If you’ve created playlists for your favorite music on YouTube or other streaming services and want to access them directly on your phone, it’s easy to find and play them. Here are some tips for locating playlists you’ve made no matter what phone or music app you’re using.
Check the Playlists Tab in Your Music App
Most music apps like Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, etc. have a “Playlists” tab or section where you can find playlists you’ve created or followed. Open your music app and look for this tab – it’s usually along the bottom or in the Library section.
Tap into Playlists and you should see:
- Playlists you’ve personally created
- Playlists you’ve subscribed to or followed from other users
- Curated playlists recommended for you based on your listening history
Scroll through until you find the playlist you want. You may need to tap “See All” to view your full playlist collection.
Search for the Playlist Name
If you can’t locate the playlist you want in your library, most apps have a search bar where you can type in the name. This will pull up results for playlists with matching names.
The search bar is usually at the top of the screen or accessible by tapping a magnifying glass icon. Start typing the name of the playlist and select it when it pops up in results.
Find Playlists Synced from Your Computer
If you use desktop apps like iTunes to manage your music library, any playlists created there can be synced to your phone. To access these playlists:
- Open the music app synced to that library, like Apple Music on an iPhone synced to iTunes.
- Look for a section like “Playlists” or “Library” and you should see playlists transferred from your computer.
Playlists synced from iTunes will only be visible in the Apple Music app. Playlists from other desktop apps like Windows Media Player may sync to your device’s native music player.
Locate Playlists Shared on Social Media
If someone shared a playlist with you on a social platform like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. you may be able to access it directly from your music app.
Steps to find shared playlists:
- Open your music app and look for any tabs or menus related to social sharing.
- For example, Spotify has a “Friend Activity” section that shows playlists friends recently listened to.
- See if the shared playlist pops up here. If so, you can tap to open it.
- Alternatively, search for the playlist name in your music app which may also pull it up.
Use Voice Commands
If your phone has a voice assistant like Siri, Google Assistant, Alexa, etc. you can use voice commands to locate playlists:
- Say “Hey Siri” or “Okay Google” to activate the assistant.
- Say something like “Play ” or “Find my playlist.”
- The assistant will start playing the requested playlist if available.
Re-Find Playlists on a New Device
If you get a new phone and want access to your playlists, there are a couple steps to find them again:
- On your old device, make sure playlists are synced to your music app account like Spotify, YouTube Music, etc.
- On the new device, install the music app and log into your account.
- Go to Playlists and you should see all your synced playlists.
- Alternatively you can search for playlist names to locate them.
You’ll need to use the same music service on both devices for synced playlists to appear. Playlists from desktop apps like iTunes will need to be re-synced to the new phone.
Check Recently Played Playlists
If you no longer see a playlist in your library, it may have been deleted or un-followed accidentally. But you can often find deleted playlists in:
- A “Recently Played” section in your music app.
- The playlist may still be in your listening history.
- A “Favorites” tab if you had favorited or liked the playlist.
So check these areas to see if the missing playlist shows up there. Tap it to open and follow or save it again.
Browse Your YouTube Playlists
For playlists created on YouTube, you can find and access them directly in the YouTube mobile app:
- Open the YouTube app on your phone.
- Tap on your profile icon in the top right.
- Go to “Playlists” to view your created playlists.
- Tap a playlist to open it and start watching the videos.
YouTube playlists will sync across any devices where you’re logged into your YouTube/Google account. Use the steps above to view your playlists on mobile.
Recover Deleted Playlists
If a playlist seems to have disappeared from your music app, don’t panic. You may be able to recover it.
- YouTube: Deleted YouTube playlists can be restored for up to 3 months after deletion. Sign into YouTube on a computer to restore playlists.
- Spotify: You have about 90 days to recover deleted Spotify playlists using account restoration.
- Apple Music: Playlists deleted from Apple Music are stored for 30 days in Recently Deleted and can be restored.
Check your music app’s help guides for exact details on how to restore deleted playlists on that platform.
Connect with Social Media to Re-Find Playlists
If playlists are gone from your music app, you may still be able to find them again through social media:
- Check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. to see if someone tagged you in a playlist or you shared one.
- Retrace playlist shares via friends or group messages.
- Search your history on each platform using the playlist name to dig up old shares.
- Use these links to open the playlist again in your music app and re-follow or re-save it.
Contact Playlist Creators
If you followed a playlist shared by a friend, but can no longer find it on any apps, reach out to the original creator.
- Message them and ask if they still have access to the playlist.
- Request that they share or send it to you again.
- If they re-share the playlist, you can open and save it on your end.
Hopefully the original playlist author still has it in their library to send over again if you’ve lost access.
Use Playlist Archive Sites
Some services archive playlists shared on social networks and music apps, even deleted ones. Check sites like:
- PlaylistArchive.com – Archive of playlists from YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud and more
- TuneMyMusic – Transfers music between services and stores playlist data
- Soundiiz – Playlist transfer and archive site
Search these sites for the missing playlist name and see if an archived version is available. You may be able to recover playlists using these tools.
Don’t Give Up!
With the steps and tips above, you should be able to hunt down lost playlists on your phone even if they seem to have disappeared. The key is using multiple methods to find playlists like:
- Checking your recent history
- Searching your music apps
- Looking through social media
- Using playlist archive sites
- Reaching out for re-shares
Often playlists are still available somewhere, you just have to know where to look. So be diligent in your search and you’ll likely uncover those “lost” playlists after all.
