Bug: Remove played episodes has stopped working on iOS App

[ankurb]

There seems to be a bug in the Spotify iOS app (I'm currently running version 8.9.19.571). I listen to podcasts using Spotify and I have auto-downloads turned on. I also have "Remove played episodes" set to "After playing". In the past, this used to automatically remove downloaded podcasts from the "Your episodes" view when a podcast was marked as played.

For the past few weeks, however, the podcast remains once it has been marked as played. I need to manually remove the podcast by clicking the button that marks it as downloaded.

[ankurb]

As of Spotify iOS app version 8.9.50 which was released on 26th June, podcasts that have been marked as played do seem to be removing themselves, thus restoring the original functionality. It seems that under 8.9.48, the version prior to this one, podcasts would remove themselves sometimes after played but seems to be doing consistently now. Under that intermediate version, even if the episode was marked as played the download wouldn’t be removed, and neither would it be remove if the download was manually deleted. I’d also need to manually remove it from the “Your Episodes” list.

I’ll need to check again over the next few days if this is accurate or not.

[sLsF]

iOS 17.5.1, iPhone 15 pro. Spotify iOS 8.9.50.491, is still not auto removing podcasts for me.

[ankurb]

Yeah the behaviour is a bit weird. Here's more that I have been able to narrow down in terms of scenarios:

1. Say a podcast was auto-downloaded and I want to remove that episode. Sometimes, I just look at the episode title/description and I know I don't want to bother listening to it.
   1. Previously, I would use "Mark as played" which would remove it from being added to the queue (when you run out of downloaded podcasts), remove the downloaded podcast, and remove it from Your Episodes.
   2. Now, if I use "Mark as played" this changes/toggles the played status for this episode, but does NOT do all of the cascading actions above. I then need to manually do "Remove download" and "Remove from this playlist" to do the other two actions. (Note: this scenario seems to happen if the episode is not played at all).
2. If an auto-downloaded episode plays through till the end / almost near the end:
   1. In this scenario, I'm finding that episodes do get automatically marked as played, automatically have the download removed, and are removed from the Your Episodes playlist...about 80-90% of the time.
   2. I have tried many different ways of either getting to NOT remove it or ALWAYS remove it, and honestly the latest app version does seem to make it work 80-90% of the time only. Or perhaps I'm missing another condition(s) that must be satisfied for it to trigger auto-remove.
   3. Note: Spotify doesn't always mark an episode as played exactly when playing to the end. Sometimes there are ads in the last few minutes. If a podcast is played till the last 1-2 minutes of an episode, the episode is counted as "played" (and I would say this is accurate/expected behaviour)

So the closest thing I can say for now is that it kinda works, but not always (and doesn't seem to be replicable the way I describe it by other users).

[Beki1020]

Mine are still not removing themselves at all. Double checked that I’m using the updated version and yup, nothing has changed. 

Really unimpressed with the lack of response on spotifys part. 

[Maria]

Hey there folks,

Thanks for posting in this thread!

A fix for this was released in a previous app update, however, if you're still experiencing issues with this, or if the issue should have resurfaced, it would be great if you could provide us with some details. 
 

Could you let us know the following (if you haven't already):

• The exact make & model of your device.
• Your device's OS version.
• Current Spotify version.
• Any troubleshooting you've tried so far. For example clearing cache, reinstalling the app, changing the Remove played episodes setting etc.

We'll pass this info on to our teams so that it can be looked into further.

We'll keep an eye out for your replies. Cheers!

[computx]

• The exact make & model of your device. iPhone 12
• Your device's OS version. 17.5.1
• Current Spotify version. 8.9.50
• Any troubleshooting you've tried so far. For example clearing cache, reinstalling the app, changing the Remove played episodes setting etc. all of the above…resorting to removing them manually until fixed. 

[morganmclymer]

Hi! This issue is happening, but now it's on my Spotify App on my desktop (Apple Mac). The episodes are removed after playing on my iPhone, but they are still on my desktop application. For example: I have 796 episodes within "Your Episodes" on my phone, but 835 episodes within "Your Epsidoes" on the desktop app. None of the above fixes have helped resolve the issue.

[ankurb]

• The exact make & model of your device: iPhone 14 (model number MPVN3ZD/A)
• Your device's OS version: 17.5.1
• Current Spotify version: 8.9.50.491
• Any troubleshooting you've tried so far. For example clearing cache, reinstalling the app, changing the Remove played episodes setting etc: Toggled the remove played episodes setting, closed/restarted the app.

To be honest, the setting does not seem to be taking effect and remove any played episodes at all now. Even if I click on the remove download button/menu option, I have to then separately use the "Remove episode from playlist"

[#10]

They stay in my episodes despite the option to delete them after playing. I deleted the app and installed it gain, but it is the same on iphone, ipad and on the web, so it is stuck somewhere in my account.

[AlejaR]

Hey folks,

Thanks for your replies and for the info shared. 

For those of you who are experiencing this, please send us the info @Maria here. Keep in mind that we'll need all these details to send them to the right team for them to investigate further.

We'll be on the lookout!

[marthur72]

I have been experiencing the same as all of the above posts. I noticed today that if I play the episodes in order (top of list first) they will auto delete every time. However, if I play a podcast in the middle of the list it will not auto delete. Like all the other users I tried all the recommended fixes, and none worked. 

Spotify version - 8.9.50.491

Iphone 13 Pro 

iOS 17.5.1

[ankurb]

“I noticed today that if I play the episodes in order (top of list first) they will auto delete every time. However, if I play a podcast in the middle of the list it will not auto delete.”

Actually yeah, this is exactly right. I have seen this behaviour too. If playing from top it auto-deletes, but if playing anywhere else then it doesn’t.

[marthur72]

One other thing I just tested. I was in the middle of playing the podcast at the top of my list (so it would have auto deleted based on previous experience) but before the podcast I was listening to completed another podcast dropped their episode for the day. When the one I was listening to complete it did not auto delete. Auto delete seems to only work if it is the active one at the top of the list when the "Played" status gets set. 

[17grondina]

Hey there! I'm a late addition to this conversation, but I've been having this issue for several weeks (and maybe months(?)) now. 

• Apple IPhone 13
• IOS 17.5.1
• Spotify: 8.9.50.491
• Any troubleshooting you've tried so far:
  • Cleared Cache
  • reinstalled the app (once - for a separate issue from another thread)
  • Turned off and on the Remove played episode setting
  • Experimented with downloaded/offline and online files - the issue remains the same
  • The issue persists both on WiFi and offline
  • The issue remains after an iPhone power cycle 
  • Played episodes appear in the Your Episodes folder on my MacBook Spotify as well, even though they were played on my iphone and display the 'played' checkmark

[AlejaR]

Hey folks,

Thanks for all your replies and for the info shared here.

We've gone ahead and passed all this important info onto the right team, so they can investigate further. Meanwhile, we'd suggest you subscribe to this thread in its three-dot menu, so you can get notified as soon as we post relevant news.

If you're new here, and you noticed this behavior, please post the info we asked for in this reply.

We'll be on the lookout!

[AlejaR · Accepted solution]

Hey folks,

Thanks for all your replies and for the info shared, you helped us a lot.

This should be working as intended in the latest version of the app. In that sense, would you mind making sure you're running the most recent version of the app available in the App Store?

To do it, make sure to open the App Store and look for Spotify there. If there is a new version of the app available, you'll see an Update button. Once you've done that, try and let us know if this is fixed or if this behavior persists. If you notice this continues to happen, please send us the exact Spotify version you're running in your devices.

Keep us in the loop!

[17grondina]

My issue has been resolved by updating my app! Thanks for the update! 

[ankurb]

Yes! As of iOS app version 8.9.54.343 everything is back to working like it used to! Now, if you mark an episode as played regardless of where it is in episode order, it gets removed like it should.

[Brittseyw]

On my iOS device I have the most up to date version of the app. However even when I have "never" selected in the remove episodes after playing, it is still removing the episodes before they have even been marked played. For example, I could just have started an episode, not even be 3 minutes into the episode, and it is removed from the list. This makes it so that I have to manually go into each stream and find the episode I was listening to. I have tried closing out of the app, restarting my phone, and everything besides deleting the app and reinstalling it because I don't want to have to relog in to Spotify on my phone. 

[AlejaR]

Hey @Brittseyw,

Thanks for your reply and for the info shared.

Since you mentioned you prefer not reinstalling the app, we'd suggest you clear the cache of the app by following these steps. Then, perform a soft reset of your device (turn it off and then on) afterwards.

If the above doesn't do the trick, we'll have to insist on you performing a clean reinstall of the app on your iOS device, as that process can solve most common issues. If you're having issues with logging in to other devices and that's why you prefer not to reinstall the app, please let us know.

If perhaps your account is connected to a third-party service (such as Google, Apple or Facebook), keep in mind you can always set a password for it as long as your Spotify account is linked to an email. To do it, you just need to go to password reset and put in the email address.

Now, if this should persist after the reinstallation, please send us:

• The exact Spotify version you're running there.
• The make/model and OS of your device. 
• Does this happen with a specific podcast show? If yes, please send us the link to it.

Keep us in the loop!