ipod won't shuffle

I think it is unlikely that there is anything wrong with the iPod (because it is very robust), so the most likely issue is that your mother has mis-understood the controls, which can be quite complex. The Shuffle button is located in different places on different menus and on some menus, it does not appear at all.

Since my use of shuffle on the iPod Touch is specific, I'm not aware of all the permutations, so I'm testing them as I prepare this post. To save you repeat journeys, I'm giving you everything I can think of.(There's a lot to document, my brain will hurt at the end of this.)

Shuffle appears on several menus, but what it will shuffle will depend on which menu you are in.

Let's start with the Library menu, which is the screen with Library at the top of the screen. The items on the Library menu will depend on what you have chosen to display and the list can be sorted to the order you want. Typically, the Library menu will have on it:

• Albums
• Songs
• Artists
• Playlists
• Genres
• Compilations

Note that the Compilations menu lists only Various Artists albums. The Albums menu will display both compilation albums and albums by a single artist.

From the Library menu

1. Albums menu:
   1. once in the Albums menu (the list of album titles), tap the Shuffle button, which is at the top of the screen. This appears to shuffle from all songs on all albums, which is frankly, not what I expected. I expected it to play an album, then shuffle to another album. If there is a way to shuffle just the albums (i.e.to play one album, then shuffle to another album, I haven't yet found it)
   2. To shuffle all songs on one album, one needs to go into the Albums menu, then into that album and then tap the Shuffle button (at the top of the list of songs). Note that if an album has only one track, the Shuffle button will not be shown
2. Songs menu: once in the Songs menu, tap the Shuffle button at the top of the screen. This will cause the iPod to shuffle from all songs on all albums and it appears to be the same behaviour as the Shuffle Albums button, although it is what I expected on this menu
3. Artists menu: once on the Artists menu, it is not possible to shuffle between artists. However, if, from the Artists menu, one goes into a particular artist, there will be a Shuffle button at the top of the screen.
   1. Note that my test of it (as I prepare this post) shows that it will shuffle the songs from all albums by that artist.
   2. Also note that if there is only one album listed, there will still be a Shuffle button, This is slightly different behaviour to point 1.2 (that is - on the Albums/<Album name> menu, where there is no shuffle button for one song)
4. Playlists menu:
   1. there is no Shuffle button on the Playlists menu, so one cannot play a playlist then shuffle to another playlist
   2. once in a particular playlist, you will see a Shuffle button below the Playlist artwork. Tapping this button will cause the songs on this Playlist to played in shuffle mode (random)
5. Genre menu:
   1. there is no shuffle button on the Genres menu
   2. once in a particular genre, there is a Shuffle button at the top of the screen. I haven't tested it, but I suspect it will shuffle all songs from all albums of that genre
6. Compilation menu: there is a Shuffle button at the top of the compilation menu. Again, I haven't tested it, but my guess is that it will shuffle from all songs on all compilation albums.

Whenever a song is playing there is the Now Playing screen. It may display as a ribbon at the bottom of the screen when you are in another menu, but tapping the ribbon will bring it up full-screen. Once the Now Playing is full-screen, you can drag it upwards to display additional controls. One of these controls is the Shuffle button. A white button with red text means that Shuffle is off. A red button with white text means that Shuffle is on. You can switch shuffle on and off by tapping it.

One last point: in the iTunes Library with which the iPod is associated (i.e. the one where the music was loaded onto the iPod), it's possible to set each song to Skip when shuffling. I think this will not be the cause of your problem, but it needs to be documented here. There are two scenarios:

• Skip when shuffling will cause a song to play when in normal mode, but to be not played (skipped) if the iPod is in shuffle mode.
• If one attempts to shuffle a list (whether it's an album, a playlist or any of the other menus) in which every song is set to Skip when shuffling, I assume (since I haven't tried it) that the iPod will not play anything at all. Logically, this is what should happen, but Apple isn't always logical.

So, a lot to consider.

My recommendation to you is that you take these notes with you and check with your mother to see if you can work out what she is doing (is she trying to shuffle where there is no shuffle option?) and then try to direct her on how to shuffle the option she wants. For example;

• if she simply want to shuffle all songs on the iPod, show her how to shuffle songs from the Songs menu. (You can remove any Library menu options that she does not use)
• if she wishes to shuffle all her jazz genre songs, and then shuffle all her pop songs, but separately, show her how to shuffle genres.
• Mention to her that there are other screens that show a Shuffle button, but they may not shuffle what she wants, but definitely do not try to show her how to use all shuffle buttons on every menu. I'm almost certain she won't take it in.

I recommend that you print out this post and take it with you when you next visit your mother, so that you can read it as you try to demonstrate to her how to achieve what she wants.

(If these steps I've listed do not remedy the problem, the iPod may require a Restore. A Restore requires that the iPod is connected to iTunes, where there is an option to carry out the Restore. Be aware that a restore will remove everything from the iPod and put back only what it finds in the iTunes Library it is connected to.)

I was right, my brain hurts now - I need a rest! 😝

Do you have Shuffle turned on? If so, what does it do?

It feels better already.

I hope you find your mother in good form when you next see her.