How do I get the play next option on Apple Music?

by
How do I get the play next option on Apple Music

Apple Music is a popular music streaming service that allows you to access over 90 million songs. One of the handy features in Apple Music is the ability to add songs to a Play Next queue so you can line up music to play immediately after your currently playing track.

The Play Next option provides an easy way to create a custom playlist order on the fly or queue up a few songs without having to create an official playlist. Here’s what you need to know about using Play Next in Apple Music and how to enable it on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and the web.

What is Play Next in Apple Music?

The Play Next feature in Apple Music essentially creates a temporary custom playlist order. Any songs you add to Play Next will play immediately after your currently playing track finishes.

This lets you dynamically build a queue of music to play without having to formally create playlists. It’s handy for queuing a few songs you want to hear right away or lining up music for a scenario like a party where you want specific songs to play next.

Benefits of using Play Next

  • Easily queue songs to play next
  • Create impromptu playlists
  • Quickly line up music without formally creating playlists
  • Play Nextqueue disappears after songs finish playing
  • Add as many songs as you want to Play Next

Key Features of Play Next

Here are some of the key features of the Play Next option in Apple Music:

  • Songs play in the order you added them to Play Next
  • You can see upcoming Play Next songs in the Music app
  • Play Next works with individual songs or full albums
  • The Play Next queue clears after playing your queued songs
  • Play Next works across Apple devices thanks to iCloud Music Library

How to Add Songs to Play Next on iPhone and iPad

Adding songs to your Play Next queue is easy on iPhone and iPad. Here are the steps to use Play Next in the Apple Music app:

  1. Open the Music app and start playing a song.
  2. Tap the More button (the 3 dots) next to the song title.
  3. Select Play Next from the menu.
  4. You’ll see a screen with Play Next at the top. Tap Add Music.
  5. Choose songs to add to Play Next. You can select single songs or full albums.
  6. Songs will be added to your Play Next queue.
  7. When your current song finishes, the Play Next songs will start playing automatically in the order you added them.

That’s all there is to it! Now when you want to line up songs to play next, just open the More menu and choose Play Next to add them to the queue.

Adding Full Albums to Play Next

Along with single songs, you can also quickly add entire albums to Play Next. To do this:

  1. Tap on an album to view the album page.
  2. Tap the More button next to the Shuffle and Play buttons.
  3. Choose Add to Play Next from the menu.
  4. The entire album will be added to your Play Next queue.

Editing and Reordering Play Next

After adding songs to Play Next, they will play in the order you added them. You can edit and reorder your Play Next queue though:

  1. In the Music app, tap the Up Next icon in the player view.
  2. This will show your Play Next queue.
  3. Tap Edit in the top right.
  4. You can now delete songs from the queue or drag to reorder them.

Using Play Next on Mac

The Music app on Mac also includes the Play Next feature. Here is how it works on Mac:

  1. Open Music and start playing a song.
  2. Click the More button (3 dots icon) next to the song name.
  3. Choose Play Next from the menu.
  4. In the window that pops up, search for songs or albums to add.
  5. Click the + icon to add them to Play Next.
  6. Your queued songs will play after your current track ends.

You’ll see your Play Next queue in the player view in Music. You can hover over a song and click Remove to delete it from the queue.

Keyboard Shortcut to Add to Play Next

A handy trick on Mac is using a keyboard shortcut to quickly add music to Play Next without using your mouse.

Simply press and hold the Shift key and then press the N key on your keyboard. This will immediately add the now playing song to Play Next.

Using Play Next on Apple Music on the Web

The Apple Music web player at music.apple.com also supports Play Next. Here’s how it works:

  1. Start playing a song.
  2. Click the More button (3 dots icon).
  3. Select Add to Play Next.
  4. To add more songs, click the Play Next icon in the player toolbar.
  5. Search for songs or albums and click + to add them.
  6. Your Play Next queue will play when your current song finishes.

You’ll see upcoming Play Next songs in the progress bar on the web player. Hover over a song and choose Remove from Play Next to delete it from the queue.

Play Next vs. Up Next

Apple Music also has a separate Up Next feature. Up Next provides personalized song recommendations based on your listening history and tastes. The Up Next queue automatically fills with music Apple Music thinks you’ll like.

Play Next and Up Next work independently. Play Next is a manual queue you control while Up Next is automated. But the two features complement each other nicely:

  • Use Play Next to manually line up songs you want to hear next.
  • Let Up Next take over after your Play Next queue finishes.

This allows you to take control of the short term music order with Play Next while still benefitting from Apple Music’s recommendations in Up Next after your queued songs play through.

Tips for Using Play Next

Here are some useful tips for making the most of Play Next in Apple Music:

  • Add a whole album – When viewing an album, use More > Add to Play Next to quickly queue up the full album.
  • Playlists – You can use Play Next with your personal playlists too. Add a playlist to Play Next and it will temporarily override Up Next.
  • Use Siri – Tell Siri “Add this song to Play Next” to quickly add music without using the app.
  • Play Next icon – Tap the Play Next icon in the player view to see and edit your full queue.
  • Up Next integration – Play Next is great for queuing up songs before letting Up Next take over with recommendations.
  • Clearing the queue – Play Next clears automatically after playing your songs. Or tap Clear All in the Play Next view.

Troubleshooting Play Next Issues

Play Next usually works smoothly, but here are some solutions for common issues:

Songs won’t add to Play Next

If you can’t add songs to Play Next, try these troubleshooting steps:

  • Make sure you have an active internet connection.
  • Check that you’re tapping the More button next to the song, not just tapping More.
  • Try force quitting the Music app and restarting it.
  • Confirm the song is available in your Apple Music library and hasn’t been added to your device offline.
  • On iPhone, try asking Siri to add a song to Play Next as a workaround.

Play Next songs won’t play

If your Play Next songs don’t automatically play after adding them to the queue, here are some things to try:

  • Make sure you don’t already have Up Next songs queued that could be playing first.
  • Confirm you don’t have the repeat function turned on, which could cause the same song to repeat rather than Play Next songs playing.
  • Check that you don’t already have another album or playlist queued in Up Next that could be interfering.
  • Force quit the Music app and try adding something simple like one song to Play Next to test if it works.

Play Next queue disappeared

If your Play Next queue seems to have vanished, a couple things could be going on:

  • The songs finished playing. Play Next will automatically clear the queue after it finishes playing your list.
  • The app was force quit, your device lost connection, or your Music library updated. This can cause the Play Next queue to reset.
  • Someone cleared your queue. If others have access to your devices, they could have cleared your pending Play Next songs.

Conclusion

The Play Next feature provides an easy way to customize the immediate playback order in Apple Music. With Play Next, you can quickly build temporary queues, line up songs for parties or activities, sneak your favorites into playlists, and control what plays without creating permanent playlists.

Play Next complements Up Next nicely, giving you manual control over the short term music order while still allowing Apple Music’s sophisticated algorithms to take over once your queue finishes up. And with Play Next syncing across devices, you can start building a queue on one device and finish it on another.

So the next time you want to hear a few specific songs right away or assemble a quick custom playlist order, remember to use Play Next in Apple Music.