They seem to access either the app's own database or the Android Media Store. I think it's the app's own database.

For example, PlayerPro allows you to create smartlists within the app. So I can create a playlist for all songs where Genre = Rock, or whatever. I've looked around in the device, and I don't see any playlist files being generated for those smartlists. Yet, I can create shortcuts to those playlists.

When I long tap on the home screen, select Add, and select Shortcuts, each of my other music players has an option on that list to create a shortcut to the playlists that exist within that player. Each player's entry in the Shortcut list is titled "Music playlist", but each has a different icon that corresponds to that player.

I think what you're referring to, a generic shortcut to an .m3u file, is also something that is supported in Android, but what I'm talking about is each app defining its own shortcuts to its own internal playlists.

Oh okay i stand corrected then IF they don't. Then what do they link the short cut too?


Roving cowboy / keith hall / monkey hi fi

rovingcowboy wrote:Short cuts only work if the playlists are files

This is a factually incorrect statement. The playlist shortcuts that other media players provide do not require playlist files.

Short cuts only work if the playlists are files, mm saves playlists information in a database that only mm connects too, no way to make short cut for that as it would just restart mm to let you pick the list from his menu page.

Making playlist files and having them played by shortcut only gets the systems default player to play them not mm.

That reason was explained back on the second day of release of mma. In a post by me that rusty answered.

That's efficient if you always want to listen to the same playlist, and I'm sure the OP appreciates the tip.

To be fair though, it's less than ideal overall. It's a lot of tapping to get to a different playlist. It doesn't help if you want to launch your music from another app since other apps can't trigger widget actions. And for those of us unfortunate enough to be stuck in contracts on older devices that don't perform all that well, adding widgets to homescreens makes everything else laggier.

Other players allow you to create homescreen shortcuts to specific playlists. With this approach, the user can start playback of any playlist with one tap on the homescreen, and since other apps can trigger shortcuts, you can start playback from within other apps. Shortcuts also don't consume the resources that widgets do. This seems to be a standard feature across other players. I mentioned it in another thread, and I'm still hoping it makes it into MMA in the not too distant future.

You do just use on screen widget leave playlist loaded, then play the song shown and if you want to change playlists just press click the album cover to open full screen then press the back arrow to get to main selection page and change the play list by just pressing and hold the name of the playlist to select it then press the play arrow that DOESN'T have a clock on it. And the new list will be sent to now playing and auto clear the currently playing list,.

I am wishing we had an option to start playing music on mma startup.