topic Re: [iOS][Browse] Fix shuffle state getting stuck in iOS (iPhone, iPad)

[iOS][Browse] Fix shuffle state getting stuck

JibberJibber — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 20:25:57 GMT

I've noticed an inconsistent shuffle behavior on the iOS app. I frequently switch between listening to playlists and albums. When shuffling songs in a playlist, the shuffle behavior carries over unexpectedly sometimes when listening to albums.

How to reproduce:

1. Open a playlist, tap any song inside the playlist to play it.

2. Tap the player preview to bring up the album artwork/details of the song playing.

3. Tap the shuffle button to enable shuffle mode.

4. Open Search or go to "Your Library" and tap any album.

5. Tap the large green "play" button to play the album starting from the first song.

6. Tap/swipe to skip a few songs - this works as expected, the songs in the album play sequentially.

7. Tap any song within the album listing.

8. Tap/swipe to skip a few songs - this does not work as expected, the shuffle "state" is enabled unexpectedly and songs are shuffled

This is very annoying. When listening to an album in this state, simply tapping a song to listen to it again will shuffle the album - confusing to the user.

Re: [iOS][Browse] Fix shuffle state getting stuck

Eni — Sat, 09 Apr 2022 20:48:39 GMT

Hey there @JibberJibber,

Thanks for reaching out about this here in the Community.

We can confirm that the behavior you described is currently expected. If the main Shuffle button from the Now playing view is active, then it will shuffle in both albums and playlists. Despite having the Shuffle on, you can play the album in order by clicking the green play button in the album, but as you mentioned, it will play from the beginning.

If you want to select a specific song and continue listening in order after that, you'd need to turn the Shuffle feature off from the Now playing view before playing the selected song.

Hope this helps. If you need a hand with anything else, the Community is here for you.

Re: [iOS][Browse] Fix shuffle state getting stuck

JibberJibber — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:29:54 GMT

Thanks for the reply.

Keeping the Shuffle state "on" makes sense, but it is unclear when it switches back to "on" without activating the Now playing view. When using the green play button on an album, the Shuffle state on the Now playing view displays "off". I expect that because this indicator is "off", Shuffle mode will stay off when navigating around other albums and playlists.

I believe it is unreasonable to expect the user to remember the Shuffle state they were in after playing 1 or more albums sequentially using the green play button. It is frustrating to end up in this state and not realizing you are in shuffle mode until a few songs have passed when intending to play an album sequentially.

Here are three separate solutions that would fix this:

Add a Shuffle state indicator/toggle on the minimized Now playing bar at the bottom of the screen. This would make it clear which state the user is in.
Turn the Shuffle state entirely off when tapping the green play button on an album.
Add a green shuffle button (similar to the green button on playlists) to the album view in addition to the green play button. If the user taps the green shuffle button, the Shuffle state remains on. If the user taps the green play button, the Shuffle state turns entirely off.

Re: [iOS][Browse] Fix shuffle state getting stuck

OscarDC — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 16:14:01 GMT

Hey @JibberJibber,

Thank you for keeping in contact.

We appreciate the solutions you're suggesting. If you think other users would like this too, we'd recommend posting it in our Ideas board.

However, before posting it please take a look at the Ideas guidelines to avoid the idea for being closed. More info on how your feedback reaches Spotify via the Idea Exchange can be found here.

Thank you again for taking the time to share it. If anything else comes up, the Community will be here for you.