Cannot change order of songs in "Play Next" queue

Have just had a "virtual" conversation with Apple Support:

12/02/2021, 09:42:49

Me:

Hi - my query is to do with the Music app on my Mac - I am unable to drag and drop items on the "Playing Next" list

<some chit chat removed>

Apple:

There is an option to add to play next there or play later

This must have been removed already from the update but I tried and the drag option is no longer available

Me:

Why not? It's a fundamental need for music playing software!

Apple:

For now, we will submit a feedback request on this to have it added back to the Music app.

You may also want to submit a feedback on your end if you have the time

Me:

oh sure where do I go to do that?

Apple:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/itunesapp.html

Any other notes that I will add before I submit on my end?

Me:

You might ask the Music team to take a look at the forums to see how many other folks are disappointed at this schoolboy error!

Apple:

I will add that as well.

Me

Great, thanks for your help have a good day, stay safe

<sign off chit chat>

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For interest, the ability to drag and drop on Mac Music is still shown as a feature on the Music help website as of this morning:

I had the same issue - and was able to solve it by selecting the song, and pressing command key, ⌘ + option simultaneously to move it up and down in the playlist.

Hope it works for you too!

I just spoke with an Apple rep on a problem I'm having with Podcasts. They have been very helpful although the problem is not solved yet. At the end of our call, I asked about the "Play Next" issue and they confirmed this feature had been taken away. I then asked them to review this thread which they did while we were on the phone. They will report that there are many people who like this feature and want it brought back. Hope this helps!

Updated to 11.3. Issue is still in Music. I can reorder any song in the Play Next queue ONLY if it is from my Music subscription. Any songs I purchased or matched will not move through drag/drop in the queue.

Working here on my M1 MacBook Air. Try holding down Option+Cmd as you launch Music to open it in its safe mode to see if that makes any difference.

tt2

I am experiencing the same issue. I hadn't seen this post so created a new one, but this is clearly a bug then.

I can selected songs, but they do not move. It looks like I may be able to move them, but there is no indication of where I will be placing them in the queue like there used to be, and when releasing, the songs return to their initial position.

I used to be able to do this so easily, and I used the feature all the time. Now, if I want to move a song in the play queue, I have to delete everything playing before it, and re-queue the songs after the one I want to move up the queue.

deadagainrider wrote:

I hope people continue to complain because I want to believe that eventually the senior management will decide it is worthwhile to fix the problem. I know this is a minor inconvenience in the large scheme of things, but music is an escape and it had been nice to change the order of songs based on the feeling at a particular moment.

I simply refuse to believe that nobody from Apple in the senior management, especially the ones involved in the development of the Music app for the desktop, failed to notice that you're unable to modify the Play Next order. Since Big Sur was released nobody in Apple started playing an album and then after third or fourth track decided to add a song without interrupting playback? And if they have, how does one not prioritize a key playback control feature? Changing the order of songs in Play Next is obviously not obsolete since the same feature exists and works perfectly on iOS, where this kind of omission would be fixed immediately. When such an oversight makes people give up all of the other features of the operating system and revert to the previous version just to have this one single feature back, I think it's a major inconvenience.

Let's be honest, most casual users on a daily basis launch Safari, Messages and Music. Not everyone is a photographer, videographer or a designer, and even if they are well they still listen to music on their computer. How does this make Apple look like now having the only music program in the world that doesn't let you change the order of which song plays next? If I was a manager of the development of the Music app for Mac, I would either resign out of shame or demote myself voluntarily.

It’s not a problem that is going to be resolved. They intentionally removed the feature. Perhaps they will add it back but they are definitely aware of it.

turingtest2 wrote:

Working here on my M1 MacBook Air. Try holding down Option+Cmd as you launch Music to open it in its safe mode to see if that makes any difference.

tt2

I can confirm that launching Music in Safe Mode as suggested doesn't resolve the issue. I'd love to share a video here, but it will just get removed by Moderators as they have done so before.

I honestly can't believe how in the world is it possible that this still hasn't been resolved. Perhaps even more concerning is that this may not have even been detected yet by the Music development team. I'm seriously considering moving onto a different music player altogether or maybe even jumping platforms. I was always under the impression how music was such a significant pillar of Apple's culture, but all of that seems to be in the past now.

They didn't take it away. They broke it. It works properly on two of my computers and on the other it does not.

J-River Media Center for Mac might be a good alternative. Apple will obviously not be fixing this issue.

Me too. I recommend reporting it to Apple directly. When I first reported it, the customer service rep said I was the first person bringing the issue to his attention. I'm hoping they've received many more reports since then so that they see it's an issue with the update.

This is a really dumb bug and seems like it should be easy to fix. I can move some songs within playing next and not others. Some songs will move down and not up. Some will move up and down. And others won't move at all. If you try to move them, it appears as a file with the number one in the bottom right, as if you're trying to move files between folders.

Apple, come on, this thread is old. Just fix it.

Apple has known of this issue since before November 21, 2020, as I when I reported the problem then I was told it was a "known problem." I don't need my computer to look like my phone; very bummed I upgraded to Big Sur.