diff --git a/Commons/Settings.qml b/Commons/Settings.qml
index ee50968..a9de196 100644
--- a/Commons/Settings.qml
+++ b/Commons/Settings.qml
@@ -218,6 +218,9 @@ Singleton {
         property string visualizerType: "linear"
         property int volumeStep: 5
         property int cavaFrameRate: 60
+        // MPRIS controls
+        property list<string> mprisBlacklist: []
+        property string preferredPlayer: ""
       }
 
       // ui
diff --git a/Modules/Bar/Widgets/MediaMini.qml b/Modules/Bar/Widgets/MediaMini.qml
index dee6c42..a154f12 100644
--- a/Modules/Bar/Widgets/MediaMini.qml
+++ b/Modules/Bar/Widgets/MediaMini.qml
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ Row {
         anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
         anchors.horizontalCenter: parent.horizontalCenter
         active: Settings.data.audio.showMiniplayerCava && Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "linear"
-                && MediaService.isPlaying
+                && MediaService.isPlaying && MediaService.trackLength > 0
         z: 0
 
         sourceComponent: LinearSpectrum {
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ Row {
           anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
           anchors.horizontalCenter: parent.horizontalCenter
           active: Settings.data.audio.showMiniplayerCava && Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "mirrored"
-                  && MediaService.isPlaying
+                  && MediaService.isPlaying && MediaService.trackLength > 0
           z: 0
 
           sourceComponent: MirroredSpectrum {
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ Row {
           anchors.verticalCenter: parent.verticalCenter
           anchors.horizontalCenter: parent.horizontalCenter
           active: Settings.data.audio.showMiniplayerCava && Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "wave"
-                  && MediaService.isPlaying
+                  && MediaService.isPlaying && MediaService.trackLength > 0
           z: 0
 
           sourceComponent: WaveSpectrum {
diff --git a/Modules/SettingsPanel/Tabs/AudioTab.qml b/Modules/SettingsPanel/Tabs/AudioTab.qml
index 065350f..8f1e181 100644
--- a/Modules/SettingsPanel/Tabs/AudioTab.qml
+++ b/Modules/SettingsPanel/Tabs/AudioTab.qml
@@ -227,6 +227,134 @@ ColumnLayout {
         Layout.bottomMargin: Style.marginXL * scaling
       }
 
+      // MPRIS Player Preferences
+      ColumnLayout {
+        spacing: Style.marginL * scaling
+        Layout.fillWidth: true
+
+        NText {
+          text: "MPRIS Player Preferences"
+          font.pointSize: Style.fontSizeXXL * scaling
+          font.weight: Style.fontWeightBold
+          color: Color.mOnSurface
+          Layout.bottomMargin: Style.marginS * scaling
+        }
+
+        // Preferred player (persistent)
+        NTextInput {
+          label: "Preferred Player"
+          description: "Substring to match MPRIS player (identity/bus/desktop)."
+          placeholderText: "e.g. spotify, vlc, mpv"
+          text: Settings.data.audio.preferredPlayer
+          onTextChanged: {
+            Settings.data.audio.preferredPlayer = text
+            MediaService.updateCurrentPlayer()
+          }
+        }
+
+        // Blacklist editor
+        ColumnLayout {
+          spacing: Style.marginS * scaling
+          Layout.fillWidth: true
+
+          RowLayout {
+            spacing: Style.marginS * scaling
+            Layout.fillWidth: true
+
+            NTextInput {
+              id: blacklistInput
+              Layout.fillWidth: true
+              Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignTop
+              label: "Blacklist player"
+              description: "Substring, e.g. plex, shim, mpv"
+              placeholderText: "type substring and press +"
+            }
+
+            // Button aligned to the center of the actual input field
+            NIconButton {
+              icon: "add"
+              Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignBottom
+              Layout.bottomMargin: blacklistInput.description ? Style.marginS * scaling : 0
+              onClicked: {
+                const val = (blacklistInput.text || "").trim()
+                if (val !== "") {
+                  const arr = (Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist || [])
+                  if (!arr.find(x => String(x).toLowerCase() === val.toLowerCase())) {
+                    Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist = [...arr, val]
+                    blacklistInput.text = ""
+                    MediaService.updateCurrentPlayer()
+                  }
+                }
+              }
+            }
+          }
+
+          // Current blacklist entries
+          Flow {
+            Layout.fillWidth: true
+            Layout.leftMargin: Style.marginS * scaling
+            spacing: Style.marginS * scaling
+
+            Repeater {
+              model: Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist
+              delegate: Rectangle {
+                required property string modelData
+                // Padding around the inner row
+                property real pad: Style.marginS * scaling
+                // Visuals
+                color: Color.applyOpacity(Color.mOnSurface, "20")
+                border.color: Color.applyOpacity(Color.mOnSurface, "50")
+                border.width: Math.max(1, Style.borderS * scaling)
+
+                // Content
+                RowLayout {
+                  id: chipRow
+                  spacing: Style.marginXS * scaling
+                  anchors.fill: parent
+                  anchors.margins: pad
+
+                  NText {
+                    text: modelData
+                    color: Color.mOnSurface
+                    font.pointSize: Style.fontSizeS * scaling
+                    Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignVCenter
+                    Layout.leftMargin: Style.marginS * scaling
+                  }
+
+                  NIconButton {
+                    icon: "close"
+                    sizeRatio: 0.8
+                    Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignVCenter
+                    Layout.rightMargin: Style.marginXS * scaling
+                    onClicked: {
+                      const arr = (Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist || [])
+                      const idx = arr.findIndex(x => String(x) === modelData)
+                      if (idx >= 0) {
+                        arr.splice(idx, 1)
+                        Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist = arr
+                        MediaService.updateCurrentPlayer()
+                      }
+                    }
+                  }
+                }
+
+                // Intrinsic size derived from inner row + padding
+                implicitWidth: chipRow.implicitWidth + pad * 2
+                implicitHeight: Math.max(chipRow.implicitHeight + pad * 2, Style.baseWidgetSize * 0.8 * scaling)
+                radius: Style.radiusM * scaling
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        }
+      }
+
+      // Divider
+      NDivider {
+        Layout.fillWidth: true
+        Layout.topMargin: Style.marginXL * scaling
+        Layout.bottomMargin: Style.marginXL * scaling
+      }
+
       // Bar Mini Media player
       ColumnLayout {
         spacing: Style.marginL * scaling
@@ -350,4 +478,4 @@ ColumnLayout {
       }
     }
   }
-}
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Modules/SidePanel/Cards/MediaCard.qml b/Modules/SidePanel/Cards/MediaCard.qml
index fae3f38..774e031 100644
--- a/Modules/SidePanel/Cards/MediaCard.qml
+++ b/Modules/SidePanel/Cards/MediaCard.qml
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ NBox {
 
       Item {
         Layout.fillWidth: true
+        Layout.fillHeight: true
       }
     }
 
@@ -330,7 +331,7 @@ NBox {
     }
 
     Loader {
-      active: Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "linear"
+      active: Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "linear" && MediaService.isPlaying && MediaService.trackLength > 0
       Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignHCenter
 
       sourceComponent: LinearSpectrum {
@@ -343,7 +344,7 @@ NBox {
     }
 
     Loader {
-      active: Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "mirrored"
+      active: Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "mirrored" && MediaService.isPlaying && MediaService.trackLength > 0
       Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignHCenter
 
       sourceComponent: MirroredSpectrum {
@@ -356,7 +357,7 @@ NBox {
     }
 
     Loader {
-      active: Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "wave"
+      active: Settings.data.audio.visualizerType == "wave" && MediaService.isPlaying && MediaService.trackLength > 0
       Layout.alignment: Qt.AlignHCenter
 
       sourceComponent: WaveSpectrum {
diff --git a/Services/MediaService.qml b/Services/MediaService.qml
index c44738d..2ad3da9 100644
--- a/Services/MediaService.qml
+++ b/Services/MediaService.qml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ Singleton {
   property var currentPlayer: null
   property real currentPosition: 0
   property int selectedPlayerIndex: 0
-  property bool isPlaying: currentPlayer ? currentPlayer.isPlaying : false
+  property bool isPlaying: currentPlayer ? (currentPlayer.playbackState === MprisPlaybackState.Playing || currentPlayer.isPlaying) : false
   property string trackTitle: currentPlayer ? (currentPlayer.trackTitle || "") : ""
   property string trackArtist: currentPlayer ? (currentPlayer.trackArtist || "") : ""
   property string trackAlbum: currentPlayer ? (currentPlayer.trackAlbum || "") : ""
@@ -37,11 +37,24 @@ Singleton {
     let allPlayers = Mpris.players.values
     let controllablePlayers = []
 
+    // Apply blacklist and controllable filter
+    const blacklist = (Settings.data.audio && Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist) ? Settings.data.audio.mprisBlacklist : []
     for (var i = 0; i < allPlayers.length; i++) {
       let player = allPlayers[i]
-      if (player && player.canControl) {
+      if (!player)
+        continue
+      const identity = String(player.identity || "")
+      const busName = String(player.busName || "")
+      const desktop = String(player.desktopEntry || "")
+      const idKey = identity.toLowerCase()
+      const match = blacklist.find(b => {
+        const s = String(b || "").toLowerCase()
+        return s && (idKey.includes(s) || busName.toLowerCase().includes(s) || desktop.toLowerCase().includes(s))
+      })
+      if (match)
+        continue
+      if (player.canControl)
         controllablePlayers.push(player)
-      }
     }
 
     return controllablePlayers
@@ -54,6 +67,22 @@ Singleton {
       return null
     }
 
+    // Preferred player logic (preferred > fallback)
+    const preferred = (Settings.data.audio.preferredPlayer || "")
+    if (preferred !== "") {
+      for (var i = 0; i < availablePlayers.length; i++) {
+        const p = availablePlayers[i]
+        const identity = String(p.identity || "").toLowerCase()
+        const busName = String(p.busName || "").toLowerCase()
+        const desktop = String(p.desktopEntry || "").toLowerCase()
+        const pref = preferred.toLowerCase()
+        if (identity.includes(pref) || busName.includes(pref) || desktop.includes(pref)) {
+          selectedPlayerIndex = i
+          return p
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
     if (selectedPlayerIndex < availablePlayers.length) {
       return availablePlayers[selectedPlayerIndex]
     } else {