Where is the playlist?

[Android Central Question]

My girlfriend and I do not always agree on the music. So I want to create a playlist for her and a different playlist for me from the same folder of mp3 files. There would be much overlap.

It would be great to get her playlist and tweak it to create my playlist. But I could not find the playlist file. Is this a file I can edit? Where is the playlist?

 

[hallux]

What device? What version of Android? What music app (probably the MOST important question here)?

Without these details we can't help very much. I could tell you how to create a playlist using Google Play Music (the app I've been using for music) but that wouldn't help you much if you're using PowerAMP.

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[mustang7757]

Which phone/device ?

 

[Messy_Garage]

I am using Motorola G7 Supra, with Android 9.

And the app is called Google Play Music Free. (not sure if Free is part of the name, but is shown in the Settings)

 

[hallux]

Welcome to AC! Thanks for the additional info.

Are these music files stored locally on your phone? Were they copied there from a computer or are they actually in your Google Play Music library?

As I noted, I use Google Play Music but I have my music in the cloud and cache it to my phone for offline listening. I've built a couple playlists.

If the songs are showing in the list when you tap the songs "tab" along the top of the interface in the orange bar, tap the 3 vertical dots to the right of a song, tap add to playlist and select to create a new playlist. Once you've done one, you can then select that new playlist to add each additional song to.

 

[Messy_Garage]

The music files were created on Windows and then copied to the Android phone. They are in single folder under the Music folder.
I have already created a playlist and added some songs as you described. But I have over 1000 songs and wish to have an easier way to 1) add to the playlist and 2) clone the playlist to make a small number of changes.

 

[Messy_Garage]

My original question was: Is the playlist a file I can edit? Where is the playlist?

 

[hallux]

So.. maybe what you could do is add the existing playlist to a new playlist, then edit the new playlist to make the adjustments desired?

 

[Messy_Garage]

Is there an app that lets you easily manipulate a playlist?

 

[hallux]

Is there an app that lets you easily manipulate a playlist?

Most likely just the app that generated it in the first place. I just looked - I didn't see anything in the accessible folder for Google Play Music (Internal Storage > Android> Data > com.android.music There's another storage location for the app but you would need root access to get to it.

Generally a playlist isn't going to be just a text file, and each music app is going to have its own format for said files.

 

[Messy_Garage]

@hallux, thanks for your answer.

But I do not like the situation. There should be some way to export / import so that the playlists are interchangeable between apps, kind of like when MS Word had its proprietary format and now it is open.

 

[mustang7757]

Let me see if @B. Diddy knows something or @javier P

 

[hallux]

Maybe it's time to consider a music app that works the way you want it to. The Google Play Music app, as it sits right now, does not have a playlist export function (unless it can be done from the web interface at music.Google.com) not does it store the playlist in a readable format in a location in your device storage that can be accessed without root.

Poweramp, doubletwist and a few others may have the options you want but I haven't used them so I don't know personally.

Google is not investing time and effort into developing new features for the app, it's going away soon, to be resolved with YouTube music...

 

[B. Diddy]

I don't know much about this, because I keep all of my own music in the GPM cloud music locker, and I also subscribe to GPM, so I have no need for a local playlist on my phone. But I suspect that GPMs playlist are primarily based in the cloud, so there probably isn't a playlist file you can access.

 

[Laura Knotek]

I'd suggest Poweramp Pro or Neutron Music Player Pro for those purposes.

 

[Messy_Garage]

Is there a way to submit requirements to Google?

 

[B. Diddy]

Go to the Send Feedback section of the Google Play Music app's Settings>Help & Feedback menu.

 

[hallux]

Is there a way to submit requirements to Google?

Have you looked at the alternate apps that were suggested? Maybe one of those meets your needs. That's the awesome thing about Android - you don't have to run the Google app if it doesn't meet your needs, you can go find another app that works the way you want it to.

Go to the Send Feedback section of the Google Play Music app's Settings>Help & Feedback menu.

I honestly don't see that getting traction with Google. The Google Play Music app is going to be shut down sooner rather than later, in favor of YouTube Music.

 

[B. Diddy]

I honestly don't see that getting traction with Google. The Google Play Music app is going to be shut down sooner rather than later, in favor of YouTube Music.

I don't doubt it. But at least there is a Feedback option! Who knows, maybe they'd take it into account for YT Music going forward.