Without using playlists on your iPhone, it can be a slow process finding exactly the songs you want. It's also not much fun having to tap on every single track in turn. If you've only created playlists via the iTunes software on your computer, then you might not know how to do the same thing on your iPhone. Looking at the music app's interface doesn't offer much help on how to go about this task. So, how do you do it in iOS?


By reading this tutorial, you'll find out not only how to create playlists on the iPhone, but also how to edit them too. And, the next time you connect your Apple device to iTunes, the playlists you've created will be automatically copied across.

Creating a Playlist on The iPhone

1. Ensure you are on the iPhone's home screen and tap the Music icon.
2. Look near the bottom of the music app's screen and tap the playlists option.
3. To create a new playlist, you will probably have to scroll the screen down with your finger to see it -- don't ask why it's hidden from view. When you do this you should see the +New Playlist... option appear. Tap on it to continue.
4. Type in a name for your new playlist and tap Save.

Adding Songs to Your New Playlist

Now that you have created an empty playlist, it's time to start adding songs. If you've followed the previous steps you should see that all the songs in your library have a + (plus) sign next to them. This indicates that you are in playlist editing mode.

1. Look through the list of songs and tap the + (plus) next to the tracks you want to add.

1. You'll notice that when a song is added to your playlist, the + (plus) sign next to it will be grayed out. If you've got a very large music library on your iPhone then you can also use the search box to save time.
2. When you have finished adding songs to your playlist, tap the Done button in the top right-hand corner of the screen).

You should now see the playlist you've just edited displayed with all the songs in it.

Changing the Contents of a Pre-existing Playlist

Sometimes you'll want to make changes to playlists on the iPhone. This could either be removing old songs, adding new ones, or both. To edit a playlist directly on the iPhone:

1. In the Music app, switch to Playlists view if you aren't already there.
2. Select the playlist you want to edit by tapping your finger on its name.
3. Tap on the Edit button in the left-hand corner of the screen.
4. You'll now notice that all songs in your playlist will have a - (minus) sign next to them. Work out which tracks you want to delete and tap the relevant - (minus) sign, followed by the Remove button for each.
5. To add new songs to your playlist, tap on the + (plus) sign in the right-hand corner of the screen. You can now  add songs by tapping the relevant '+' sign next to each one.
6. To save your edited playlist, tap the Done button.

Tips

• If you've got a lot of songs to add to your playlist which are in the same album, consider changing the view mode. By tapping on the albums sub-menu near the bottom of the screen you can quickly add related songs. This method also works if making playlists based on artists or genres.