How do I play my stored music on my phone?
With the right apps, you can easily play stored music files from your phone, allowing you to listen to your music collection anytime without needing an internet connection. Music can be stored locally on your phone from various sources, including downloads from streaming services, CD rips, or music transferred from your computer.
Listening to music offline provides advantages compared to streaming music constantly over the internet. Downloading your favorite tracks to your device allows you to save data costs and listen anywhere, even without cell service or WiFi. It also provides a sense of ownership over your music library.
Locating your music app
Most smartphones come preloaded with a default music app for accessing audio files and streaming music services. On iOS devices like the iPhone, the default Music app can be found on the home screen or by swiping left to access the widgets page. Android devices have apps like YouTube Music or Google Play Music pre-installed, often found in the app drawer or shelf on the home pages. Third party apps like Spotify and Pandora can also be downloaded from app stores.
The default apps allow you to access purchased music, audio files stored on your device, and stream from an integrated music service. Downloaded apps may offer additional features like playlists, radio stations, and access to bigger music catalogues.
Enabling offline listening
Many music streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music require you to enable offline listening before you can download songs or playlists for offline playback. This is because by default the apps are designed for streaming music over an internet connection. Here are the basic steps for enabling offline listening:
In Spotify, go to Settings > Enable Offline Mode. This allows you to download music for offline playback. You can then long press on any playlist, album or song and select “Download” to save it locally on your device. The downloads will appear in Your Library > Downloads. Source
For Apple Music, go to Settings > Music and toggle on “Downloaded Music.” You can then tap the cloud icon next to songs or playlists to download them. The downloads will show up in the Library tab. To manage your offline downloads, go to Settings > Music > Downloads. Source
In general, look for a “Downloads” or “Offline Mode” setting in your music app. Then you can browse songs and playlists and select the download option. The downloads will be accessible in your library for offline playback even without an internet connection.
Accessing music files
To access your stored music files, open the Music app or Files app on your phone. This is where your locally stored music files will be accessible. Your music library may automatically organize files into different categories like Artists, Albums, Songs, Genres, Playlists etc. On a Samsung device, you can find these categories along the top of the Music app screen (Galaxy S23). The Files app may organize music files into folders by Artists, Albums or individual song files.
Music purchased and downloaded from the Google Play Store will appear in your library categorized under Artists, Albums, Songs, etc. Music files transferred from your computer to the phone storage will also show up here. For example, if you transferred a specific artist folder from your computer, you will see that artist name appear in your music library for direct access.
Swiping left and right will let you navigate between different categories like Playlists, Recent, Artists, Albums. Tap into any of these to drill down and access your music. You can also search for a specific song, album or artist. Overall, the music library aims to provide an organized way to easily find your tracks.
Creating playlists
One of the best things you can do to get more enjoyment from your music is to create custom playlists. Playlists allow you to group together songs, albums, or artists that fit a certain mood, genre, or activity. For example, you could make a playlist for your workout routine, a relaxing playlist for bedtime, or one featuring your current favorite songs.
Most music apps have a “Create Playlist” option that lets you make a new playlist from scratch. Simply tap this, give your playlist a name, and start adding songs, albums, or artists. You’ll be able to reorder tracks within the playlist and make any other edits you’d like. Many apps also let you download playlists for offline listening.
Some apps like Spotify have smart playlist features that automatically populate a playlist based on certain criteria you set. For instance, you could make a smart playlist of dance music from the last 10 years that has a high tempo and energetic mood. The app will curate this playlist for you and update it as new matching songs are added to its catalog. Smart playlists are a convenient way to create dynamic playlists tailored to your preferences.
No matter how you create them, playlists help you organize your music library and listen to what you want more efficiently. Experiment with making different playlists for different activities, moods, and occasions to get the most out of your music (Sources: https://fireflies.ai/blog/benefits-of-creating-playlists/, https://flypaper.soundfly.com/hustle/6-benefits-playlists/)
Managing and editing metadata
Music metadata refers to information about your digital music files like the song title, artist, album, genre, release year, cover art and more. Being able to edit this metadata is important so you can keep your music library clean and organized with proper info.
On both iPhone and Android, you can edit basic metadata like song title, artist, album and genre right in the default Music app. Tap the 3 dots or menu icon next to a song and select ‘Edit Info’ or ‘Song Info’. Here you can update any incorrect data.
For more advanced editing of metadata like artwork, extended tags and batch editing multiple files, you’ll want to use a dedicated ID3 tag editor app. On iPhone, some top options include MP3Tag, TagEditor and MP3Tag Pro. For Android, check out Another Music Player, BlackPlayer and MediaMonkey.
With the right metadata editing app, you’ll be able to ensure your entire music library is properly tagged and organized.
Using external storage
To increase your phone’s music storage capacity, you can use external storage devices like SD cards or USB drives. Most Android devices and some iPhones support expandable storage through SD cards. Refer to your phone’s manual to see if it has an SD card slot, and get a compatible card like a 64GB or 128GB SDXC card. Insert the SD card into your phone’s card slot, and it will show up as added storage. You may need to format the SD card on your phone before using it. Once formatted, you can copy music files over to the SD card to store more songs.
Another option is using a USB drive or flash drive. You’ll need an OTG adapter to connect the USB drive to your phone’s charging port. Plug it in, and your phone should detect the USB drive as external storage. You can then transfer music files from your computer onto the flash drive and connect it to your phone when you want to listen. The USB drive also lets you easily add or remove music without affecting the internal storage.
To access and play music stored on external storage like SD cards or USB drives, open your music app and look for a “Storage” or “Files” option. This will show all available storage locations including external drives, and let you browse or search music files to play them directly from the external storage.
Transferring music from computer
There are several ways to transfer music files from your computer to your Android phone, both wired and wireless. The most common wired method is connecting your phone to your computer via USB cable. This allows you to access your phone’s storage as an external drive and simply drag and drop music files over (source). USB transfers are generally faster than wireless options.
For wireless transfers, you can use cloud storage services like Google Drive or Dropbox. Upload the files to cloud storage on your computer, then access the files on your Android phone and download them. This gives you access to your music anywhere, but can be slower than wired transfers (source).
Email attachments are another wireless option. Simply attach audio files to an email from your computer and then download the attachments on your Android device. However, there may be limits on attachment sizes for emails.
Bluetooth is also handy for short range wireless transfers. Enable Bluetooth on both devices and pair them, then use your computer’s file manager to send music files to your Android phone’s Bluetooth connection. However, Bluetooth transfers are typically slower than wired USB.
Listening with Bluetooth
To listen to music stored on your phone wirelessly, you can use Bluetooth headphones or speakers. First, you’ll need to pair your phone with the Bluetooth device. Go to Settings > Bluetooth on your phone and ensure Bluetooth is turned on. Put your headphones or speaker in pairing mode according to the device instructions. Your phone should detect the available Bluetooth device – tap on it to connect. You may need to enter a pairing code. Once paired, you’ll be able to listen to music wirelessly.
For the best audio quality over Bluetooth, look for devices that support advanced codecs like aptX, aptX HD or LDAC. These codecs can transmit CD-quality or hi-res audio via Bluetooth. Standard Bluetooth audio is compressed to save bandwidth, but aptX encodes the audio in a way that preserves more detail and dynamic range, resulting in sound quality closer to a wired connection [1]. So when shopping for Bluetooth gear, check the specifications to ensure support for these codecs if audio quality is important to you.
Conclusion
To summarize, there are a few main steps to playing your stored music on your phone. First, you’ll want to locate your default music app, which is often pre-installed on Android and iOS devices. Next, enable offline listening capabilities in the app settings. Then access your music files and create customized playlists to organize your songs.
Managing your music metadata allows you to edit info like song titles, artists, albums, and more. You can also transfer music from your computer to add new content. If you have external storage on your phone like an SD card, you can store music files there as well.
Finally, you can listen to music by pairing your phone with Bluetooth speakers or headphones for a wireless experience. The advantages of listening to music offline on your phone include accessing your music collection anywhere, without needing an internet connection. You save on data usage and can enjoy nonstop playback. Overall, your phone is a versatile device for playing stored music on the go.