Spotify users enjoying the Android version of the app now have a great tool for silencing ads in the form of Mutify. This free app "improves your ad experience" by automatically adjusting the volume of Spotify's algorithmically generated ads, serving as a workaround for one of the platform's most annoying issues. Conveniently, it's also easy to use and probably generates positive karma.

For millions of Spotify users, ads aren't a problem at all. The service's various paid membership options offer ad-free access to the entire streaming library, except in things like podcasts where the ads are baked into the recording itself. While the perks of a Spotify subscription are becoming about as ridiculous as the benefits of an Amazon Prime membership, one of the primary reasons for paying the monthly fee is to skip ads. Ditching ads not only makes it easier to appreciate a playlist,but it also avoids the inexplicable range of volumes between listening to content and advertisements. Most ads are obnoxiously loud and constantly juggling volume settings to compensate for that is not a fun time.

Related: Can You See Who Liked Your Playlist On Spotify?

Mutify mitigates these issues by doing what its name implies: muting Spotify ads. The small, free app is currently available in the Google Play Store, and it has a simple, practical feature set. The interface allows easy access to the app's core function: a toggle button for muting ads. It also includes controls for pausing, rewinding, and skipping tracks, a button to open the Spotify app, light and dark modes, and track info. There are some limitations related to how Mutify connects to certain types of devices, but for anyone listening to Spotify on an Android device or via connected Bluetooth hardware, it should work.

How to Use Mutify and Why You Should Feel Good About It

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Installing Mutify is as simple as getting any other free app from Google Play. After the download, open Spotify and tap the gear icon in the top-right corner of the home screen to find settings. In this menu, after a few scrolls down, there will be an option labeled "Device Broadcast Status" that must be toggled on for Mutify to work. After that, open Mutify and start playing songs. Mutify must remain open in the background, so it may be beneficial to disable background battery-saving settings. For most Android devices, this is accomplished by opening the Settings app and tapping either "Apps" or "Apps and Notifications". From here, choose Mutify and look for an option labeled "Battery" or something similar (the open nature of Android means the wording can vary). In this menu, there should be options to disable battery optimization settings.

On its surface, the Mutify app already sounds amazing for anyone using the free version of Spotify. It's even better upon closer inspection. Mutify doesn't require any permissions except allowing other apps, on the device, outside of Spotify to detect what a user is listening to, which is extremely rare. Since it doesn't actually skip or block ads, artists still get ad revenue per play, which also makes it unlikely that Mutify will come into conflict with Spotify's terms of service. Additionally, the app's backstory is surprisingly endearing as it was made by one person, a university student in India named Teekam Suthar. Mutify was created as a final project for a computer science course, but Suthar is constantly seeking feedback and replying to reviews on the Play Store. So Mutify is legitimately beneficial to unsubscribed Spotify users, and it's also the rare app that could literally and metaphorically help a person sleep at night.

Source: Mutify/Google Play