BadApp
Level 1 (4 points)
Apple Music

Q: Sorting Playlists In MacOS & iOS

How or can I even sort the actual playlists on my iphone 6s (preferably) or iTunes on my Mac using Apple Music? I am running current versions of both software. To clarify, I'm not talking about sorting the songs within the playlist, but the playlist themselves. On my iPhone I constantly have to scroll down past Apple's playlist, plus playlist I made that I don't listen to as often to get to the one I want. I did see if I rename my playlist with an "A or a 1" on my Mac & export them out and then back into the Mac they will appear at the top of the playlist (behind Apple's self generated one's). Which is awkward & a pain, but I guess I can deal with it. On my iPhone, when the playlist reappears from me doing the aforementioned, it goes right back to where it was, not towards the top like it does with my Mac. I thought a while back I was able to hold down on a playlist on my iPhone or Mac and was able to drag the playlist up or down, but that doesn't seem to work anymore.

 

TIA

iPhone 6s, iOS 10

Posted on Sep 15, 2016 10:13 AM

Close
BadApp

Q: Sorting Playlists In MacOS & iOS

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by chris_g1,Helpful

    chris_g1 chris_g1 Sep 22, 2016 4:31 AM in response to BadApp
    Community Specialists
    Sep 22, 2016 4:31 AM in response to BadApp
    Hi  BadApp,

    Thanks for your question.  I'm a DJ, so I understand your need to have a little more control over how your playlists are sorted.

    The playlists that you create in iTunes for Mac or on your iPhone will be listed alphabetically and will appear after the default Apple playlists.   When I'm doing an event, if I need to have one or more playlists appear at the top of my list for quicker access, I simply rename them by adding an asterisk (*) before the title.  These playlists will appear at the top of the list and will retain their alphabetical sort order.  When I'm finished with the gig, or no longer need the playlist(s) to appear at the top, I remove the asterisk and they fall back into the regular alphabetical order.

    Here is the updated resource for the Apple Music app on iOS 10.

    Use Apple Music in the Music app

    Enjoy the rest of your day.

  • by BadApp,

    BadApp BadApp Sep 16, 2016 11:51 AM in response to chris_g1
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Music
    Sep 16, 2016 11:51 AM in response to chris_g1

    I did put a 1 in front of my playlists before making the original post. Which my Mac did sort, but not the iphone.

     

    Anyway, I did as you described. example (, *Rock Fav's). My PC & Mac updated accordingly, but my iPhone still keeps the playlist's in the same spot even after them being updated with the *. I'm kinda dumbfounded on what I'm probably doing wrong.

  • by becky_s22,Helpful

    becky_s22 becky_s22 Sep 22, 2016 4:31 AM in response to BadApp
    Community Specialists
    Sep 22, 2016 4:31 AM in response to BadApp
    Hi BadApp,

    Thanks for your response.  I just checked the playlists on my iPhone again, and noticed that I actually have a space after the asterisk, for example:

    * Dance - Disco/Pop/Oldies

    See if this makes a difference for you.

  • by BadApp,

    BadApp BadApp Sep 22, 2016 4:37 AM in response to BadApp
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Apple Music
    Sep 22, 2016 4:37 AM in response to BadApp

    Doing the asterisk didn't seem to work consistently. With or without the space on my iphone. What I did do was name my playlist (A ARock Fav's) & that took & the playlist went to the top on my iphone. Though, when I did it on other playlist adding the two extra A's it didn't always work either. Sometimes I'd change it back to normal and then try again and it would move it to the top. I now have them sorted like I want, will try using the asterisk again as that looks visually better. Almost seems like a glitch with the software.

     

    Thanks for the help everyone.

  • by joe_7399,

    joe_7399 joe_7399 Sep 22, 2016 8:57 AM in response to BadApp
    Community Specialists
    Sep 22, 2016 8:57 AM in response to BadApp
    Hi BadApp,

    You mentioned that the ( * Song Title ) sorting works fine on your PC and Mac.  What I do is update the playlists on the computer, and then sync them to my iPhone.  If editing the playlists aren't working directly on your iPhone, then keeping the "master" list updated on your computer and syncing them to your iPhone may be the best solution.  This has been working flawlessly for me for years.

    Cheers!