Why Spotify Premium still plays podcast ads
Updated November 2026
Premium removes the ads between songs. Podcasts work differently: many ads are part of the episode, so they can still play when you pay.
Spotify’s help page on podcasts says Premium listeners may hear two kinds of ads in audio podcasts: Spotify ads and creator sponsorships. Video podcasts on Premium play without Spotify ads, but can still have creator sponsorships.
Two kinds of podcast ads on Spotify
- Spotify ads are ads that Spotify places in podcast episodes.
- Creator sponsorships come from the show itself, often read by the host. They’re part of the episode, so they play on any plan and in any app.
Spotify’s Skip Ahead button
In August 2026, Podnews reported that Spotify is testing a Skip Ahead button with some Premium subscribers, in markets including the US and the UK. The button appears when an ad break, a promo or an intro starts, and one tap jumps to where the show picks up again.
Spotify called it a test and said some tests become permanent features while others shape later ones. It hasn’t said when, or whether, everyone will get it. Forbes covered the test too.
Without Skip Ahead, Spotify’s player has buttons to skip forward or back 15 seconds.
Other ways to hear fewer ads
- The show’s own ad-free feed. Many shows sell one, and the money goes straight to the show. If a show you love has one, it’s the best option.
- A player that skips breaks for you. Safi finds the ad breaks in an episode and skips them while you listen, with one tap to undo. Skipping depends on the show and its host.
The four ways to skip podcast ads, compared.
Listening to your Spotify shows in Safi
Safi plays any show with an RSS feed. A show that’s published to every podcast app has one, so it plays in Safi too.
Shows that are only on Spotify don’t have a public feed, so they can’t play in Safi. Spotify’s own help for creators says a show hosted with Spotify reaches other podcast apps only once its creator turns on its RSS feed.
Safi can’t read your Spotify library, so add your shows in Safi by searching for each one or pasting its feed link.
Try a 3-minute preview before creating an account.