re using the mobile app. Unfortunately, this feature is not available on the desktop version of Spotify, so you’ll need to use the mobile app for it. Here’s a step-by-step guide for hiding songs on both Android and iOS devices:
Step 1: Open the Spotify App
Launch the Spotify app on your mobile device and navigate to the playlist where the song you want to hide is located.
Step 2: Locate the Song
Scroll through the playlist to find the specific song you want to hide.
Step 3: Hide the Song
Next to the song title, tap on the three vertical dots (more options button). A menu will appear with various options for that song. Look for the option that says “Hide this song” and tap it. Once you’ve done this, the song will be hidden, and it will be grayed out in the playlist.
What Happens After You Hide a Song?
Once you hide a song in a playlist, it will be skipped every time you listen to that playlist. It won’t be deleted, and you can always unhide it later. The song will remain in the playlist but won’t play unless you manually unhide it.
How to Unhide a Song on a Playlist
If you’ve hidden a song and later decide you want to unhide it, the process is just as straightforward. Here’s how to unhide songs in a playlist:
Step 1: Open the Spotify App
Just like when you hid the song, begin by opening the Spotify app on your Android or iOS device.
Step 2: Go to the Playlist
Navigate to the playlist that contains the hidden song. You should be able to see the hidden song grayed out.
Step 3: Unhide the Song
Tap the three vertical dots next to the hidden song. In the menu, select the “Hidden” option again to unhide it. The song will now return to its normal status and will be played the next time you shuffle or play the playlist.
How to Hide or Unhide Songs on an Album
Just like with playlists, you can also hide songs from albums if there are specific tracks you’d prefer not to listen to. Here’s how to hide or unhide a song from an album:
Step 1: Open the Album
Open the Spotify app and go to the album that contains the song you want to hide.
Step 2: Hide the Song
Once you’ve located the song within the album, tap on the three vertical dots next to the track. In the menu, select “Hide this song”. Just like in playlists, the song will be grayed out, and Spotify will automatically skip it when you play the album.
Step 3: Unhide the Song
If you change your mind and want to unhide the song, simply return to the album, locate the hidden track, and tap on the three vertical dots again. Select “Unhide” from the options, and the song will return to normal.
How to Hide Songs for Specific Devices
It’s important to note that the “hide” feature works across your Spotify account but might behave differently depending on the device you’re using. The hide/unhide function is available on mobile devices (both Android and iOS), but it’s not present on the desktop version of Spotify.
This means that if you hide a song using your mobile phone, the song will be hidden when you use Spotify on your phone but might still play if you’re using the desktop app. Spotify is always updating its features, so it’s possible that this functionality will be extended to other devices in the future.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If you’re having trouble hiding or unhiding songs, here are some common issues and solutions:
- Feature Not Available: Ensure your Spotify app is updated to the latest version. Sometimes, missing features are due to outdated software.
- Song Still Playing After Hiding: If a hidden song still plays in a playlist or album, try restarting the app or logging out and back in to refresh your settings.
- Hidden Song Not Reappearing: After unhiding a song, if it still doesn’t show up in the playlist or album, check your internet connection and try refreshing the page or reinstalling the app if needed.
Additional Customization Options
Apart from hiding and unhiding songs, Spotify offers other customization options to help you tailor your music experience:
- Creating Collaborative Playlists: You can share a playlist with friends and allow them to add or remove songs, giving you even more control over what’s played.
- Liking Songs: Mark your favorite songs by hitting the heart icon so they’re easy to find later.
- Shuffle Play: For playlists with both liked and hidden songs, shuffle play allows for a more randomized music experience.
To get access to all these features, use Spotify premium version, in which you can customize all these features for free.
Conclusion
Knowing how to hide or unhide songs on Spotify playlists and albums gives you greater control over your listening experience. Whether you’re curating playlists for specific moods or skipping tracks you’re temporarily tired of, this feature helps you personalize your music without permanently removing songs. With just a few taps on your mobile device, you can hide unwanted tracks or bring them back whenever you’re ready to listen again. Spotify continues to evolve, offering users greater flexibility, and mastering these features can make your time with the app even more enjoyable.