Android Auto Shuffle

[Keri]

The android auto shuffle isn't working as expected. I'll navigate to a playlist, hit the shuffle button to shuffle the songs in that playlist and instead it shuffles all songs. The only way to get it to shuffle how I want is to select a song in the playlist and then shuffle and make sure the right shuffle (current category only) is selected from the menu...not exactly the safest thing to be doing while driving. It should be one button press. 

Is there a way to turn off the extra shuffle option or at least default to certain settings? It's nice that they are offered, but I just want a typical shuffle experience (shuffle the single playlist if inside a playlist folder or all songs in library if in the songs tab). These options for switching categories or shuffling all songs from anywhere is a bit much for me.

 

[andrewilley]

Tap the Shuffle button twice. First press would be All Songs, second press gives Shuffle Songs in Category.

Andre

[Keri]

1 hour ago, andrewilley said:

Tap the Shuffle button twice. First press would be All Songs, second press gives Shuffle Songs in Category.

Andre

Thanks, I have done that and it's my current shuffle setting in the app when I have shuffle on.

The problem is that the android auto car interface defaults to "all songs" when you hit "shuffle" at the top of a playlist. Ideally, that one tap would just shuffle all songs in that playlist, but instead, I have to select a song, then go into the menu and hit shuffle twice for it to shuffle how I want. It's too many taps for an interface that's meant to be distraction free. 

[andrewilley]

Ah, right, I see what you mean now. I never use the AA lists as they don't work on my AA screen at all, I just get a spinning 'busy' icon when I try.

I've now tried it with my local AA app on the phone. I don't think it is doing a full All Songs shuffle, but instead a Shuffle Songs - where the songs are shuffled, but the Categories (Playlists) go through in order, which is what you wanted. However the problem seems to be that it starts with the first Playlist on your device, rather than the one you are currently viewing.

Andre

 

[Keri]

26 minutes ago, andrewilley said:

Ah, right, I see what you mean now. I never use the AA lists as they don't work on my AA screen at all, I just get a spinning 'busy' icon when I try.

I've now tried it with my local AA app on the phone. I don't think it is doing a full All Songs shuffle, but instead a Shuffle Songs - where the songs are shuffled, but the Categories (Playlists) go through in order, which is what you wanted. However the problem seems to be that it starts with the first Playlist on your device, rather than the one you are currently viewing.

Andre

 

Thank you for researching that! So is this a bug that I should submit to the dev? The expected behavior (to me) is that clicking "shuffle" while in a particular playlist folder should shuffle the folder you're currently in, not all the playlists you have. I would expect the latter to happen if you went to the "playlists" tab and hit "shuffle."

I primarily use Poweramp while in Android Auto, so this is a frequently used feature for me.

[andrewilley]

19 minutes ago, Keri said:

Thank you for researching that! So is this a bug that I should submit to the dev?

Yes, it does look like a bug to me. I agree that pressing 'Shuffle' at the top of a given list ought to initially shuffle only the songs in THAT list. What happens afterward that list is done would depend on the Repeat setting.

Andre

[Thepoweramp]

This is still broken though

[maxmp]

@Thepoweramp the original issue was fixed a few builds ago. In build-910 it’s not reproducible (unless you mean some different issue).

[andrewilley]

Seems to work fine to me too in PA build 910. If you tap the Shuffle item at the top of an Android Auto category list (such as at the top of a Playlist, a Folder, an Album, whatever) then PA will correctly play that list in shuffled order as expected. Once done with that list - unless you have changed the Repeat mode - playback will move on to the next list in order and play that list shuffled, and so on.

@maxmp Perhaps the sequence might be better set as "Shuffle Songs / Shuffle Categories" though, rather than "Shuffle Just Songs". This is especially true if you tap the Shuffle link at the top of a higher level list (such as the Folders or Albums list) where you would probably expect a random folder to be picked from the list, but instead PA plays each folder in order but with the contained songs shuffled.

Andre

[Sam Houston]

In build 911, I still have the problem that tapping shuffle in Android Auto while on a playlist shuffles all songs and playlists rather than the current playlist. Like the other posters, I agree that this is really confusing and "randomize current playlist" is the primary feature I want when driving.

[Mark Bizuga]

Nevermind I found the stupid place where you can change the shuffle mode. You cannot be in the ALBUM SONG list view, you have to be in the SONG view. Why did they do it that way. Counterintuitive.

[andrewilley]

@Mark Bizuga To change the shuffle mode, just tap the 'Shuffle' icon on the player view. Not sure why that is confusing?

For simplicity of controls, there are slightly less options available to select via Android Auto (which I assume is what you are discussing, as this is an AA thread) but for a full explanation of how all of the shuffle modes work please see:

AA cycles the shuffle modes through 'Off', 'All Available Songs' (i.e. the whole library) and 'Just Songs' (i.e. shuffle the songs from the current album/folder/etc).

Andre