How to block images and videos on Spotify
Images and videos can both be blocked for the Spotify app by using settings in the app or DNS-based restrictions. We recommend DNS restrictions because they are not as easy to disable.
If you are trying to limit and block videos and images while using the Spotify app, it is possible to do this without blocking audio content. This can be done both by using settings available in the Spotify app and additional measures that restrict images and videos at the network level.
We recommend using the most effective approach first if you’re a parent who is trying to enable these restrictions for their children or Teens, which is to block the servers Spotify uses to provide images and videos.
This advice also applies to adults who are managing their own devices and have their own Spotify account, since it’s fairly easy to bypass and undo any restrictions made within the Spotify app later.
There are many reasons why both parents and adults might want to do this, and I walk through a few of the most important reasons in my video:
Choosing an effective approach for blocking images and videos in Spotify
When it comes to images on Spotify, the most common answer I find online is to "just turn off videos in Spotify's settings". While this makes a great first step, both adults and parents might soon realize that this isn't nearly as comprehensive for several reasons.
First, parents might point out that their child could use the website version of Spotify in Safari or another web browser, and it's much easier to stay signed out and listen to music (and bypass any profile restrictions).
Secondly, profile settings only restrict videos (also called Canvas videos), but album art is still displayed. There is no built-in profile or app restriction that can disable this.
Canvas videos behave much like short-form videos (TikToks, YouTube Shorts, etc). You might be using the app to look through an artist's profile and suddenly realize you're basically scrolling TikTok.
However, when they've been blocked, they can't actually be played; you (or your child) will only see a blank screen.
Block Spotify’s servers that host Images and Videos
Use any number of website blocking techniques to restrict the Spotify content delivery addresses related to videos, album artwork. This blocks the TikTok-like short videos (Canvas) and most images that appear in the app and on the website version of Spotify.
The simplest way to do this is using the Tech Lockdown DNS Content Policy , which has presets for blocking specific features in Spotify.
If you instead want to block the domains yourself (maybe by using the Hosts file) you can find the web addresses in the FAQs section below.
Disable Canvas and Video content in Spotify's settings page
Video content can be disabled directly from the Spotify app, although if you are an adult who manages your own Spotify account, this change could be undone later. Do this by navigating to settings from the Spotify app and turning off video content (and explicit content, while you're at it):
You can take it a step further and use Data Saver Settings to Audio only:
Consider DNS-based filtering or the Hosts file as more robust options that are difficult for adults to disable.
FAQ
What Domains should I block to disable images and videos on Spotify?
Here are the domains you’ll want to block to disable images on Spotify:
image-cdn-fa.spotifycdn.com seed-mix-image.spotifycdn.com misc.scdn.co newjams-images.scdn.co lexicon-assets.spotifycdn.com image-cdn-ak.spotifycdn.com merch-img.scdn.co heads-fa-tls13.spotifycdn.com lineup-images.scdn.co i.scdn.co dailymix-images.scdn.co p.scdn.co fex.spotifycdn.com seeded-session-images.scdn.co pickasso.spotifycdn.com misc.spotifycdn.com thisis-images.spotifycdn.com wrapped-images.spotifycdn.com daylist.spotifycdn.com canvaz.scdn.co concerts.spotifycdn.com
Here are the domains you’ll want to block to disable videos on Spotify:
default.cdn-gslb.spotify.com podz-content.spotifycdn.com video-fa.scdn.co video-akpcw.spotifycdn.com
What if images and videos aren't blocked immediately?
The Spotify app may download image or video content in it's "cache". The best way to test if your blocking setup is working correctly is to try to search for new songs that your smartphone hasn't had a chance to cache yet.
You might also manually clear Spotify's cache from settings: