Can you make playlists on iPod nano

So you’ve just ripped some new CDs, bought some music on iTunes, or added songs you got from somewhere else to your iTunes library. But you’re late for work, and you don’t have time to put all your new music in a playlist. That doesn’t matter, because you can make playlists on your iPod. The iPod has a feature called On-The-Go playlists, which lets you set up playlists on the iPod itself. When you want to create a playlist and you’re not at home, it’s an easy way to queue up the music you want to hear. So while you’re on the subway headed to work, take a couple of minutes and follow these instructions to set up a playlist for the day’s listening.

There are two ways to do add songs to the On-The-Go playlist, depending on your iPod model. The first method works with the iPod nano and classic, and the second works with the iPhone and iPod touch. The iPod shuffle doesn’t offer this feature. [On-The-Go playlists have been around for a while, so many older models support them as well, although the functionality may not be the same as with current models.]

iPod nano and classic Let’s start with the iPod nano and classic. To add something to the On-The-Go playlist, navigate to the item you want to add, then press and hold the center button of the iPod. On the classic, you’ll go to a new screen with two options: Add To On-The-Go and Cancel. On the nano, you’ll see a sort of sheet display over the item you’ve selected with the same two options. Press the center button when Add To On-The-Go is highlighted to add the item, or press Cancel to go back.

You can press and hold the center button to bring up these options when you’ve selected anything: a song, album, audiobook, video, artist, playlist, a folder of playlists, a genre, a podcast episode, or the name of a podcast in the Podcasts lists.

With the iPod nano and classic, you can also add songs to the On-The-Go playlist as you listen to them. Say you’re listening to your music in shuffle mode, and you want to store the songs you like best in a playlist. While listening to a song, press and hold the center button on the iPod, then choose Add To On-The-Go.

To listen to this playlist, just go to Music -> Playlists, and scroll to the bottom. If you want to save the playlist, press the center button over Save Playlist at the top of the playlist; if you don’t do this, the iPod will erase it after 36 hours [if you haven’t listened to it]. If you do this, its name changes to New Playlist 1 [or 2, and so on]. To delete everything in the playlist, choose Clear Playlist.

An On-The-Go playlist on an iPod touch.iPhone and iPod touch With the iPhone and iPod touch the procedure is different. First go to your music, and tap Playlists, then On-The-Go, which appears near the top of the list. When you’re in On-The-Go mode, you can flip through the different levels of music—songs, albums, artists, and so on—and add any item to the On-The-Go playlist by tapping the item; a plus [+] icon indicates that you’re in On-The-Go mode. If you select an artist, composer, or album, you can choose Add All Songs at the top of that item’s list, and if you select a genre, you can choose Add All Albums. To exit On-The-Go mode, tap the Done button at the top right of the screen.

In either case, you can listen to the On-The-Go playlist like any other, by choosing it from the Playlists menu. On the iPhone and iPod touch, you can edit the On-The-Go playlist by tapping Edit, and you can remove songs at will, or re-order them by tapping the icon to the right of a song and dragging it. And if you want to add more tracks to this playlist, tap Edit, then tap the plus icon to go back into On-The-Go mode. But one thing you can’t do is save and create multiple On-The-Go playlist on the iPhone or iPod touch.

While it’s great to be able to create playlists on your iPod, it’s also useful to be able to sync them to iTunes. If you sync your iPod automatically, iTunes will copy the On-The-Go playlist, naming it On-The-Go 1, On-The-Go 2, and so on. [If you’ve saved the playlist on a nano or classic, it’ll be called New Playlist 1, and so on.] You can see which songs you’ve added, and change the name of the playlist so you can use it regularly. If you do so, iTunes will sync the re-named playlist and remove the On-The-Go playlist. If you’ve set up your iPod to sync manually, however, iTunes won’t copy the playlists. If you want to save them, you’ll have to recreate them on iTunes.

On-The-Go playlists are a great way to set up a soundtrack for a day’s listening without using iTunes. Try them out and see if they help you mix and match music differently when you’re on the go.

[Senior contributor Kirk McElhearn writes about more than just Macs on his blog

{{#url}}Kirkville{{/url}}{{^url}}Kirkville{{/url}}

.]

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Certain songs get you pumped to work out, some make you want to dance, and other songs help you fall asleep. A playlist ensures you don't have to waste time searching for the next song that suits your mood. With the On-The-Go feature, you can make a playlist anywhere. Whether you have an iPod classic or the latest release from Apple, making an On-The-Go playlist is simple.

1. 1

   Pick your songs. Use the scroll wheel located on the front of your device to navigate the menus on your iPod. To use the scroll wheel, simply run your finger in a circular motion around the wheel. From the Music menu, you can select songs to add to your playlist. With the song title selected, press and hold the center button until you see the song title flash.[1] X Research source Go to source

   • At the top of the scroll wheel is the "Menu" button. The scroll wheel also contains the buttons to play, pause, and move between tracks.[2] X Research source Go to source
   • The center button is located in the middle of the scroll wheel.[3] X Research source Go to source

2. 2

   Keep adding songs. For each song you want to add, you'll need to repeat the process. Scroll through your songs and hold the center button on each song you want to add until you see the title flash.[4] X Research source Go to source

   • You can also add entire albums to your playlist. To add an album, select the album title and hold the center button until you see the title flash.[5] X Research source Go to source

3. 3

   Find your playlist. Once you've finished your playlist, you can find it by selecting Music > Playlists > On-The-Go.[6] X Research source Go to source

   • To move from one menu to the next, simply press the center button once. To return to the previous menu, press the "Menu" button at the top of the scroll wheel.[7] X Research source Go to source
   • From here you can play all the songs on the playlist, or select a specific song from the playlist. Use the scroll wheel to find the song you want to listen to and press play.[8] X Research source Go to source

4. 4

   Remove a song from your playlist. If you decide you don't want a certain song on your playlist, you can delete it the same way you added it. Use the scroll wheel to select the song and hold the center button until you see the title flash.[9] X Research source Go to source

   • If you want to delete the entire playlist, go to Music > Playlists > On-The-Go > Clear Playlist and click Clear.

5. 5

   Save your playlist. You can save your On-The-Go playlists by going to Music > Playlists > On-The-Go > Save Playlist.[10] X Research source Go to source

   • The On-The-Go Playlist will be cleared and the name of the playlist will change to "New Playlist 1." You can save as many playlists as you want, but once they are saved you can't remove songs.[11] X Research source Go to source

6. 6

   Copy the playlist to your computer. If you want to add the playlist to iTunes, connect your iPod to your computer. If you have your iPod set to sync automatically, your playlist will be copied to your computer when you connect your iPod.[12] X Research source Go to source

   • Once you've copied your playlist to your computer, you can rename it, and add or delete songs.[13] X Research source Go to source

1. 1

   Create a new playlist. From the Home screen, you can make a new playlist by tapping Music > Playlists. Swipe your fingers on the touch screen to select the "Music" icon.[14] X Research source Go to source

   • Tap an icon on your iPod Nano to open it. If you touch and hold the screen, you will automatically return to the Home screen of your device. Pressing and holding any of the icons will allow you to rearrange them.[15] X Research source Go to source

2. 2

   Add songs. Using two fingers, flick down to bring up the option to add songs. Tap Add. This will bring up a selection of categories. You can add songs, albums, and even podcasts to your iPod Nano playlist.[16] X Research source Go to source

   • After selecting a category, tap the items you want to add to your playlist.[17] X Research source Go to source

3. 3

   Keep adding content to your playlist. Swipe left to keep building your playlist. When you've added everything you want to your playlist, tap Done.[18] X Research source Go to source

   • Don't tap Done until you're finished. Once your playlist is saved, you can't add any content, you can only delete it.[19] X Research source Go to source
   • Your new playlist is saved as "New Playlist 1," until you sync with iTunes. When your playlist is copied to your computer, you can change the name.[20] X Research source Go to source

4. 4

   Delete a song from your playlist. Go to Music > Playlists and find the playlist you want to edit. Flick down and tap Edit to bring up the option to delete the song. Tap Delete to remove the song from your playlist.[21] X Research source Go to source

   • When you finish deleting items from your playlist, tap Done.
   • To delete the entire playlist, tap Playlists, flick down to Edit, and tap Delete next to the playlist you want to delete.[22] X Research source Go to source

1. 1

   Start a new playlist. Open the Music app on your iPhone or iPad by tapping the "Music" icon. Select Playlist from the bottom menu. Tap New to start making your playlist.[23] X Research source Go to source

   • Tapping New will bring up a screen that allows you to add a title for your playlist, as well as a description.
   • In the most recent update, Apple included an icon for a camera that allows you to add a thumbnail to your playlist. Tap the camera to either take a picture or select a photo from your camera roll for your playlist.[24] X Research source Go to source

2. 2

   Add songs to your playlist. Tap Add Songs to bring up a menu that will allow you to pick from a variety of categories. You can choose from artists, albums, songs, genres, composers, compilations, and other playlists.[25] X Research source Go to source

   • When you've found the song you want to add, tap + next to the song.[26] X Research source Go to source
   • Once you've added everything you want to your playlist, tap Done in the top right corner.[27] X Research source Go to source
   • You don't have to be in Playlists to add a song to your playlist. If you find a song you want to add to your playlist from elsewhere in the Music app, tap the "More" button [•••] next to the song. Select Add to Playlist from the pop-up menu, and then select the playlist you'd like to add the song to.[28] X Research source Go to source

3. 3

   Organize your playlist. Find the playlist you want to organize and tap Edit. From here you can rearrange, add, or delete songs.[29] X Research source Go to source

   • To change the order of songs, press and hold the button on the right side of the track. This will allow you to drag the song to any place on the list.[30] X Research source Go to source
   • To delete songs press the delete symbol on the left side of the track.[31] X Research source Go to source
   • To add songs, press Add Songs at the top of the playlist.[32] X Research source Go to source

4. 4

   Delete your playlist. From the main playlist screen, select the playlist you want to delete. Tap the "More" button [•••] next to the playlist and select Delete.[33] X Research source Go to source

   • To delete a playlist from a specific playlist screen, select the same "More" button to bring up the option to delete the playlist.[34] X Research source Go to source

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Updated: May 14, 2021

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